Choosing the Right Exterior Lights
By whatever name it may go, patio lighting, deck lighting or landscape lighting, exterior lighting is an increasingly popular way to provide safety, beauty and utility to the outside areas of your home. The marketplace has responded with literally thousands of options to satisfy every need and desire. Homeowners have an amazing array of choices available to them when it comes to lighting and decorating the exterior of their homes.
Solar powered lighting is a wonderful development, but, frankly, there are applications where the limited amount of light they generate is simply inadequate, not to mention the fact that they are not very useful in areas that are shaded by day.
If a substantial amount of light is needed, the answer is to use exterior lighting fixtures that operate on household current. If you intend to use such lighting, be aware that it will take significantly more planning and careful execution than just sticking a solar light fixture in the ground and letting it go.
If you intend to do the work yourself, the place to start is the local building inspector, who can provide you with the applicable regulations of the building code. Although it may seem a nuisance to do this, you are protecting yourself against possible liability if any unfortunate events occur if you can show that you followed the code and had the necessary inspections.
Depending on just where you want to locate your lighting fixtures, you may be required to do a substantial amount of excavation to safely run underground wiring. Expect to have to excavate at least 18″ deep, and maybe 24″. Anticipate the added expense of using plastic or metal conduit, and wiring rated for underground use.
Code may also demand that any above ground wiring be run through conduit. Be sure to provide for placement of the conduit where it will not be seen, as there is no way to make it attractive.
More and more jurisdictions are requiring that all exterior lighting be wired through a ground fault circuit interrupter, which cuts off power in the event of a short due to water infiltration. While not terribly expensive, they may demand the employment of an electrician for safe installation.
Using patio or landscape lighting fixtures designed to run on household current is quite an undertaking if they are to be remote from the house itself. However, once installed, they will provide you with more light and many more options than solar powered exterior lighting.
If you enjoy reading this article, you can read more about exterior lighting or Christmas light ideas.
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