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Dave has been a member since November 8th 2009, and has created 13 posts from scratch.

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How To Install Landscape Lighting- Some Quick Tips

published Saturday, March 24th, 2012 at 4:16 pm by

You work incredibly hard to make your home and yard look fantastic. And during the daylight hours it is a show piece for sure. You look forward to sharing it with friends and family. Something to be proud of. But at night, no one can appreciate all the hard work, thought and effort that you have put in.

But installing the proper landscape lighting can help take your yard from drab to fab in a heart beat.

There is no doubt that the correct placement and usage of landscape lights will set your home off from everyone else’s. Your yard can become a sparkling jewel.

In this video Mike Kraft from Lowes gives us a quick run down on what it takes to install lighting that will accentuate the positives of your home. So if that sounds good, then you may want to listen up.

As Mike reminds us, installing these lights is easy to do and an economical project that can be accomplished over a weekend. There is a wide variety of lights available to create just the effect that you want. Everything from spotlights and floodlights to walkway lights and well lights. Each designed with a specific need in mind.

Mike gives a great tip on how to use a simple flashlight to visualize the way that your lighting may look. He does makes a good point about light shining into your neighbors windows. Something to consider before you start your project.

Another tip he gives us makes a lot of sense. Even if you aren’t an artist, just some simple line drawings will suffice to get a basic idea of where you want to place the lights. Sometimes that birds eye view helps to point out problems before you dig.

An important consideration is the type of landscape lights. As Mike points out, if your sole intention is to enhance the look of your yard and you don’t want to put a lot of work into the project, solar lights are the way to go.

Solar landscape lights come in a huge variety of styles and colors to match most any decor. They can be moved to where ever you like, they run on their own power and are relatively inexpensive.

But if you are looking for lighting that will enhance the safety and security, low voltage is the ticket. Low voltage lights are brighter and they don’t depend on the sun shining everyday to charge them up. However they do require more work to install.

0015 Installation 05

Luckily, there are kits available that contain all the parts necessary to install a small lighting set up of about 6 to 12 lights. Just like the solar lights, low voltage landscape lights come in quite a variety of styles and types. If you are the ambitious type, a real weekend warrior, then an option is to purchase all of the components separately to make your own custom system.

One very important thing to consider before you start any project is whether you feel comfortable doing the project. When it comes to anything electrical, play it safe and hire a professional to do the work.

Mike continues to hand out some great installation tips although he does go fairly quickly in this video. I had to watch it a couple of times myself just to catch all the tips.

With a bit of planning, you can easily add landscape lighting that will not only increase the look and feel of your home, it will impress your guests too!

Posted in Landscape Lighting Tips | No Comments »

Solar Pathway Lights-A Low Cost Lighting Option

published Sunday, June 19th, 2011 at 8:36 am by

Solar pathway lights are probably the most beneficial and attractive lighting options you can have for your home. Aside from providing light to guide you and your guests down walkways, offering a measure of safety at night. They also help to define and accent features of your home that you want to display.

Solar path lights can be a great alternative for many homeowners. Their main advantage is that they are easy to install and usually hassle free. Typically each light comes with it’s own small solar panel and chargeable battery. Sunlight takes care of supplying the needed power, all you need to do is determine where you would like to locate each light.

These features make solar pathway lights perfect for homeowners that don’t have the time, knowledge or extra cash laying around that it requires to install a hard wired low voltage lighting system. No electrician or electrical experience is needed. Simply install the batteries, place the light and let it charge up in the sunlight.

The biggest downside to this type of light is that they won’t work as well in areas that are partially shaded. They can work, but just not as well. They will be dimmer at night and most likely the rechargeable batteries won’t hold up as long because they don’t receive a full charge each day.

Using them to line driveways and walks that are in direct sunshine are what they are intended for. With the direct sunlight, the solar pathway lights will work as intended. But fair warning, the batteries can eventually wear out. The good news is that they are replaceable.

There is a huge variety of solar light types and styles that you can choose from on the market. But the type that you may want to use to light your walkways and paths will most likely be quite different from the type that you would use for your deck or patio. So be careful in choosing the type of lights.

Bulb type is another consideration. Most solar path lights use LED bulbs, both because they are brighter and they use less power. Second to LED bulbs are fluorescent bulbs, again for lower power power consumption. And finally there are solar lights that still use regular incandescent bulbs.

Also consider the quality of the solar pathway lights that you purchase. There are bargains galore on cheap bargain basement lights. Just keep in mind that lower price does not always mean a bargain. Investing a little bit more in a better quality will pay off in the long run.

No matter where or what type of lights that you decide to buy, consider getting your lights in sets. That way you don’t end up with a hodge podge of different lights. Solar Pathway lights are just one more item that you can add to your arsenal of patio string lights!

