LED Lights & Sound Insulation in Engine Rooms

[InsuredApple]

We have a 60-foot sailing catamaran; recently tool possession and it's our first boat. Some of the LED lights in the engine room have died. When I took them off, they were screwed into the insulation, so not very secure.

Now that I have new replacement lights, I'm wondering how I should reinstall them. I could...

1. Screw them into the insulation, like they were before (don't like the idea)
2. Use double sided tape and tape them to the insulation
3. Cutaway a piece of insulation, exposing the fiberglass, and screw into fiberglass

Any thoughts?

[AKA-None]

I would probably just use tape if it seems secure enough

[InsuredApple]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

I would probably just use tape if it seems secure enough

Yea, that's what I was thinking. The screws were a mess, I am not sure who thought it was a good idea to screw the lights into the insulation (not into the wall behind it).

I will go out and get some decent double-sided tape today and test it on 1 of the lights.

Thanks a bunch

[skipmac]

Home Depot has double sided tape in two strengths: Medium Grade or Rip the Paint Off the Wall if you remove it grade. As long as it's compatible with your lights and the insulation then it will do the job, just never try to remove it.

[sailcrazy]

Don't know what type of insulation you have in the eng room, but ours was a quilted f/g with a alum foil-type covering; it compressed when you pushed on it. Knowing that at some time we'd want/need to remove anything attached to it, we used a little longer screw, and screwed the lights, etc, thru the insulation blanket and into the f/g behind it. Removing anything, like light fixtures, for mx and/or replacement has been easy.....and they're secure.

[billknny]

If you want to do a first class job, start with a nice piece of wood, or maybe starboard, a bit larger than the lights.

Cut some pieces of hard tubing of whatever material to a length equal to the thickness of the insulation. These will be your standoffs.

Cut, drill, whichever seems best, small holes through the insulation, for the standoffs.

Screw through the wood, down through the standoffs, and into the hull behind.

Attach the light to the wood, and you have an installation worthy of a super yacht. The sound insulation isn't damaged or compromised, and the light is permanently fixed, yet removable--as it should be. And it looks properly yacht-y, assuming that's they way you prefer to keep your boat.

Another alternative that works especially well in an engine room is a LED string. Get a good one, that can handle a wide voltage range. The cheap ones are... well.. cheap. The advantage of them in an engine room is they cast a nearly shadowless light. You can see all into all of the previously dark corners.

[Sailshabby]

Simple: if it’s 1” foam, buy 1.5” screws.

[thunderhoof]

I have never found adhesive backed anything to hold for a long period in a warm / moist environment like an engine room. I like the idea of long screws with tubing around them as standoffs the thickness of the insulation.

[InsuredApple]

Thanks for all the feedback and ideas.

I chatted with some yacht services companies and they recommended to get some 3/4 PVC pieces, a bit larger than the light, cut a space into the insulation, glue the PVC piece to the wall with PL 5200 Fast Cure, and mount the lights on those plates.

I'm pretty sure that this is what was done for our sea strainers, they are all mounted on white PVC squares.

So now I am waiting for the PVC pieces to be cut, then I'll give that a try.