About Garden Lighting

• [Garden design]

Garden lighting

Questions and Answers

I want to put lighting in my garden?

Q) Does anyone know of a good website that tells you how to lay and connect cables, to house electrical system, safely when installing garden lighting

A) Outdoor lighting is stepped down to a low voltage to make it safe, the cable is then safe if accidentally cut, i did it this way... I drilled a hole through the wall and laid out the cable, position the lights, and plug in the adaptor into a mains socket, i have mine on a timer so the lights come on at a certain time, the wire is just 2 connections live and neutral. I then sealed the hole with silicone, job done, most lights come in this kind of kit. Adaptor, cable, lights, instructions, also it may be good to have the adaptor plugged into a circuit breaker just in case.

indoor herb garden lighting?

Q) If someone wanted to grow herbs indoors in the winter, would you, from experience, recommend appropriate fluorescent tubes for the grow cycle, before changing to HPS (high pressure sodium) if you wanted them to produce flowers? Fluorescent tubes are available with various light colours and use a lot less current, and can produce the same quantity of lumens if enough are used. Have you tried both, and if so, what were the results and what would you use again? Thanks in advance in response to the first answerer..... parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme :o) xxxxx

A) funny you should say that pepsi - a pal grew a good herb in a hanging basket under a street light - but seriously the best spectral range was a 'natural' tube but under soil heating does help.

looking for the company RINGwho supply B&Q with the garden lighting to sell to the pulbic?

A) There you go http://www.ring.ltd.uk/

solar lighting for the garden?

Q) last summer we had a set of solar lights you push into the ground in the garden they were lovely very atmospheric then as the winter drew in they seem to lose some of their power obviously due to lower light levels in the day until they went off completely so we brought new rechargable batteries for them charged them first then put them in some worked some did not but even the ones that did still seemed very dim we have not had a bad bad winter in the uk so light levels have been fair i have now been out and replaced them with a whole new set of lights do they have a lifespan does anyone know because we had only had them under one year and cant believe they have to be replaced so soon

A) They need about 8 to 10 hours of fairly strong sun light to charge rechargeable batteries, we don't tend to get that amount on a regular basis in the UK in Winter. I store mine away over winter as its not worth it. You could just charge your rechargeables up in doors using a mains charger if you really want to use them all year round.

Electricity scheme to install garden lights on net.?

Q) Who has an electricity scheme, which shows how to install garden light on the electricity net? Like how to connect the coloured cables. And how deep do I have to dig for the cables.

A) It is not advisable to wire a net in outside due to insulation problems. The safest way to do it is to install outdoor waterproof sockets and plug the lights into them. Making sure they are on an RCD. If you are running cables outside though - you will need to use armoured cable.

Which wires go where in connecting garden led lights in series?

Q) I have a set of garden lights that must be wired in series. I understand the principle, but each light has only one cable coming from it. The cable has two wires, brown and blue. Which wire starts in the power box, and how do i connect the next one? I have 10 LED-IP65 marine grade (316) stainless steel spike lights, and a GL 1W350 Power Supply.

A) model number?

Will solar garden lights work indoors?

A) try reading the instructions and da answer is no!!

would you use a garden / light agrculture equipment hire firm?

Q) I am thinking of setting up a hire firm. Hiring everything from rakes and wheelbarrows, hedge trimmers, rotovators, mini diggers etc etc.... Is there a call for such a company?

A) You are up against stiff competition. There are loads of companies out there that have been in the business for years and know what kit people want to hire. I honestly can't see anyone wanting to hire rakes and wheelbarrows but the other gear yes but that just puts you up against the big boys who have the buying power to obtain the machinery much cheaper than you could and therefore hire it cheaper. I would seriously think long and hard about this before you throw any money at it but good luck if you do decide to have a go.

any good advice on small solar panels or solar garden lights?

A) I haven't used any myself, but they seem ok. It would help if you said what kind of advice. The only problem I see with them is that they are advertised to last up to 8 hours. I assume that means after a full day (probably at least 10 hours) of sun they will last 8 hours. In the winter, they won't get as much sun and won't last as long. During the summer when the days are longer and the nights are shorter they should last all night. If you want them to be on in the early morning hours, just before it starts to get light, I think you might be pushing your luck. If you want them on until midnight or so, they should work.

why is solar energy not available more cheaply, only garden lights in stores like walmart is available?

A) Because right now the cost that goes into making the solar panels isn't cheap AND the storage capability is not very efficient making their practicality at this point questionable for most large-scale applications.

garden lighting, metal halide in a merc. vapor fixture?

Q) does anyone know if a metal halide bulb will work in a mercury vapor fixture? i know lots about HID lighting but can't get this simple question answered. thought this would be a good place to try. essentually they are the same bulb , ignited in the same way except MH has metal particles in the bulb that react with the vapors to produce a higher quality spectrum for plant growth. SO A MH BULB IN A MV FIXTURE? anyone anyone? thanks if you know!

