Adding outdoor lights will show you and your visitors the way to the front door on dark nights, highlight your garden and help to deter intruders.Visit the Woodworking Plans Website pages for more woodworking and DIY articles.

KEY Factors you should consider:

Think about what lighting effect you want to achieve, as this will influence the types of fitting you buy and where you install them.

At the front door, and on the patio, you will probably want a decorative fitting (or two) that looks attractive by day and by night. The style is a matter of personal taste, and there is a wide range to choose from.

Elsewhere, function will be more important than looks. For example, cheap bulkhead fittings are ideal for side paths, garage approaches and so on. The one type of fitting to avoid, unless very high levels of illumination are absolutely essential for security purposes, is the 500-watt floodlight mounted high on your house wall. It is far too powerful for most domestic settings, and its glare merely annoys neighbours and passers-by.

Should you still wish to install floodlights, look for models that help combat light pollution. Then decide how to provide power for the new lights. The easiest option is to take fused spurs from power circuits since you can connect th spur into a socket outlet or near an outside wall and take it straight through the wall to the light position.

You can connect the spur cable into any socket outlet that is on the main circuit and is not itself supplying a spur- in other words, one with two cables present. You cannot connect it to an outlet that is itself a spur, with just one cable supplying it.

If you decide to extend an existing lighting circuit, use the upstairs one which you can access in the loft. You can then drop cables down the outside walls to the light positions. You would have to lift carpets and floorboards to get at the downstairs lighting circuit - a degree of disruption that may not be worth the effort.

Check that extra lights will not overload a lighting circuit. Each can supply a maximum of 1200 watts. A high-wattage floodlight could easily cause an overload and blow fuses.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/key-factors-you-should-consider-before-installing-outdoor-lighting-2211848.html

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