Posted in Solar Lighting | 3 Comments »

Novelty String Lights: Add Some Fun To Your Party!

published Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 7:02 pm by

Novelty string lights are a great way to add a little something extra to your patio string lights arsenal. They are perfect for making your patio distinctive and the place that everyone wants to party at.

Even when they aren’t turned on, novelty string lights can be conversation starters. This is especially true when your guests discover for the first time the unique lights that you have. You will get plenty of “ooh’s” and”aah’s”, plus a lot of “Hey where did you get those?”

One nice thing about string lighting is that there is such a variety that you could literally have a different string for each party or get together. Many designs of novelty string lights can be tied to the themes of your gatherings.
Football string lights
For instance if you are having a Superbowl party, there are football related lights. Don’t forget baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey and other sports. You can probably even find string lights that have the logo of your favorite team on them.

Nascar string lightsBig Nascar fan? You guessed it, there are even race car themed novelty string light sets available. What racing fan wouldn’t want one of those?

Tropical palm tree string lights

Are you having atropical themed party or just feel like creating a relaxed atmosphere? There are plenty of designs that fit the bill. You could turn your backyard into a Hawaiian luau!

Let’s not forget Holiday themed events. There are novelty string lights for Christmas, St. Patricks Day, Valentines Day, Fourth of July and of course we can’t forget Halloween.

Christmas string lights

Halloween pumpkin string lights

Birthdays and special events in peoples lives are also a great theme to build parties around and there are light sets designed for those times. Kids birthday parties, wedding anniversaries, wedding receptions, retirement parties, graduations and just about any thing that you want to celebrate in life.

The point is thatnovelty string lights bring just that extra little bit to your backyard lighting to make it special, even if it is just for you to enjoy.

Here are even more novelty string lights for you to enjoy!

Posted in String Light Information | Comments Off

How To Cut Rope Light

published Saturday, June 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am by

Out door rope lights can provide that something extra to make your patio or backyard stand out. It comes in precut lengths to fit just about anywhere you care to install it. Rope lights are perfect for wrapping deck railings, highlighting stair treads, weaving through patio umbrella frameworks or encircling tree trunks. But some times you find that you have a bit too much or that you need only a little bit more to create the perfect look. This is where cutting rope light comes into play.

Cutting it is relatively easy. If you take your time and use the proper tools,everything should go right. I’ll say this up front, if you have a rope light that is UL listed you may want to think twice before cutting. Cutting a UL listed rope will void the listing. The only ways around that are to purchase an additional piece and connect the two or order your rope light to the exact size that you want. However there are rope lights that aren’t UL listed that you can buy and that you can cut all you want.

Before starting it would be a good idea to gather all of the tools and materials that you need. Nothing stops a project faster than not having a vital piece. Also it might be a good idea to have a place with plenty of room and plenty of light in which to work. Warning! Never work on your rope lights while they are plugged in!

These are the basic items you will need.

1. Rope Light that is close to the length that you need or two pieces that will be joined together.

2. Connector pieces for joining two lengths together.End caps to close off open ends.

3. Heat shrink splice kit to cover joints and seal out water.

4. PVC or coaxial cable cutter to cleanly cut the rope light.

5. Diagonal wire cutters.

6. Hair dryer to heat and shrink the heat shrink tube.

7. Clear silicone caulk or sealer to add extra protection from water.

8. Electrical tape the color of your rope light.(Optional)

9. Marker of some kind that will show up on your rope light.

10. Measuring tape.

11. Somewhere with plenty of room and good lighting to work at.

Before doing any work on your rope lighting , make sure that it is unplugged. You do not want to be hurt or electrocuted.

The first thing that you are going to have to do is figure out how much you need to cut or how much you want to add. The simplest way to do that is to lay out the rope lighting where you want it to end up. If you are outlining your deck railing, then drape the rope along the rail. This should give you a good idea of how much to cut off or that you need to add. If the run is short you might be able to do this by yourself but I would suggest having a helper.

If the run is too long, then mark with the marker where you would like the lights to stop. If the run is too short, measure with the measuring tape how much you want to add. Whether too long or too short add some extra to whatever you measure in case you make a mistake.

Most rope lights are marked as to where you can cut them safely and not create a short. Sometimes that means that you end up with a little more lights than you want. This is where the electrical tape comes in handy. Assuming that the color matches your rope light, simply wrap some around the rope to where you want the lights to stop. This shouldn’t be a problem with led type ropes as they don’t get hot. Incandescent ones may get a little warm just to fore warn you.

Find the manufacturers cutting mark that is closest to what you need and get out your cable cutter. Cut the rope on the mark as straight an cleanly as you can. Try to not squish the end you are cutting as this may cause problems when you put in a splice or end cap.

Once you make the cut, you need to bend the rope sideways to expose the ends of the electrical wires inside. A two wire rope of course has two wires, a three wire has three. You want to snip those wires off with your diagonal wire cutters. This gives room for the pins of the splice connector to be inserted or the end cap to go on. Make sure that you bend the rope back straight once you trim the wires.

