How to Install Outdoor Entrance Lighting
Outdoor entrance lighting is one of the first things visitors to you home will see, making it an integral part of your home's decor and design. Installing these fixtures yourself is a fun project that will save you money. It also allows you to pick the exact design and type of light that best reflects your personality and the overall look of your house, and may even add value to your home. The installation process takes time, effort and may require an electrician or utilities locater. However, the benefits of adding personalized outdoor entrance lighting to your home are instantly apparent and will last many years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Lawn edger
- Electrical cable
- Graphing paper
- 450-watt transformer box
- Screwdriver
- Drill
Instructions
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Plan exactly where your new lighting fixture will be installed on the house. Take into account how long the pathway to the entrance is and whether you have stairs that need to be lighted. Consider the possibility of installing a motion sensor that will activate the lighting system only when it is needed. Use graphing paper to draw out your basic plan.
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Schedule an appointment with a utility locater to mark off the points where the gas line, electrical wires and water pipes are located. Adjust your design based on these markings.
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Choose which kinds of lights and fixtures you will install. You can increase the energy efficiency of your home by choosing LED bulbs or small fluorescent lights that will last longer and require less electricity to run. Choose brighter lights further from the home for security and softer lights closer to the door, to gently highlight the finer aspects of your house.
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Hire a licensed electrician to install a new outlet outdoors that will power the lighting system. Purchase enough electrical cable to run the length of your light fixtures with an extra 1 to 2 feet available for each one. Place all of the fixtures in their final locations (but do not yet anchor them in to the ground).
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Install the transformer and mount it on your home in a place where children or pets do not have access to it. Hook up each light fixture to the electrical cable and then test the system to ensure that they are all working properly. Use the lawn edger to make trenches to bury the wires, keeping clear of any flags that the utility locater placed. For lights above ground, secure the wire to a sturdy surface with electrical staples. Test your new lighting system for proper functioning.
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Tips & Warnings
Never begin digging trenches in your yard without first checking the blueprints and consulting with a utility locating service. The chances of hitting an electrical wire, water pipe or gas line are generally slim, but the ramifications of doing so could be very expensive or even life threatening.
Be careful when dealing with electric wires and make sure that they are not live while you are handling them. Use your home's circuit breaker to cut power to any electrical outlet or wires that you will be splicing or touching. Also ensure that the electrical connections are solid before attempting to return power to the area. If any of your connections begins to spark or short out, cut power to that section and immediately contact an electrician.
