With so many possible upgrades and customizations for commercial vans, van lights are often overlooked. But a well-thought-out van lighting system can really boost your productivity and efficiency on worksites– not to mention keep your team safe on the job and the road.
In this guide, we’ll go over the many different types of van lights available and share important tips for installing and maintaining them. If you have more questions about van lights or decide to invest in professional installation, our Portland van customization shop is here to help!
Boost Productivity & Safety With Work Van Lights
Van lighting is a relatively simple and cost-effective upgrade that can make a big difference in your day-to-day. Having reliable, accessible lighting is convenient and will save your team members the hassle of searching for a flashlight when it gets dark. Lighting will also allow your team to work longer and more flexible hours, thereby increasing your productivity and improving your company’s bottom line. Exterior work lights can extend your workspace out beyond your van interior and provide you with more room to work with.
Additionally, having a well-lit van interior is essential for safety; interior lights will help minimize workplace hazards and lower the risk of injury. With better visibility, you can also reduce inventory damages. Certain types of exterior van lights, such as strobe or warning lights, can also help warn surrounding vehicles and people of hazards that may be present in your work or construction area.
Although van lighting is important for many reasons, not all van lights are created equal. The two most common types of van lights are halogen lights and LED lights. Now, let’s take a closer look and compare the two options…
Halogen Van Interior Lights
Halogen lights are a type of incandescent light filled with halogen gas. Halogen gas prolongs the bulb’s life, allowing it to burn at a higher temperature than a regular incandescent light bulb, which makes the light brighter (though still not as bright as LEDs). Halogen lights are cheaper upfront than LED lights, but they are far more inefficient; they only emit 20% of the energy they consume as a light. Halogen lights were the standard work van lighting choice for many years, but LEDs are quickly dominating the market.
LED Lights for Van Interior
LED (light-emitting diode) lights have become the preferred choice for most commercial vans in recent years. LED lighting has grown in popularity for many compelling reasons:
- LEDs offer brighter and whiter illumination compared to halogen lighting, which improves visibility and reduces eye strain.
- Although they are more expensive up front, LEDs are up to 80% more energy efficient than incandescent lighting, which is good for the environment and your budget in the long run.
- Because they are so efficient, LEDs have a much longer lifespan than other types of lighting, which saves you time and money. On average, LEDs last up to 100,000 hours while incandescent lights last only 1,000.
- They are easy to install and very versatile. Because they have low power requirements, there is no need for a separate lighting circuit or expensive electrical wiring to hook them up properly.
- LED lighting is becoming more affordable as technology advances and demand increases.
- Unlike other van lights, most LED lighting systems are comprised of multiple LED bulbs. Because these systems are not dependent on a single bulb, even when a few diodes go out, you’ll still have some light for safety and legality.
- LEDs produce less heat than halogen lights, which improves safety and reduces fire hazards.
- LEDs van lights are durable and shock-resistant.
Different Types of Van LED Lights
There are many different types of LED lights for vans that serve different purposes. Interior van LED lights come in many different forms, including LED light strips, light bars, and dome lights. For exterior work lights, you can choose from LED spotlights, floodlights, and flood beams to extend your workspace beyond the confines of your van interior. For safety purposes, you may need additional exterior lights such as beacon lights, strobe warning lights, or signal lights to make your worksite visible and warn other people or cars of hazards. You can also upgrade your headlights and tail lights to LEDs for better visibility while driving, but you may need an LED conversion kit.
Mounting Options for LED Van Cargo Lights
When it comes to mounting your interior van lighting, there are two popular options to choose from surface-mounting and recessed-mounting. Surface-mount lights are often mounted to a vertical surface in the van interior. They can be mounted flush to your roof crossbows for no loss of headroom. Recessed-mount lights can be used in vans with existing ceilings or headliners and offer minimal loss of headroom.
Installing & Maintaining Work Van Lights
When installing LED lighting for your work van, planning is key! If you’re installing or upgrading to a full-blown LED lighting system, it’s a good idea to invest in professional installation. Figuring out the wiring and electrical systems is more complex and dangerous than other types of van upgrades that are easy to tackle on your own. If you do decide to go the DIY route but aren’t confident in your electrical skills, you can go with battery-powered LED lights.
Whether you go with LEDs or halogen lights, it’s important to stick to one or the other rather than mix and match for optimal visibility. So if you upgrade one of your interior van lights to LED, you should upgrade them all. You also want to make sure that your LED lights are well-aligned and even, so as not to cause distractions or interfere with visibility.
As far as van light maintenance goes, it’s best practice to check your LED lights at least once per year, even though they typically have a much longer lifespan. You should also keep them clean to keep them emitting the brightest light possible.
Commercial Van Lights & More with Pacific Truck Colors
Van lights are just one of many upgrades that will help maximize your safety and productivity on job sites. Our van customization team has plenty of additional organizational and safety solutions to transform your work van or fleet of commercial vehicles. Reach out to us for a free quote to explore the possibilities!
