Few things are as magical as sitting outside surrounded by twinkling lights in the summertime, or cozying up around a firepit in the fall, and who of course can forget the cheer of colorful Christmas lights? Outdoor lighting can make your outdoor space look and feel amazing. But putting up outdoor lights and powering them can be a challenge, and even potentially hazardous.
Here are a few tips on how to safely and properly power your outdoor lighting. However, remember that any type of electrical work can be dangerous. For difficult electrical projects, schedule an appointment with Custom Electrical Services before attempting to DIY.
The best solutions are often the simplest. Take advantage of exterior outlets with extension cords. Splitters or remote plug–ins can allow you to control multiple strands of lights at once.
Unfortunately, extension cords can be unsightly. Even worse, they can be a serious tripping hazard, especially for young children. If you do utilize extension cords with exterior outlets, you can try to mitigate tripping hazards by taping them down, or try to place them in an area that doesn’t see a lot of foot traffic.
Although most buildings are required to have exterior outlets due to building codes, there’s a chance your home might not have exterior outlets. Or, perhaps there aren’t enough exterior outlets to suit your needs. Whatever the case, hope is not lost — you still have lots of options for lighting the outdoors.
The first, and perhaps most obvious choice, is to go for solar powered lights. There is a wide variety of solar powered outdoor lights, and they won’t add to your electricity bill. Since you’re not limited to using outlets, have more freedom when it comes to placing solar powered lights around your outdoor area, and no extension cords means no tripping hazards.
There are a few downsides to solar powered lights of course. Solar lights have to be placed in an area where they’ll receive adequate sunlight. If you have a cloudy, overcast day, you won’t get as much output from your solar powered lights in the evening.
If solar powered lights don’t see like the right option for you, there are still a couple of outlet–free options to consider. A small portable generator won’t be affected by weather and can be placed wherever you need power. However, generators require fuel, typically gas, which isn’t very cost effective. Generators can also be noisy, which detracts from a peaceful night in the outdoors.
A less noisy option is a battery pack. You can get a battery pack large enough to suit your power needs, and use rechargeable batteries. This is a much quieter option, but depending on how frequently you use your outdoor lighting you may find you have to recharge the batteries often. Both battery packs and generators will likely result in the use of lots of extension cords as well.
The most permanent solution for powering outdoor lights of course is hardwiring outdoor lighting to a dedicated circuit. This is an all–day project that involves making new electrical connections and digging a shallow trench through your yard for a cable. In short, it’s a lot of work.
Not only is hardwiring an electrical connection outdoors a lot of work, but it’s difficult and potentially dangerous, as all projects involving electricity can be. We recommend hiring a licensed electrician from Custom Electrical Services instead. They have the skills and experience required to do the job safely and do it right.
Once one of our licensed electricians has helped set up the cozy, light–filled outdoor oasis of your dreams, make sure to write down the date so you know when to schedule a maintenance check. Finally, enjoy your great outdoors!
We were contacted by a very professional lady from Custom Electrical Service to perform a repair to our solar panels. They had been contacted by SunPower that our unit was not producing correctly. We were told told the service was under warranty and would be completed in the next 2 - 3 weeks. An appointment was scheduled and the service people came when they said they would come! The gentlemen (and Ii use the term correctly) were very polite and respectful of our property. They had to replace things (which means there were old parts to dispose of). There was no trace of any debris when they left. Our panels are now working perfectly again!— D P
Josh was ver professional and went above and beyond to upgrade my Sun Power Solar system. I’m very pleased and would recommend them!— Mark Krantz
Excellent work and very fast. Team leader was very polite and worked hard— Chris Elton
Very professional! Would recommend to any needing new solar system, solar repair, or general electrical service.— Matthew Pettit
Professional, prompt and clean. Did warranty service & replacement of solar panel system.— Mike Liechty
I have used Custom Electric for several needed repairs. Some of our outlets and switches were not up to code and we needed them replaced. There was a problem with some exterior outlets as well. They were replaced and protected with the appropriate weather covers. All the work we have had Custom Electric perform has been very professional and completed without any further issues. Everyone I have dealt with has been very knowledgeable, helpful, and professional. I would recommend them to anyone needing electrical work. I think their pricing has been very fair as well. I know who I will call or refer when there is a need for electrical work.— Tim
We have used custom electric many times. They have done a great job for us and we look no further who to call. We know custom electric will give us the best service.— Annett Allred
Custom Electrical was awesome. We had some issues with our solar panels and turns out the service panel had some issues too. They put in a warranty work order with the manufacturer and took care of the issue right away. I was very impressed with the responsiveness of the company and further impressed by the fact that they were not the original panel installation company, but treated me like a long time customer. This company will be doing all my future electrical work and will be my go to company when asked for a reference by my friends and family. Thank you Custom Electrical!— Joseph Arico
They were quick to respond to my needs and very professional. The technicians were friendly, polite and very knowledgeable. I would use them again.— Lyle Coombs
These guys were great! So professional, courteous, and did top notch work! I highly recommend them and will definitely use them again.— Kellen Peterson
We used Custom Electric for our new home. They did an amazing job. They were one of the only subcontractors that were easy to work with and finished their job in a timely manner. We would highly recommend them!!!— Shea Nielsen
We are currently building our forever home and C.E. has been very easy and great to work with! We have had multiple walk throughs and have had to make some changes along the way but they do their job well and make sure it’s what we want! Definitely recommend!— Erik Rico
Fantastic company!! A+++ work. Honest, reliable and does the best work around. We will never use anyone else. Definitely recommend!— Nordell Fam2010