A) i don't know, but would it hurt to try? if so don't do it, and i hope that somebody can help you.

What is the most economic option for lighting the outside and the garden of a factory?

Q) What is the most economic option for lighting the outside and the garden of a factory?

A) By economic, do you mean "short-term" as in small outlay at the beginning, or over time having it cost you less in diminished energy costs...? There are LED lights available that cost more up-front, but only consume minimal wattage and have extremely long timetimes to them, and they are water-resistant. Perhaps the flex-strip would work best for you...? Depends on whether you want security lighting, or just ambient...check out the link below.

I put lighting inside my garden pond. I was wondering if the lights affected the fish sleep or health?

Q) I was just curious if having light every night affects their habits or health.

A) It shouldn't unless you get a short in which case it can seriously cause damage. And yes, they do sleep...... So the lights should go out for a time like when you go to bed. They will adjust to a set amount of time and the lights being on! :)

How much Lighting in watts per square foot is required for a Garden?

Q) Hi I would like to know how much wattage is needed to grow an inside garden that is lets say 400 square feet in specific. The garden will have a variety of vegetables and fruits, nothing in particular just a little bit of everything. This is assuming no sunlight, just wattage from light bulbs. How many watts are needed per square foot garden. Thanks so much for the answer this has been bothering me for the longest time now and i cant find it on the web.

A) You need to search for the number of candle-power needed. 1 candle power is the amount of light put out by one candle one foot away from an object. The noonday sun puts out something like 1000 candle power. if you have an eight foot ceiling you will need less lumens (total light output) to achieve the same candle power (total light output / the square of the distance) than if you have a 12 foot ceiling. So assuming a ten foot ceiling, a one square foot room and a lighting requirement of 100 candlepower you would need a bulb that put out 10,000 lumens. this could be achieved with an incandecent bulb of massive wattage requirements, or a flourescent tube of smaller wattage requirements. I was just making up numbers so I don't know that this will work for you, but it should set you on the right track.

How many hours of sun do solar garden lights need to charge(shine)?

Q) Small garden lights with no istallation(lights that you just stick in the ground). Need direct light for how many hours to emit light?

A) 8 hours give 3 hours or so of light .... longer the better

where can i buy solar powered garden lights? are they expensive?

Q) are they reliable? i want to do my part in helping save the environment by starting to use alternative power sources for my everyday needs. i've heard from someone before that they use garden lights that light up at night after being charged the whole day by the sun. i think it's a cool idea.

A) Try overstock.com

How to kill wasps that've built a nest INSIDE my sealed solar garden lights?

Q) I discovered a couple solar garden lights have been taken over my (honeycomb) nests - that I thought were yellow jackets but it appears are wasps. (They usually build their nest in the eaves/peaks on the house.) One light had the lid loose and partly open, so I sprayed and then used a broom to knock the lid off (the nest was attached). However, the lid appears to be on tight on another and it seems that the spray doesn't really penetrate the other sealed light fixture. Thanks

A) You will need to search well and find the point of entry. The wasps typically don't make a lot of effort to find their home. There is a hole or vent in the light the wasp is going in. If you can find it and spraying in it doesn't work, try tying a plastic bag around it. This should suffocate them. Just have can of wasp spray available in case their friends come to visit them when you are trying to kill them.

Why does Boston's TD Banknorth Garden seem to have better, softer lighting than other sports arenas?

Q) Anyone else notice this? Most NBA arenas seem so brightly lit that there's distortion of colors.

A) Not sure why but they use the same lights as Fenway Park from Granite City Electric

Where can I get some very UNIQUE solar lighting [zen/buddha or anything] 4 my garden?? :o)?

Q) THank you

A) Here's a solar japanese pagoda and other items: http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/solar-lights.html A couple of zen garden lights: http://www.bizrate.com/homelighting/oid498104644.html http://www.bizrate.com/homelighting/oid499226095.html Here are a couple more nice solar lights: http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/product.asp?PG=1868 http://www.alsto.com/dept.asp?MSCSTC=alsto&dept%5Fid=9017&cm_ven=youramigo&cm_cat=0107&cm_ite=spiderlinker&code=macs=MA7SPDR Another site to try is: http://www.solarlightstore.com/solar-specialty-lights/468+474.cfm *~Enjoy~*

Low voltage lighting overload?

Q) My low voltage garden lighting transformer is rated for 150 Watts. What will happen if I put 160 Watts on the line? Will it blow the transformer? Breaker? Lights?

A) The manufacturers always recommend not to over power the line because it can cause a fire hazard. It might, so far i haven't had any problems like that., my ceiling fans and light fixtures have the same warning i usually go over the rate of maximum 50-watts per socket to 60-watts and from 25-watts up to 60-watts per socket and nothing has happen. Your light system is regulated with a low voltage transformer, not like household lighting, i think it safe to go up to 160 but i advise you not to exceed it over 160.