Myths about Neon Signs – Dispelled

There are plenty of myths and misconceptions out there surrounding neon signage – with a number pertaining to their safety for both commercial and domestic use.

In short neon signage is incredibly safe to use, providing it is well looked after and treated with respect. However, we’d like to take the chance to clear up several common queries we get asked around this subject…

Q. Is the gas used in neon poisonous?

A. No – not in the small amount present in the tube.

Let us elaborate: Neon signs contain either Neon gas or Argon gas, both of which are inert gases and as such have no reaction when inhaled in small quantities, they are present in the air we breathe daily.

The only thing that is harmful within an argon tube is the addition of a small amount of elemental mercury.

Elemental mercury occurs widely in the environment, mercury causes damage when it is cumulatively absorbed into the body over time.

If a tube is broken it is recommended to air the room in which it is located, and clean up any mess created. The NHS website states that the small amount of mercury in the tube is extremely unlikely to cause problems for your health and provides extra precautionary advice for clean-up, this is the same advice as for fluorescent lamps.

Another safety-related question we frequently get asked is whether neon signs can burn you. So…

Q. Does neon get very hot to the touch?

A. Generally no.

There are a couple of reasons a neon section (tube) would get hot. This can be either due to the existence of impurities in the tube (air usually), the electrodes having too much current passed through them due to incorrect calibration or if it’s incorrectly installed.

The only other time that an electrode may be hot is on large diameter tubing running at a high current in the range of 150mA.

We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. If you would like to learn more about the safety of neon signs, please take the time to get in touch and we can talk to you about any type of project you have in mind.

Neon Safety: Frequently Asked Questions

Here at A1deSIGNS we’re constantly being asked questions about neon – our specialist subject. And some of the most popular queries are around the safety of neon signs.

There’s plenty of misconceptions and myths surrounding neon signs and their safety for business and domestic use – so we’re always happy to clarify things.

We’ve put together a series of factual answers to common questions and queries about the safety of neon signs that we’re frequently asked. We hope you find this useful…

Q. Are neon signs safe?

A. Yes.

Neon signage is incredibly safe to use, providing it is well looked after and treated with respect.

For more than 100 years neon has been a go-to signage and is now more reliable and safe than ever before.

Q. Do neon signs explode?

A. No they do not.

Air pressure is 1013.25 millibars at sea level, a neon tube is manufactured under a vacuum and then filled to a maximum pressure of up to 25 millibars in small diameter tubes and around 5 millibars for larger diameter tubes.

Therefore a neon tube when broken technically implodes and sucks air into the tube, however this is not a spectacular event and does not result in the expulsion of glass everywhere.

Q. Will my neon sign cause a fire?

A. Neon is no more likely to cause a fire than any other electrical item.

We install and manufacture correctly, using parts that meet and are constructed to EU and UK safety regulations. If there is a fault with a neon sign, it should be switched off and repairs carried out as necessary by a qualified technician, as you would with any electrical product before putting back in to use.

This should be done before attempting to use the sign, as more problems may occur if the sign is used when faulty. Neon signs imported from outside the EU can be sub-standard in quality and safety.

Our neon sign safety

A1deSIGNS creates each and every one of its neon signs in-house. Our signs are made from glass tubes and depending on the colour of the sign, a clear, powder coated glass or coloured glass will be used.

The signs are then filled with neon or argon gas, which depends on what the final colour needs to be. Once the signs are complete, they are extremely safe and should have a long lifespan if they are well looked after.

We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. And please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon solutions can help your business.

Facts About Neon

NEON: There is only one type of neon. Hand made from straight lengths of glass that are heated over a flame and blown into while being bent to shape. It’s not made by a machine or mass produced… it’s an art form.

As experts in the concept, design, manufacture and installation of all things neon – A1DeSIGNS is constantly being asked questions about our specialist subject.

There’s plenty of misconceptions and myths surrounding neon… so we’ve put together a series of factual answers to common, technical questions and queries we’re frequently asked. We hope you find this useful…

What is the life expectancy of neon tubes?

The life expectancy of a tube pumped with pure neon depends on a few factors; whether the tube stays sealed and unbroken, whether there are enough ions remaining in the tube for it to strike and as long as it does not suffer an electrode breakdown.

