Channel letters mounted on louvers

[imajenn]

Does anyone have a mounting detail they can share for front-lit channel letters mounted on louvers? The letters must be directly attached to the louver panel without a raceway and be located between the horizontal frames at the top and bottom of the louver panel. Each letter must be individually fed from the rear sign of the louvers with wiring and other equipment on the interior side of the louvers.

 

[Gino]

You hafta have a raceway going into the uprights. Otherwise, there's nothing there to support anything. Or, run a strip down from the top and connect each letter to it's own fortified strip.

 

[Z SIGNS]

Cut an extra set of backs use them for blocking.

 

[imajenn]

We've done something similar to this. Hopefully 'interior side of the louvers' means behind them. Originally I was trying to imagine how you'd wire it all within those 1" gaps, let alone where you'd put a power supply.

Yes, behind the louvers.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I've run unistrut behind them and bolts to attach the letters .. in fact, I'm going an install about 120 ft. in the air in a few weeks doing that method.

 

[GAC05]

I've run unistrut behind them and bolts to attach the letters .. in fact, I'm going an install about 120 ft. in the air in a few weeks doing that method.

Strap on a go-pro and take vids for us ground-based sign monkeys.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

This was the survey. Now that I'm seeing it the unistrut was on the front that the letters attach to, but would work if it was behind too. I'll post some pics when we install it.

 

[GAC05]

Yikes - how is white t-shirt guy harnessed in? Magnetic boots?

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

That was the walkway so no harness needed. My brother in law (the one in the red shirt that looks like he's about to shit himself) is about to be shipped off to the Marines so he won't have the pleasure to come back to this job.

 

[Gino]

But you're using the unistrut as a raceway, so it's just uglier. Up that high, no one will know the difference.

 

[garyroy]

This was the survey. Now that I'm seeing it the unistrut was on the front that the letters attach to, but would work if it was behind too. I'll post some pics when we install it.
View attachment 160485 View attachment 160486 View attachment 160487

R E S P E C T.
You've got mine.

 

[brdesign]

I had a job similar to that for a parking deck but it was screened mesh panel instead of louvers. We mounted horizontal rectangular tubing between the vertical beams on the inside behind the panels. The screen panels were not flat so the installers had to cut round tubing onsite to make different length spacers for the long screws that when through the screen mesh and into the horizontal bars that acted as a raceway.

 

[Billct2]

like has been said, you have access from rear so some type backer support will work

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

13 letters... 33' in length total. The location is about 2 hours in the middle of nowhere so getting a crane that large would cost a lot of $$. Besides, the client has a lift onsite that we can use which is nice. I can work from the lift and my help with be on the catwalk. I don't see why we can't have it knocked out in an 8-hour day. I just don't think anyone will be able to read them from 120' in the air... but they previously had 36" tall letters on there so they know what they're getting.

 

[GAC05]

13 letters... 33' in length total. The location is about 2 hours in the middle of nowhere so getting a crane that large would cost a lot of $$. Besides, the client has a lift onsite that we can use which is nice. I can work from the lift and my help with be on the catwalk. I don't see why we can't have it knocked out in an 8-hour day. I just don't think anyone will be able to read them from 120' in the air... but they previously had 36" tall letters on there so they know what they're getting.

For the survey, do you charge length(distance from shop) x height (feet above shop level) or just by the hour?

 

[gnubler]

I'd need to factor in the cost of an onsite anesthesiologist, for my comfort.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Update. Jburton, you got me thinking so I put the channel letters on tracks in the shop. I got three 10' sections now instead of individual letters. Another problem this solves was trying to mount all the letters straight without being able to use a pattern 120' in the air with the Texas wind blowing. Going to paint the rails black or grey to match

 

[Gino]

Two things tex.

Doesn't look like enough leds for the size letters. Also, the "O" looks level at the bottom and too much over the top. Should be equal above and below.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

thanks. I'll check the "O" again. The brightness isn't impressive, but its OK I guess. I still say no one will be able to read this from it's intended viewing distance.

Everyone probably already knows this, but someone just showed me that you can test LEDs easy with a drill battery. They are 12v. Simple enough but I never made that connection.

 

[Gino]

At that size, it's not how bright they look in your garage, but how bright they are 125' in the air from a quarter mile away. Of course you won't read them, but ya better see the light. It looks like you should double up and make at least two, if not three rows.