If you are only shortening the rope light, then you only need to install a cap on the cut end. You might want to consider putting some clear silicone caulk inside the cap before you put it on. This will help to keep water out so that nothing shorts out. If you are extending the rope light,then insert a connector between both halves. The pins of the connector need to touch the wires inside of the rope to make a solid connection. Sometimes the connector does not seat all the way down. As long as the pins are touching the wires you are okay. At this point you are almost done.

There are two ways to make a solid connection where two ropes come together. The first is with a plastic fitting that has a screw on cap. When the rope light halves are pushed into the fitting, a cap is screwed down tight to make a nice tight fit. While the fitting should be water tight,  it may be a good idea to put some silicone inside before putting in the ropes. Using compression fittings may be a tighter, more durable connection, but it will be visible.

The second method involves using a shrink wrap tube which is easy, clean and nearly invisible once you are done. What you want to do is slip the shrink wrap tube over one half of the connection to be made. Insert the connector into both halves, making sure that you have the best fit that you can get. Slide the shrink wrap directly over the center of the joint. Using a hair dryer,carefully heat the shrink wrap until it contracts and seals the joint. Again,a little clear silicone caulk at each end of the shrink wrap will make sure that you have a good seal. Once your connections are made let the silicone cure properly before working with your rope lights.

Learning to cut a rope light is easy and gets easier the more you do it. If you take your time and as the saying goes”measure twice cut once” you shouldn’t have any problems. So spice things up and add rope lighting to your arsenal of patio string lights this year!

Posted in Rope Lighting Information, String Light Information | Comments Off

Tips For Picking Outdoor Rope Lights

published Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 1:55 pm by

Outdoor Rope lights come in a wide range of options. There really shouldn’t be any situation that you can’t find a use for outdoor rope lighting. The most difficult decision you might have to make is which project to do first! To help you in choosing the right type of rope lighting for you, I have listed some  tips  for picking the most common kinds of outdoor rope lights.

Let’s start with diameter. The three most common sizes of outdoor rope lights that you most likely would use to decorate your patio or yard are 3/8 inches,  1/2 inch and 5/8 inch. The three sizes are identical inside, the difference is the durability of the outside covering. The larger diameter lights will stand up better to settings where people could come into contact with the light. These would be great for highlighting stair treads or outlining deck railings and such. The 3/8 would be better,  because of it’s flexibility, for use in making more intricate designs or spelling out words.

Voltage could also be a consideration for outdoor rope lights. In general you have the option of either 12 volt or 120 volt. Twelve volt models can be battery operated such as solar powered lights. This is perfect for those times when an electrical outlet is not available or extension cords are undesirable. But with the right transformer they can also be plugged into a regular outlet which eliminates the batteries running out of power. The problem with 12 volt models is that they can only be short runs of about 20 feet.

The 120 volt types can be plugged directly into an outlet which eliminates the need for an additional transformer and any batteries. On the plus side is the fact that 120 volt lights can be used for longer runs. The downside is that you may need to use extension cords.

You will need to decide on how you want the outdoor rope lights to function. Do you want the lights to just stay lit continuously or do you want a pattern?  If you want the lights to flash,then you would want to get a two wire rope light set. If you would like the lights to look like they are “chasing” each other,then you will want a three wire version. This could be really important if the design you have in mind is something like a directional arrow,moving character or timed to music maybe.

Outdoor rope lights come in two basic “bulb” types incandescent and led. In short,incandescent bulbs are similar to regular Christmas tree lights and would be the choice if you plan on “dimming” your rope lights. The downsides to these type of bulbs are that they can be broken more easily, use more power and as a result produce more heat.  Not enough heat to burn anyone touching them, but enough to shorten the life of the rope lights if they are enclosed in your application.

The other type of “bulb” is what is known as an led or light emitting diode. These diode create the “glow” of a bulb without using a filament like a regular bulb. An led string will use less power to operate, there is no glass to break and there is little to no heat given off. If you are looking to save on your energy bill,  opt for the led version.

One really big advantage to using outdoor rope lights is that they can be cut to adjust for the perfect fit. Through the use of connectors and splicing kits, you don’t have to worry about your lights being too short or too long. Measure out the length that you want, follow the manufacturers instructions for cutting and splicing and you are set to go. A word of warning though. As soon as you cut any rope light that is UL listed will void the UL listing. If you would rather not do this, there are precut lengths, as well as you can order the rope light to your specific length.

One last thing to consider is simply which color or colors you would like. You can use one single color, use a multicolor version or even splice two colors together. As long as you splice the same type of rope lights together. You need to splice two wire to two wire, 12volt to 12volt, etc. Probably the hardest decision you will have to make is which patio string lights project to do first.

Posted in String Light Information | Comments Off
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