LED mirrors are a popular addition to any bathroom, bedroom, or closet. Having your mirror lit with a soft glow will not only help to light up those dark areas on your face, but it can also be a decorative piece that adds to the aesthetic of the environment. Bathrooms are a popular location for LED mirrors, but with the moisture in the air, we have to ask if electricity is necessary for LED mirrors.
Technically, electricity is needed to power the LEDs in mirrors. This does not necessarily mean that you will have to connect the mirror to a power outlet since LEDs use very little power. LED mirrors are often powered by batteries rather than wall socket power, making them safe to use anywhere.
A lot will depend on the brand and type of LED mirror you use. Some LED mirrors have simple battery compartments allowing you easy access to replace batteries. Others are wired and require wall socket power, though that is technically overkilling for powering LEDs. Whether it’s a backlit mirror or it simply has LEDs around the edges, the required power depends on the number of LEDs it has.
Why Do LED Mirrors Need Electricity?
When we think about an LED mirror, it is easy to forget that LED mirrors are, first and foremost, mirrors. Most LED mirrors are plain ordinary mirrors, panes of glass coated with a reflective surface at the back, with strips of LEDs incorporated somewhere to provide additional light. A mirror does not need electricity to work, but LEDs do.
The acronym LED stands for light-emitting diode. Diodes are electronic components that allow electricity to flow through them but only in one direction. LEDs are diodes that have been adapted to generate light energy from electricity. This light is then amplified by the bulb formed around the diode, making it appear like a miniature lightbulb.
The critical fact here is that an LED is an electronic component. Electricity is required to make the LED work, and without any form of electricity, the diode simply will not light up.
How Much Electricity Do LED Mirrors Need?
Not much at all! When we consider that standard low-power lightbulbs require around 60 watts of electricity from 110 to 220 volts, an LED saves a massive amount of electricity. An LED lightbulb uses about 8 watts drawn from 1.8 to 3.3 volts. LED lightbulbs are, on average more than seven times more energy-efficient than standard lightbulbs.
Since LED mirrors usually have strips of LEDs running around the sides, most of these LED strips use close to the same amount of power as an LED lightbulb. That’s why many LED mirrors, especially compact travel or makeup mirrors with 22 LEDs, run on one or two AA or AAA batteries instead of wall socket power.
Some of these mirrors include touch sensors somewhere on the surface that enables you to adjust things like the brightness of the LEDs. These touch sensors also require electricity, sometimes even more than the LEDs themselves.
More oversized LED mirrors may require more power since they generally contain more LEDs. Though they often still run off battery power, these mirrors are usually equipped with power cords that allow easy connectivity to a power socket.
Some even go one step further. The mirrors are pre-wired when you purchase them, but instead of batteries or a wall socket connector, they come with instructions on how to wire them directly into your home’s power grid. This should preferably be done by a qualified electrician rather than attempting to connect it yourself.
LED Mirrors May Have Other Electric Components
Some LED mirrors are more than just mirrors with little lights. Since the mirrors are already equipped with some supply of electricity, other electronic components are often included for added functionality. These components include:
Defoggers Or Demisters
We all understand the frustration of a mirror that fogs up while we are in the shower or taking a long bath. This is caused by steam condensation on the cool surface of the mirror.
Spending a little extra will buy you an LED mirror with an included defogger- or demister pad. These are tiny electronic circuits underneath the mirror’s surface that heat up when you turn on the LEDs, effectively blocking or reversing the fogging up of the mirror—a perfect solution for mirrors that are located in the bathroom.
Bluetooth Connectivity
This can definitely be classified as more of a luxury than an essential requirement, but there are LED mirrors that have built-in Bluetooth speakers and microphones. These allow you to listen to your favorite music or even make phone calls without interrupting your makeup or grooming routine. These Bluetooth devices may be the parts of an LED mirror that require the most electricity.
Are Electrical LED Mirrors Safe For Bathrooms?
We all grow up learning that you should keep electronic and electrical devices away from water and moisture. This is excellent advice, and care should always be taken. However, along with our technological strides over the last few decades, our waterproofing technology has also improved in leaps and bounds, and mirrors designed to be used in a bathroom are generally waterproof.
As mentioned, the LEDs in an LED mirror require very little electricity to work. With voltages that low, battery-powered LED mirrors are probably the safest to use in a bathroom or similar environment. Even if the waterproofing fails, their voltages are low enough not to cause harm to humans or animals.
More power-hungry LED mirrors may be more dangerous, though, and those that run on outlet power or are connected directly to your home’s power grid should be installed by a certified electrician. Running an extension chord over the bathroom floor to power your LED mirror is a bad idea and could lead to damaged equipment, or worse, physical harm and injury.
It is generally a good idea to run electrical cables for LED mirrors or any other electrical or electronic components in a bathroom, through walls or ceilings, to avoid water coming into contact with it. This could seem like more trouble than it’s worth, but it’s always best to choose the safer option. Rather spend the time or money now and spare yourself worse problems in the future.
Another essential point to remember is that the cheapest is not always best. Cheaper LED mirrors may have lower-quality insulation and waterproofing. If you use the mirror in the bathroom, moisture could find a way into the electronics, damage the circuitry, or even cause a health hazard. Rather buy good, tested, guaranteed LED mirrors from reputable manufacturers.
Conclusion
Electricity is not necessary for a mirror. All a mirror needs to work is light. But what if you don’t have enough light for the mirror to work correctly? Enter the LEDs. And they do require electricity in some form or another. Not much, though, unless you have lots of LEDs or added extras. Ensure that you get good quality, install it properly, and let your LED mirror light up your life.
