LEDs are very efficient lighting sources where efficiency is represented as the projection of a high luminous output requiring minimal power consumption and heat generation. By design, LEDs are not as hot as halogen bulbs which in return are not capable of evaporating any moisture that may have entered the headlight housing during install. This is a very common problem with LED style headlamps in medium to high moisture environments. Condensation can reside on the interior of a headlight lens in two ways. The first is due to the delta between temperature/pressure inside the headlight housing and the temperature/pressure outside. The greater the delta, the higher the probability of moisture. Secondly are LED that require fans. Depending on the design, fans are continuously blowing hot air away from the headlamp’s electronics. If the air contains any trapped moisture it can possibly be blown onto the lens producing condensation just like a kid blowing their warm breath on glass.

If there are symptoms of condensation, in order to remove it you would simply take a hair dryer on hot and use it to blow hot air across the entire outside surface of the lens. It must be emphasized that the hair dryer should constantly be moving at a reasonable distance from the surface of the lens to evenly distribute the heat. The duration of the process should take an average of 10 minutes per lens and ranging from 5 to 20 minutes. Please note that in order to reduce the possibility of damaging the headlight lens it is better to rely on a longer time to do the process rather than making the process hotter by using the hairdryer closer to the lens.

In order to prevent new moisture, a process of steps can be taken and should be carried out on a day least humid in the forecast. Please read through these few simple steps first before carrying them out.

1. Using a needle, poke small holes into your desiccant packets to allow the packets to ventilate faster.

2. Heat up your desiccant packets either in the microwave on defrost settings for 2-7 minutes, or in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-20 minutes.

3. Install your LED headlights by following the LED Install video.

4. Before placing the Cap Adapter onto the headlight housing insert two to four desiccant packets in the back end of the housing. These can be mounted with tape or adhesive, or left freely sitting in the back side. If taping, be sure to only tape the edges to avoid covering the previously punctured holes.

5. Close the headlight housing using the LED Cap Adapter to create an air tight seal.

The process of the desiccant packets reducing the moisture may vary depending on the humidity and desiccant packets themselves, but can range from a few hours to a day or two.