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Cleaning Your Underwater Lights: Do’s and Don’ts

Keeping your underwater lights clean is an important part of ensuring they perform well and last for many years. Marine growth, incorrect cleaning methods, and the wrong products can all reduce light output, damage coatings and seals, and cause you problems.

Good news, this quick guide gives you clear, practical advice on how to look after your underwater lights.

Why Regular Cleaning Matters

Marine growth builds up quickly and can noticeably reduce light output in just a few weeks. If you want bright lights, clean them.

All OceanLED lights use a specialized Tritonium® non stick coating on the lens to help prevent growth from adhering, but this does not remove the need for regular cleaning. 

 

DO’s: For Cleaning Your Underwater Lights

1. Clean Frequently and Gently

  • Clean the lens at least once a month with a boat brush or similar soft brush.

2. Use the Right Tools

  • Use a soft boat brush, cloth, or sponge for routine cleaning. 

  • For heavier fouling (barnacles, shell, hard growth) on the lens use a plastic scraper with moderate pressure

  • If cleaning out of the water, wet the lens and growth first before scraping. Never scrape a dry lens. Never use a metal scraper. 

3. Keep the Lens Wet When Scraping

  • When the boat is hauled, keep it lubricated (water is sufficient) while you remove growth with a plastic scraper. 

4. Protect Seals and Coatings

  • The lens and body are designed to be chemically resistant and are pre coated with Tritonium® on the lens. They do not require any additional protective coating. 

  • When installing or working around the light avoid wiping sealant or chemicals across the lens.

 

DON’T: Practices That Damage Lights or Void Your Warranty

Probably the most important bit to read. The following actions can permanently damage your lights and will void your warranty.

1. Do NOT Paint Your Underwater Lights

  • OceanLED does not recommend that bottom paint or any type of antifouling agent is applied to the light face. Chemical incompatibility may cause damage. 

  • If you feel you absolutely have to paint the bezel around the glass face, contact us first, so we can discuss your installation.  

OceanLED warranty position:

If a boat owner paints the underwater lights (including lens or body), this is considered improper use and may cause chemical damage, seal failure or performance issues. Doing so will void the warranty.

2. Do NOT Use Light Speed or Similar Coatings on Underwater Lights

  • The manuals already prohibit unapproved coatings and antifoulants on the lens or body because of chemical incompatibility risks. 

  • Light Speed and similar aftermarket “antifoul for lights” products are not approved by OceanLED. 

Do NOT Use Solvents or Harsh Chemicals

•    Never Use Solvents! Cleaners, fuel, and other products containing strong solvents (such as acetone) attack many plastics, greatly reduce their strength, and irreversibly damage the lens coatings.

Avoid:

•    Acetone

•    Thinners, strong degreasers, fuel, brake cleaner, aggressive citrus or caustic cleaners

•    Any chemical not explicitly approved by OceanLED

Use only mild detergent solutions and water if needed on the body; keep chemicals away from the lens wherever possible. 

3. Do NOT Use High Pressure Jet Washing

This is a big one!

  • Never use a high pressure jet wash to clean the lens / bezel as this will damage the seals and void the warranty.

High pressure washing can:

  • Force water past seals

  • Damage lens coatings

  • Lead to water ingress and corrosion of internal components

4. Do NOT Submerge Cable Ends or Leave Connections Unsealed

While this is more about installation than cleaning, it is often impacted by cleaning practices:

  • Do not submerge your cable ends in water. Connections or bare ends exposed to temporary submersion or housed in a wet area will cause you a problem.

  • It will cause corrosion of the wire, and/or water ingress into the light unit via cable the cable. 

Recommended Cleaning Routine

Here is a straightforward routine you can follow:

In the Water

  1. Use a soft boat brush to gently brush the lens and bezel once a month or as needed.

  2. If you see early barnacle or shell growth, use a plastic scraper with light to moderate pressure to remove it while the lens is wet. 

Out of the Water (haul out / yard)

  1. Rinse the area with fresh water.

  2. Wet the lens and growth thoroughly. 

  3. Use a plastic scraper and soft brush to remove any remaining deposits while keeping the surface wet. 

  4. If needed, use a mild detergent solution on the light body (not solvents), applied with a cloth, and rinse thoroughly. 

Need Help or Have Questions?

If you’re ever unsure about how to clean or maintain your OceanLED underwater lights, or if you think something doesn’t look right:

You can contact OceanLED at any time for guidance. Click Here