This can be many years. However, the argon pumped tubes can suffer from electrode erosion and have a useful life expectancy of over 40,000 hours. Tubes have been known to last a great deal longer than this.

In 2012 an article in the Daily Mail wrote about some neon tubes that were found in the USA that had been running constantly for 77 years.

Fluorescent coated tubes do however suffer from a decrease in light output over time (lumen depreciation), LEDs also suffer from this as well, but are more greatly affected than neon by heat.

Is the life expectancy of neon tubes affected by being switched on and off?

The effect of switching neon on and off repeatedly is negligible on its life span.

We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. And please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon solutions can help your business.

How to Style Custom Neon Lights

Custom neon lights are a huge style statement, whether they are for your bar, restaurant or your home…

Picture Perfect Neon Lights

Over the last few years, custom neon lights has become more and more popular and demand has gone through the roof. It has taken off so much thats is now the latest trend across Instagram and is now featuring across home interior shows and commercial branding and interior design talks.

Neon really is the go-to accessory for your home and workplace!

Top of Trends; Neon!

Senior buyer of Debenhams, Claire Woodward has taken the neon trends in her stride by ensuring that they provide enough neon lighting and signage for everyone, in all colours and designs.

Many famous people are jumping head over heels for the trend as the Beckhams’ have recently invested in a custom neon signage piece, Lady Gaga was right behind them by purchasing her own statement neon light, and the British supermodel Kate Moss reportedly spent £100,000 on a custom neon sign of her own signature. Singer and Author Tom Fletcher, also has installed neon lighting in his home as a feature piece and talking point.

But it’s not just celebrities that are taking neon home, commercial and retail giants like Superdry and Topshop have also had neon lights and signage commissioned from A1deSigns to install in their larger stores in and around London.

Bars are opting for the classic ‘Cocktails’ sign that is synonymous by the Tom Cruise film of the same name, restaurants are opting for neon lights and signs to direct people around the restaurant and showcase what they have on offer, like this one who installed a ‘Budweiser’ sign in their establishment, and coffee signs to show that bars also do hot drinks as part of their drinks menu.

There are a range of uses for these signs in your workplace such as;

• Toilet signs
• Direction signs
• Bar signs
• Logo signs
• Diner signs
• Mood lighting
• Wall features
• Branding signs
• Product signs
• Open & Closed signs
• Quote & positive message signs
• Kitchen signs
• Slogan signs
• External signs and arrows pointing to the entrance
• Decorations such as Flamingo or palm tree design neon lighting

Choosing your Neon Lights

When it comes to your home, you have just as many possibilities, whether that be features, decorations, logos and more. You can create your very own unique and bespoke neon sign for any location, work or home.

The effects of neon lights and signage speak for themselves in terms of impact on the overall design of a room or commercial setting. We love creating new and bespoke designs so why not invest in one today and take your interior design to the next level.

Contact our team today for more information on how we can help you create your dream neon sign.

Neon lighting: America is Bringing It Back

When you picture neon lighting, some may think of the LED neon lighting or Neon Signage that is often used in pubs, bars and restaurants. However, many others will harp back to a more nostalgic time of the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, picturing the iconic neon lighting of Las Vegas, America. Or the Sunset Strip and the nights that never end in the casinos that never close.

Those iconic signs were thought to be lost to a time gone by, but a team of people based in Vegas have been restoring as many of the neon signs as possible but not in ways you might think. Taking today’s technology and putting it to fantastic use. The team have managed to recreate the infamous signs through augmented reality and let the lights shine bright once again.

This is a major sign of the times when neon was at its peak in popularity. It has made a comeback and reached those heights once more, thanks to the new technology allowing them to be projection mapped as part of an installation at a Neon Museum in America.

Those neon signs that once drew visitors to Vegas, are now able to draw more visitors to the Museum and bring that nostalgia of a neon lit vegas back to life. The signs on display include the red ‘Lady Luck’ sign, Binions Horseshoe and the ‘Star’ part of the iconic ‘Stardust’ sign (they don’t have the ‘dust’ part of the sign available to recreate using this type of augmented reality).

