We use the highest
quality glass and nickel-flex electrodes with Dumet alloy
inner leads, heavy-gauge solid-nickel corrosion-proof
7-strand exterior leads and ceramic collars, the best we
can buy, because except for heat-cracking, most neon
failures are electrode failures.
Our artisans
carefully charge each neon tube for optimum brilliance
using the most sophisticated of neon pumping systems
because the third most frequent cause of neon failure is
improper pumping.
Even though all neon
dims in cold weather, neon manufactured by Signs
Manufacturing will dim less because we use gases specially
formulated for cold weather, which are unaffected by hot
weather.
Employing an old
"trick-of-the-trade" we place our neon electrodes in the
bottom of channel letters wherever possible. The
heat rising off the electrodes heats the neon and causes
it not to dim so greatly in cold weather. Another
reason our signs are usually brighter when the weather is
cold.
The most common cause
of neon failure is heat cracking. This is caused by
improper installation (too much or too little neon footage
for the size [secondary voltage] transformer used), or by
the effects of high voltage on the shorter neon pieces.
It is critically
important to the long-life of both the neon and the power
transformers that each transformer has the proper
resistance in neon (loading) for its secondary voltage.
Signs
Manufacturing "burns in" each neon tube for twenty-four
hours to stabilize the neon, then meters the neon to be
connected to each transformer for both voltage and
amperage draw to insure a proper load, because even
identical neon letters will have different resistance.
Most competitors neither meter nor "burn in" their neon.
Well-made and
properly installed neon should average a twenty-year
lifetime (40,000 hours of use).
Neon is affected by voltage.
For instance, standard neon will burn nearly 100% brighter
if you double the power feeding it. The neon will
last about ¼ as long, however, making this alternative
quite expensive in total cost.
Our challenge is to give you a
brighter sign which attracts more customers, without
increasing your sign, energy, or maintenance costs.
Channel letters are
usually illuminated with neon. Our artisans
individually manufacture the neon for each letter after
the letter base is manufactured to insure a proper fit
that will evenly and brilliantly illuminate the entire
face of the letter without "shorting" against the metal.
Sign companies that buy their neon pre-made from neon
manufacturers cannot do this.
Multiple neon strokes
are added as required to insure even illumination.
We automatically employ neon
intensity control to give our customers the brightest sign
possible without increasing energy costs.
Neon Colors
White (9 different shades)
Warmtone
Clear Red
Red (4 additional coated colors)
Amber
Rose
Ruby Red
Orange (4 different colors)
Tangerine
Gold
Yellow
Pink
Beige
Magenta
Violet
Purple
Green (7 different colors)
Turquoise
Clear Blue
Blue (6 additional colors)
Aquamarine
Cold-Cathode Colors (Glass 18 mm
and larger)
White (10 different shades)
Green
Blue (2 different shades)
Neon and Cold-Cathode Lamp
Brightness
Glass tubes 8 mm to 18 mm thick are
used to make “neon” lamps, 18 mm to 30 mm thick to make
so-called “cold-cathode” lamps, thicker to make
“fluorescent” lamps.
Other than size and the type of
electrode used, there is no difference between neon and
fluorescent lamps of the same color output. The size
and/or color does change the energy requirements, however,
which is why they use different power sources.
All things being equal, the thinner
the tube, the more light it puts out!
Unless there are over-riding lumen
requirements, or landlord restrictions, we will adjust
your neon size to give you the brightest sign possible.
However, you CAN have an even brighter sign (see Brighter
Signs.)
Brighter Signs™ Neon
“Our (channel letter) sign is like
a star, a beacon in a universe of dull and dingy signs…it
lights up the whole area! We couldn’t be more
pleased.” Greg
Clark, Mom’s Kitchen (with Brighter Signs™ option)
New neon is available that increases
the light output of neon, without increasing
the energy consumption of the sign.
This new neon, incorporated into your
new sign, will make your sign significantly
brighter than all other signs in the area when lighted.
A 110% brighter sign. Potential customers will see
your sign first so it is the one that will make the
strongest impression!
The greatest testimonial to the
effectiveness of Brighter Signs™ on our customer’s bottom
line is that EVERY customer who has ordered Brighter
Signs™ technology for a sign has reordered it for every
sign from then on!
Ultra-Bright Signs™ Neon
We combine our Brighter Signs™
technology with neon intensity control and higher-power
transformers to create a 150% brighter sign.
This option may use up to 16% more
energy but its results can be worth it.
Why Buy Factory-Direct from a State-Licensed Company?
Why not buy from a Sign Dealer (also called a Sign Broker or a Sign Store?)
Would you give a car dealer $10,000 and tell him to buy you the best car
he can for the money, sight unseen (or from a drawing?) Don’t you think you would get the car that made him
the most?
Do you think you
could meet your needs asking for the cheapest car he can buy?
Why would a sign dealer (sign broker or sign store) be any different? Remember, they are
merely buying a sign from a manufacturer to resell to you, usually to resemble a
drawing, making the most money they can.
You need to know
ALL of the details on how your sign will be manufactured, and how it will be installed.
It needs to meet YOUR needs, not the seller’s profit goals. What is he
telling the manufacturer you don't need?
Believing “...a sign is a sign” gets you a Yugo instead of a Cadillac.
Remember the Yugo? They didn’t last very long, either.
Also, most sign dealers, sign brokers and sign stores cannot legally install
or service an electric sign. Ask to see their license.
Ask to see a manufacturer's license also. A few are not licensed to do electrical work, either, they also have to hire other companies to install the signs they make.
Now, who provides the warranty? The manufacturer, the installer, the
salesman, anyone? If the sign was installed illegally
do you think they'll honor their warranty? Did they REALLY obtain your
City sign permit? Is the sign even safe?
As a large, UL listed manufacturer, our name is on all our signs. Just like you,
we can't afford to have a bad sign destroy our business. We have to care,
particularly with our LIFETIME warranty.
If you wonder if a sign-seller can legally install and
service electrical signs through-out Texas go to
http://www.license.state.tx.us/LicenseSearch/,
enter "Electricians" in the "Inquire by License Type" box and the name of the
sign business or person in the "Inquire by Name" box. If they
are not licensed they can not.
So someone can sell you signs and not be licensed to install or service them. You may have to have this done. But unless the electrical signs
you buy are "listed" (U.L. usually) they won't
be allowed to be installed in Texas, a State of Texas Consumer Protection Safety Law designed to insure that signs are safe to use, with a few local city
ordinance exceptions. It is not illegal to sell them to you, however. Buy carefully.
"I had a ****-a-**** (sign company) right across the street … that store's out of business now … I found out they hired some other company to build and install our sign and they did a really #@%&&$ job, the thing has never lit right. ****-a-**** Corporate won't do anything, they say the closed store was an independent franchise, and the sign builder/installer won't fix it, they say we weren't their customer. I need you to come out, tell me what it will cost to get the thing working properly and get it fixed."
