[westco5]

Electric Signs


West Coast Sign Company is a U.L. recognized custom electric sign shop and a electrical sign contractor in San Diego, California.

West Coast Sign Company specializes in specialty lighting, in our electric signs. We build high end custom electrical signs using only custom light sources that are architectural grade. Everything from custom coating Tri-Phosphor & Rare Earth phosphor lamps, to custom LED specialty lighting.

Light source components all vary and should be used according to the sign application one is building for their project. Not one light source is best used for all applications, every light source has their pro's and cons. Too many times statements are used such as, "Green" & "Energy Efficient", these are nothing more than "Marketing Statements", statements used to make the public feel "guilty", and in turn manipulating them to choose an alternative route that may/will cost them more than they will ever get back in order for them to "feel good" about themselves to. We can help in dispelling some energy & trade myths so you don't waste an initial investment in money thinking you can make that same money back in a short time in annual energy costs.

LED illuminated Reverse Channel Letters. Solare Ristorante Lounge, San Diego CA

If there is one think my industry is unfortunately guilty of, it is making their clients believe they can invest HUGE up front and make it back in a short time, NOTHING, can be further from the truth.

Some may be reading this and I'm sure you are thinking, "This is rare, who is this guy, and I've never heard of such a thing before". That is true, you probably haven't, and that is because it's a very popular thing to throw around marketing statements, especially in tough economic times, but it's what sells. Think back to right before the year 2000, every marketing statement was "Y2K complaint". Buying "Energy Efficient", is just the nuance, it's the next "sexy" term.

The TRUTH is, as discussed above, Neon, Fluorescent & LED's are ALL energy efficient products, and they are all SAFE, or as some like to label it, Environmentally Safe. If you run into a sign company and all they offer are marketing statements (by their chosen lighting component manufacturer) followed by "We use XY&Z because it's SAFE, it's Environmentally Friendly", then you are getting the wrong information from someone who, A) doesn't know what they're talking about, they are just very ill-informed themselves, and they are just repeating what they were told.

Let's look at some common options used for sign lighting.

Fluorescent & Neon lamps do contain mercury, very small amounts and these lamps are a closed loop system which means they are ALSO 100% recyclable, and recycle back into the lighting manufacturers. Both are high voltage and can cause fires WHEN installed with no metal conduit, and this is usually done by unlicensed contractors. Both are very reliable with neon tracing back with a proven history of over 100 years. Neon & Fluorescent lamps are very good and get brighter in warm temperatures, but light output lowers in very cold temperatures, except in red neon because there is no mercury for cold conditions to condense .

LED's are low voltage, 12 or 24 volts, but the primary wiring from the panel to the power supply for LED's is still 120 volts same as other light sources. A large number of LED's are made in China. China has coal plants, coal plants put mercury in to the air. LED's are very efficient for small light applications, and very helpful in applications where other components are hard to retrofit or install. LED's are also good for very good for cold weather applications where they light the brightest, but poor for warm weather where light output lowers and circuity can fail.

Tri & Rare Earth Phosphor CCFL illuminated Reverse Channel Letters, Neighborhood House Association, San Diego

Besides manufacturing electric signs I also run tests for the electric sign industry, testing Neon, LED's and Fluorescent light sources on energy consumption as well as light degradation. Every lighting manufacturers products, I've tested it! I run them 24/7 for 365 days a year continually. I help other sign companies in my trade make better educated decisions on what they use for their sign applications so they in turn have longer life signs. I know what products sign companies use and how long they last. I only use what I've tested and to know what will last, I don't take the word of brochures, suppliers or vendors walking into my place of business.

Just remember a rule of logic "You can only get out, with what you put in".