The whole project was able to be put together thanks to the use of drones that filmed each and every element of the signs, each bulb, corner and crevasse to be able to recreate the signs in extraordinary detail. This also helped with the elements that were missing, for example, those that were missing bulbs then were able to be ‘put back in place’ thanks to the digital imagery catalogue.

Since being introduced to the world in 1893 at the World Fair in Chicago, Neon signs have seen many rises in popularity over the years, but no location has been more synonymous than Vegas with the bright colours of neon.

Neon signage is on an upwards turn in terms of popularity and this is simply highlighted by the demand for these infamous relics of American history to be ‘lit’ once again. This is a trend that is continuing over here in the UK with massive increase in demand for neon signs for bars, clubs and restaurants. Once again being used to attract the crowds, neon is working its magic and becoming the go to for external signs. Some are taking the trend to the next level by installing these brilliant signs inside to create a retro feel.

Neon: Facts Vs Fiction

This post was written for Sign Link Magazine. The full article can be found here.

I write this in an attempt to put to bed some of the misconceptions surrounding Neon that are put out there, generally by LED using companies, that have no knowledge or experience of Neon.

I feel it is a sad state of affairs when something that has been an integral part of the industry for so very long, and is one of the few last bastions of hands on skill within the sign industry has completely false, un-researched information published, that can sometimes verge on the ridiculous.  This is normally combined by something pious about how environmentally friendly LEDs are, which considering they are generally imported across the planet and can contain arsenic, lead, gallium and are believed to cause eye damage, is not necessarily the case, but I am not here to badmouth a product that is useful and clearly has its place in the industry.

As a company we manufacture all types of signage and work with LEDs, so have a sound understanding of the industry, we have been involved with Neon for over 40 years and manufacturing as a company for around 35 years.

There are many statements that have been put into press about Neon that are not accurate, please see some of these below, with the truths revealed after each one.

The Facts about Neon

False Statement #1

“Unlike Glass Neon, LED alternatives can be positioned at low level, as fingers will not get burnt if the lettering is accidentally touched.”

The Truth

Glass Neon, the only true Neon product in existence, does not burn fingers. Correctly assembled and installed, Neon is perfectly safe to touch. The electrodes do get warm, but won’t burn should you touch them, the electrical connection itself should always be covered with rubber caps, called shrouds or electrode sleeves, insulating the electrical connection along with any heat given off.

False Statement #2

“LED alternatives give the same look and feel of Neon. But not only is this technology more durable than traditional Neon signage, it is also cheaper. This is because they are powered by low voltage 12v and 24v LED’s, which also mean they run for much longer.”

The Truth

There are a few misconceptions here.

1 – The first is that an LED Neon alternative product has the same look and feel as real Neon.

From a distance, you may be forgiven for not knowing whether a sign was real Neon or LED Neon but up close there are many distinct features that make them different. Neon is glass and LED alternatives are made from either acrylic or rubber like substances depending on the quality. You cannot create the same feel as Neon with anything other than Neon.

2. “The technology is more durable than traditional Neon signage”.

Neon has a manufacturer’s predicted lifespan of 45- 50,000 hours. However, it can last much longer if installed correctly and manufactured to a high quality standard. A great example is a sign found in America several years ago that had been running for over 70 years. Search Neon running 77 years on Google.

When talking about durability, the material that tends to house the LED Neon products is more durable than glass. But this durability applies only to the sign being dropped or struck. Glass can be broken. We admit that Neon signs are not indestructible. When packaged correctly and when a reputable courier is used, there is no worry about a sign arriving intact. If your sign did arrive broken, then the sign would likely be covered under a warranty and any repairs would be made as soon as possible. If you take care of a sign, there is no reason why Neon is not a viable option. When it comes to installation, any sign engineer that is used to handling it will rarely break any sections if any at all.

We also have glass everywhere in our homes, we drink from it, windows are made from it and ornaments displayed on shelves are formed from it. If we are not worried about these unexpectedly breaking and have not replaced them all with plastic copies, why should a Neon sign be any different?

3. “Because they are low voltage, they run for longer”.

Voltage has nothing to do with life expectancy. Voltage applies to the power needed to ignite and run the sign. Neon is made so that it can run at high voltages, there is no strain put on the product by doing so. Neon can also be run at low voltage, however this again does nothing to the life expectancy when compared to high voltage.

