Vapor Tight LED Fixture
VAPOR TIGHT LED FIXTURE
A vapor tight LED light fixture is made for rooms where water, steam, dust and hose-down cleaning are part of daily life: car washes, commercial kitchens, indoor parking, cold storage, food plants, garages. LEDCO carries three formats, in 4 ft and 8 ft, all in 120 V-347 V, with adjustable white, including a 60 W multi-watt NEMA 4X model for areas washed down with water. Here is how to choose the right one.
Where a vapor tight fixture is a must
An ordinary fixture lets humidity and dust in, and it ends up corroding or failing. As soon as one of these words describes your room, you need a sealed fixture:
- Car wash and wash bay: direct water jets, soap, permanent humidity.
- Commercial kitchen and food processing: steam, grease, daily cleaning.
- Indoor parking and loading dock: dust, exhaust fumes, road salt in winter.
- Cold storage and walk-in cooler: condensation every time the door opens.
- Garage, workshop and farm building: dust, pressure washing, heavy air.
4 ft 3CCT LED vapor tight fixture: the base format
The 4 ft 3CCT LED vapor tight fixture is the model you install everywhere: on the ceiling of a parking garage, above a wash station, in a service corridor or a garage. It matches the length of the 4 ft fluorescent vapor tight it replaces, surface-mounts and is set at installation: three whites to choose from (3CCT) and several wattages, to match the light to the room without changing products.
8 ft CCT LED vapor tight fixture: the long aisles
In a parking garage, a warehouse or a production corridor, aisles are long and the ceiling is medium height. The 8 ft CCT LED vapor tight fixture covers twice the length of a 4 ft with a single connection point, which cuts the number of fixtures, boxes and holes in the ceiling. It too offers adjustable white and multi-watt. Line it up along the aisle for continuous light, with no dark zone between two units.
4 ft 60 W multi-watt NEMA 4X vapor tight fixture: washdown and corrosion
When the room is hosed down every day or the air attacks metal, car wash, dairy, de-icing area, livestock building, the 4 ft 60 W multi-watt LED vapor tight fixture NEMA 4X is the model to pick. The NEMA 4X rating designates an enclosure built for directed water spray and corrosive environments, which the IP rating alone does not say. It keeps the multi-watt setting and the 120 V-347 V input of the other two.
IP65, IP66 and NEMA 4X: reading the ratings without mistakes
An IP rating has two digits: the first for dust, the second for water. IP65 withstands water jets, hose cleaning; IP66 withstands powerful jets, pressure washing. The NEMA rating, North American, describes the complete enclosure and adds corrosion resistance with the X suffix. The simple rule: hose cleaning, IP65 is enough; pressure washing or corrosive air, aim for IP66 or NEMA 4X. The exact rating of each model is on its spec sheet.
Multi-watt and CCT: one fixture for several rooms
All three models are set at installation. Multi-watt lets you choose the wattage: stronger in a work area, softer in a corridor. Adjustable white lets you choose the tint: a neutral white for a parking garage or a warehouse, a cooler white where parts or food are inspected. For a contractor, that means a single item to order for a whole building, and a single model to keep in stock.
The rest of the building: high bays, wall packs and emergency lighting
The vapor tight fixture belongs to a wider family of integrated LED fixtures, and it rarely works alone. Under the high ceilings of the same warehouse, LED high bays take over; outside the wash bay or at the dock, LED wall packs light the access points; in corridors and exits, LED emergency lights complete the installation. For a residential garage, see our page on LED garage lights; for a farm, the one on agricultural LED lighting.
Technical tips for a vapor tight LED light fixture that lasts
Name the worst cleaning before choosing. Hose, pressure or steam: that is what sets the minimum rating, not the room's ordinary use.
Check the room's ambient temperature. Walk-in cooler or hot kitchen, the spec sheet gives the fixture's operating range.
Seal the wire entry point. The fixture is sealed; the connection must be too, or water gets in there.
Set the wattage after a first night. Multi-watt changes on site; start at the middle setting and adjust to the result at floor level.
Align the 8 ft units along the aisle. The light follows the traffic and the dark zones between two units disappear.
Vapor tight LED light fixture FAQ
What is the difference between IP65 and IP66?
The second digit tells the water resistance. IP65 holds up to water jets from a hose; IP66 holds up to the powerful jets of pressure washing. For a room cleaned with a hose, IP65 is enough; for a wash bay or a pressure-cleaned kitchen, aim for IP66 or a NEMA 4X rating.
What does NEMA 4X mean on the 4 ft 60 W fixture?
It is a North American enclosure rating: the housing is built for directed water spray and, with the X, for corrosive environments such as salt, cleaning products or the air of a livestock building. It is the model to choose when washdown is daily.
Does a vapor tight LED light fixture replace a 4 ft fluorescent vapor tight?
Yes, it is the most common replacement. The 4 ft matches the length of the old unit and connects at 120 V-347 V, with no ballast or tube to change. Your electrician removes the old fixture, surface-mounts the new one and sets the wattage and white on site.
Can it go in a residential garage?
Yes. A garage where a snow-covered car comes in and gets hosed down is exactly the kind of room a sealed fixture likes. The 4 ft 3CCT surface-mounted on the ceiling is the usual choice; the 8 ft suits a double garage or a long workshop.
What is adjustable white for in a warehouse?
To choose the tint once the fixture is up, by room: a neutral white for traffic and storage, a cooler white where parts or food are inspected. The same product therefore covers several zones, and you only have one model to stock.
