| Author |
Message |
    
newtoallthis
Citizen
Username: Newtoallthis
Post Number: 78
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 5, 2003 - 10:18 am: |     |
We want to spotlight our front door wreath at night. Checked out some outdoor lights that you plug into the side of the house, but our plug is on the porch and the wire then is very visible hanging off the front of the house. Is there a better way to do this? I've seen some nice lighting on many houses year-round -- how is this done? |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 24
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, December 8, 2003 - 7:38 am: | |
There are LOTS of ways to achieve what you want (harder now with a foot of snow on the ground.
1) Add an outlet on the front of your house in an appropriate location. I've done this at my place and a friends and it aids in just about every electrical need. (In my case I also put one on the back, they are all controlled by a heavy duty timer, and voila, I don't even have to think about christmas lights.)
2) Add an outlet in your lawn (or for that matter a floodlamp fixture). I did this for a friend and he's quite pleased, it has a photocell to turn it on/off and since he had an excavation in the front of his house for a retaining wall, it was easy to put in the cable/conduit etc and get it all set in the concrete and stone of the wall. Hardly noticable (and he's a stickler for that kind of thing).
3) Do Low Voltage, the wires can be easily buried under the mulch and around the foundation plantings, you can add and move them easily, and the timer lives lives on the side of the house or where-ever it is un-obtrusive.
Hope this helps.
Adding an outlet if you have a frame/sided house would take me (qualified) about an hour or so to do and cost less than $100 in materials and labor. |
newtoallthis
Citizen
Username: Newtoallthis
Post Number: 79
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 11:23 am: | |
Thanks for all the info. We do have an outlet on the outside of our home that we could use. Problem is, it's a double outlet that says it is only wet-listed if the cover is closed. If we plug a permanent cord in there, the cover would be open all the time. Do we need a totally new outlet installed? |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 256
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 12, 2003 - 11:05 pm: | |
Roconn,
I am all for homeowners learning to do plumbing/electrical on their properties, as long as everything is up to code. However, there are a lot of really crummy, unsafe homemade fiascos(as well as "professional" ones) going on out there that are then handed down to the next unsuspecting homeowner's family. If hiring someone to do the same, for safety as well as legal reasons, I would hire only a licensed professional for the job. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 2282
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 10:56 am: | |
Can you install an outlet over the door? Some houses in the area have an extention of the roof over the front door which is high enough to hide the outlet and fixture inside. No more dangling wire problems. Just plug in the fixture and direct it where the light needs to go.
Tourne is right. You should definitely get a licensed electrician to do this work for you. It doesn't hurt to get recommendations from neighbors either. |
newtoallthis
Citizen
Username: Newtoallthis
Post Number: 80
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 4:30 pm: | |
I am all for professionals. We inherited some very creative wiring from the pervious owners we've had to have fixed. I've now come across a solar-powered flood (no wires). But wondering if that would have a strong enough light to make a difference... |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 784
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 4:44 pm: | |
Basic wiring is not that hard. Actually its fairly simple. If you are handy at all (even if you're not but want to learn) get a book and give it a try. However, do get it inspected. I found the inspector very willing to give advice and constructive criticism. You can and should discuss your plan with him prior to starting work.
Learning will help you spot trouble spots in the future. I have learned enough to know that the wiring in some spots in my house was atrocious and obviously never checked. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 1884
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, December 15, 2003 - 6:26 pm: | |
I normally agree about licensed pros, but it's usually not cost effective to pay a licensed electrician to do add an outlet. I know ROCONN (remember me, Richard?) & trust me- he can do it. I've seen his work. Frankly, I'm surprised he called a contractor to rebuild his house after the tree; it's not beyond his skill set.  |
Richard O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Roconn
Post Number: 35
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 9:12 am: | |
Greentree .... THANX ...(and I rememember).... I dont' think the rebuild was actually beyond my skills, but I don't know where to get the little worker guys ... (and I made sure they did it the way I wanted)
on top of which I did have a job at that point.
For those of you in the land of professionals...hey when I need one I call one ... (I think I paid someone to install the first gas line .... ) however
a million years ago, I actually had to get licensed (as an electrician) to do some of this for my field; so although NOT a professional, I don't cut corners. Ever. . . you should hear some of the things I had to have the "professional" electricians fix during the house rebuild. (At one point they put in fixtures without junction boxes behind them) (and these are the professionals?)
Anyway . . . on the whole leaving the outlet open thing. You can get (at the HD) a new faceplate (outdoor) that has a 'bubble' type cover that will close down over the plugged in thing so that the weather-tightness is maintained.
Again....I am good at what I do, I don't cut corners, and I'm the first to say that If I coudln't do a professional (or better) quality job then I'd say so . . .
Richard (ROC)
--Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.--
--AIM: ROConn |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 259
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 1:12 am: | |
For a solar light to work for your application it would have to have a pretty hefty battery and good size module. There are available some LED spots that use low wattage, but the amount of light they throw may not be suitable for what you are intending. Now, you might be able to throw a dozen modules on your roof and get back 70% of the cost from the New Jersey Clean Energy Program and light up a whole lot more than your wreath! |
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