4. “LED alternatives are cheaper”.

As manufacturers of both real Neon and LED imitation Neon, we are in a unique position to know the ins and outs of both.  Because of this, we can say without a doubt that this is not true. If a sign is purchased directly from us, then an LED version is more expensive than the Neon. The material costs for an LED version is far more than the material costs of Neon, also the time to manufacture is much less for a skilled glass bender than to round the faces of the acrylic, insert LED’s, fix the backing and then apply vinyl around the edges.

False Statement #3

“Because Neon is glass, it is less durable than LED alternatives and cannot be as intricate.”

The Truth

The durability of Neon was addressed above, but with regards to designs being too intricate, Neon tubes can come as small as 8mm in diameter, a skilled glass bender can then turn this into very detailed designs with lettering as small as 45mm high depending on font style. If a design is too small to be made in Neon then it will definitely be too small to make in LED Neon alternative with a stroke width of 8mm and a rounded face.

False Statement #4

“Neon tubes leak the gas inside of them and have to be replaced over time which is expensive.”

The Truth

Neon tubes do not leak the gas put in them, they are low pressure lamps (between 9mbar and 20mbar, atmosphere is around 1000mbar), if there was a hole or crack in the tube air would leak in and the lamp would slowly die and need replacing,  as air destroys the lamps ability to function.

Both LEDs and Coloured Neon tubes have light degradation over time, for Coloured Neon this can depend on the colour as some fade faster than other over time. However this generally only starts to get noticeable as the tube gets close to the end of its life expectancy.

With a pure Neon section however, the light stays as bright as the day it was installed, generally only affected by environmental effects on the exterior of the glass. If a pure Neon section fails this can simply have its electrodes changed and be re-pumped.

On the occasions where a tube is broken and does need completely replacing, new sections can be remade at low cost and at times can be remade in under an hour, meaning that it can be on its way back to you as quick as possible at a cost that would be lower than an alternative.

False Statement #5

“Traditional Neon is not as good as LED alternatives because it requires specialists to put up and has to adhere to loads of regulations.“

The Truth

While it is recommended that a specialist installer fit skeleton Neon, it can be done by people with a competence with electrical products. For those who prefer to have things made more simple, Neon can come pre-mounted on a variety of substrates, so that it can simply be hung on a wall and plugged in. Installing LED alternatives also requires someone with knowledge of electrical products if being mounted directly to a wall.

As for regulations, they have been put in place for all electrical products and installations. While some may see them as “tedious”, we see them as a safety net; something that ensures your product will run smoothly and safely. This may cause people to shy away from Neon as they believe it always has to have a fireman switch, but those same regulations also state the forms in which it does not require one.

Overall, there are many out there who do not know enough about Neon, or simply repeat something they have heard or read about it without researching first.

More Facts About Neon

Below is a list of a few Facts about Neon that you may not have known:

• Neon is not going to burn you if you touch the lettering.
• Neon can be used at touching height without a cover.
• Neon can be High Voltage or Low Voltage.
• Neon can be used internally or externally.
• Neon signs do not always require a fireman switch.
• Neon can be dimmed, flashed, chased and strobed etc.
• Neon may be fragile but if packaged and sent correctly, it will arrive safely.
• Neon has a life expectancy of around 45-50,000 hours, but can last a great deal longer than that.
• Neon Lettering can be made as small as 45mm high and keep its tubular look.
• Neon does not explode randomly.
• Neon and Argon Gas are both Inert Gases- they are not themselves poisonous.

A Neon transformer‘s electrical current is less dangerous than the 240v, 30A (30,000ma) A/C ring main supply at home. it takes 30mA of A/C Power or 300-500ma of D/C to stop the heart. Neon transformers run at either 25, 35 or 50ma.

Helpful Information About Neon

Hopefully this helps to shed some light on the art of Neon manufacture and stops the claims that are incorrect about Neon, we have no problem with alternatives but it’s unfair to put a product down with incorrect information. Also from a business point of view why would you restrict your revenue streams and not provide your clients with an educated assessment of what is right for them, both Neon and the alternative versions have their place, as some designs lend themselves to one option better than the other.

If you are in need of advice about Neon please feel free to give us a call we are happy to help, if we don’t know the answer we will try and find out for you.