Govee Outdoor Permanent Lights come with an installation system out of the box comprised of strong 3M VHF tape. But is this system strong enough to hold the lights on your house? With the extreme temperature fluctuations of Canada, especially in Alberta, it is a question worth asking.
Standard Installation of Govee Lights
Out of the box, Govee lights come with powerful 3M VHF tape. This is designed to be put on by doing the following:
- Prepare the surface with rubbing alcohol, making sure it is dry and free of debris before putting them on
- Remove the backing on the light to expose the VHF tape
- Place the light 1 – 4 inches from the wall, on the soffit of the house
- Press and hold the light in place for 5 – 10 seconds. Long enough for the tape to bond to the soffit
- Repeat until all lights are up!
Summer (Above 10° C at night)
During the summer, this process for putting up your Govee lights can work well and yield extremely good-looking results. You won’t have any problem getting the lights to adhere to the soffit, and they will be able to hold themselves as long as you need. Depending on the quality of hold you’re able to achieve they may last multiple seasons when put up this way.
While this may not be the ideal scenario as they won’t last as long, this is the only situation in which you can get away without using aftermarket clips if you absolutely don’t want to.
Spring/Fall (0° – 9° C at night)
During the middle seasons of spring and fall it can be very hit-and-miss if the standard techniques will work or if clips will be needed. If you want to attempt the standard installation, using just the provided tape there are a couple of things you can do to increase the likelihood they stay in place.
- Pre-warm both the soffit and the back of the light with your hand. This will increase the chance of it holding.
- If available, use a heat gun. A heat gun guarantees high enough temperatures to get a hold. However, be very careful not to overuse it. Too much heat can be just as bad as not enough.
By following these techniques your lights will be able to go on and stay on for years to come. However, it should be noted that these won’t be nearly as strong as installing in summer, or, even better, with clips.
Winter (Below 0° at night)
It is not recommended at all to attempt to install Govee lights without clips during the winter. While the techniques used in fall and spring may help hold them it will be only a short-term hold and you will likely have lights beginning to fall off your house almost immediately.
If you want to install your lights during the winter your best course of action would be to wait until summer, or purchase clips and install using them.
Aftermarket Clips
Here at ODon Technologies we recommend ALWAYS installing clips when you install your outdoor lights, regardless of season.
By installing clips, you remove all of the guesswork about whether the lights will hold and simply ensure that they will. While still using the tape to ensure a good connection to the soffit, adding clips ensures that your permanent lights stay as permanent as possible. No longer will you have to walk outside and see dangling lights or lights that didn’t stick.
Where to Purchase Clips for Your Govee Lights
Govee doesn’t directly make clips for their lights, so you will have to rely on a third party to make them and ship them to you. Most do not come with screws, however, there are a variety of screws you can use. Depending on the colour of the soffit you are installing on, it may even be possible to get colour-matched soffit screws from your local hardware store.
If you’re interested in buying clips for your Govee lights, we do sell them. Make sure you select the correct clip. You will either need the Govee Pro Mount, or the Govee Standard Mount, depending on which stype of light you have.
