• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

People who have a lot of exterior house lights

E

Exterous

Super Moderator
I just came back from walking my dog and I noticed a lot of people have 10-15 non-solar power lights shining on their shrubs\trees\house. Seems odd to me and, while I'm sure its not much I wouldn't want to pay for the electricity to do that
 
The lights on most of my neighborhood properties are eight the solar LED ones or Sodium vapor street lights for that warm night look. But this one neighbor just replaced an incandescent front porch light with a blinding Mercury vapor lamp that is ugly as hell. I even offered to buy him one that would be more fitting and he refused. But, this is exactly what the a-hole Victory Church has done ever since the bought the property from someone else and replaced all of the Sodium vapor lamps in the parking lot with Mercury vapor lamps and create a sterilizing glow over the area. Hell, they are worse that the Super Walmart two miles away.
 
UglyCasanova said:
I don’t like it because of the light pollution. If the lights all pointed toward the ground that’s one thing, but most just go everywhere. It makes it hard to see the stars which is very unfortunate.
Click to expand...

I find the newer LEDs they put in the street lights are especially true for this, I find to get a decent view of northern lights I have to go out in the field.

I was also thinking, there should be an event every year where cities and companies should participate by shutting off all of their lights, I think it would be cool to see the whole city actually go dark for an hour. Heck just shut off the whole hydro for the whole city. Something like Earth Hour but more official. Nobody is going to die over 1 hour of no power especially if it's planned. Would be a good opportunity for some clear star photography and stuff. Make it a summer solstice event or something, right at midnight.

It's crazy how light pollution adds up though. Even when I drive a couple km from the city and look back I can still see the sky lit up in that direction.

I do want to add more outside lights to my back yard but nothing super bright, I'm thinking a string of Christmas lights that are always on or something. Having some lighting does help a bit to act as a theft deterrent.
 
I don't like a lot of lights, but I sometimes do jobs that have long winding driveways through the woods. I often think it would be cool to have solar powered low k low lumen lanterns hanging on the trees at 100'-200' intervals along the driveway, Nobody does that cause people are stupid.
 
I always wondered about this everyone always turns porch lights on, the out in the yard and or the bushes. My next door neighbor is terrible about they have a bunch of lights out front, side door light, back porch light a dual halogen on the garage and another on the house pointing at the garage and they leave them all burn all night. Its insanity, I don't turn a single light on outside at night I don't know if its the moon or all my neighbors but I have no problem seeing in the dark.
 
My wife and I purchased our house earlier in the year, and we have a fair bit of landscaping and landscape lighting. I'd say we probably have about 40 lights of various types throughout the landscaping in the front and back yards. It's low voltage and very warm light so the cost is fairly low and I like the aesthetic. We almost never turn on our porch/exterior garage/patio/back yard flood lights though, way too bright.
 
On a related note - If you have bright floodlights make sure they don't glare into your neighbors' windows. Just saying. Annoyance factor and all.
 
motion lights FTW. We come home to a dark yard in the country with good stars. The light comes on when you get out of the car, and goes out in 90 seconds or so.
They also trigger motion sensing security cameras for you. Seeing hours and hours of non-event recording is useless. Motion sensing is the way to go with cams, and it just takes some tuning to make it work well.
 
FeuerFrei said:
On a related note - If you have bright floodlights make sure they don't glare into your neighbors' windows. Just saying. Annoyance factor and all.
Click to expand...

I got black out curtains for my bedroom because of my neighbors. They're awesome I'm hanging them up at my next place regardless if my new neighbors are crazy.
 
People with exterior lights that are always on are paranoid, and stupid because they do nothing to protect property.
It is also shows that there are no motion detector lights which will alert anyone that someone is sneaking around.

I suspect that a bad guy would really hate to be creeping into a dark yard or driveway and have some bright flood lights triggered by their movement, than to be able to see their way but nothing to alert anyone to their presence.
 
MtnMan said:
People with exterior lights that are always on are paranoid, and stupid because they do nothing to protect property.
It is also shows that there are no motion detector lights which will alert anyone that someone is sneaking around.

I suspect that a bad guy would really hate to be creeping into a dark yard or driveway and have some bright flood lights triggered by their movement, than to be able to see their way but nothing to alert anyone to their presence.
Click to expand...

So, having exterior lights on negates the possibility of motion activated recording? Interesting. Never knew that.
 
lxskllr said:
I don't like a lot of lights, but I sometimes do jobs that have long winding driveways through the woods. I often think it would be cool to have solar powered low k low lumen lanterns hanging on the trees at 100'-200' intervals along the driveway, Nobody does that cause people are stupid.
Click to expand...

No, nobody does that (solar powered lights suspended in trees) because they aren't stupid. Putting solar charged lights into trees is a great way to ensure you never have solar powered lights that last more than 2 hours. No direct sunshine to recharge the lights and such.

On the other hand, I've seen people use low voltage wired lights like you suggest. I've got some along a walkway....they consume 1.5W per light, so not exactly gobbling up the electricity.
 
Meghan54 said:
No, nobody does that (solar powered lights suspended in trees) because they aren't stupid. Putting solar charged lights into trees is a great way to ensure you never have solar powered lights that last more than 2 hours. No direct sunshine to recharge the lights and such.

On the other hand, I've seen people use low voltage wired lights like you suggest. I've got some along a walkway....they consume 1.5W per light, so not exactly gobbling up the electricity.
Click to expand...


You would put the solar panel in the sun obviously. I think it would look cool, need some kind of weather proof lanterns then hang them throughout, and just wire them together to a battery with charge controller and panel. And use a CDS cell to have them turn on only at night. The lights that have built in solar cell would not work very well though.
 
It's just easier to let a motion light trigger the cam at night.
IR cams still need illumination, and when it is built into the camera the spiders like to camp out there. Insects are attracted to the IR light. It's pretty funny.
 
I kinda want to experiment with ridiculously powerful flood lights that are very well defined to only do my yard, and have them on a motion sensor. There's tons of theft in my area, it would be hilarious for one to get caught by that and freak right out. Downside is it would get set off every time a bear or dog or something happens to roam in the yard. Probably going to just do subtle lighting, christmas lights would be the easiest. Once I have a general idea of how much power I get out of my solar setup in winter I might even do the perimeter of the whole house. LED strips might be better, can just stick them under the soffits so they're out of the sun. Could do fun stuff if I use RGB ones too.
 
GagHalfrunt said:
Many of us have a lot of enemies and don't want to give them easy places to hide if they're planning something.

What I do is keep my yard well-luminated except for one obvious copse of shrubs with a light that *appears* to be out. That's where I put the land mines.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but land mines are illegal. However remotely triggered claymore mines using a RING type system for good security are the ticket.

/S if not obvious enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top