Positioning Outdoor Lights

Don't Bind Your Neighbor With Your Spot Lights

Overview: It may seem like an obvious topic, but positioning outdoor lights, spotlights and wall lamp, properly is not always easy. Outdoor lights are installed for security, safety and recreation. Your deck and backyard must have sufficient lighting for outdoor activities such as barbecuing, children to be seen while playing in the dark, and to light walkways at night. For these reasons the lights must be positioned for proper lighting.

Outdoor lights should not be randomly placed on the outside of the house without thought. They must be positioned so that the walkway, front steps, and the doorbell can be seen at night. Driveway lights should be positioned to light up the driveway in such a way that the light doesn’t blind the driver. A few simple basic rules can help any homeowner to properly place their outdoor lights to get the best illumination.

Entry Door Lights:

Don’t position the door light so it blinds people upon entering the home at night. The right position for an outdoor wall light is usually to the side or above entry doors. The light should not be over powered for the fixture. Over powered light bulbs will overheat and damage light fixtures and/or the bulb will burn out quickly. Use outside CFL bulbs. They use a lot less power and will light the area sufficiently.

Driveway Lights:

If you live in an area where there are no streetlights, position a driveway light on a light pole close to the end of your driveway so visitors can find the entrance at night time without driving on the lawn. Again don’t use overpowering light bulbs, stay with the CFL. The parking space in front of your home or garage should be lit with a spot light mounted high on the building so it will light the whole area without blinding the vehicle operator. CFL spotlight bulbs can be purchased for most spotlights.

Backyard Lights:

First, it is nearly impossible to light the whole back yard. Spotlights should be used for outdoor lighting of the backyard and attached to the building as high as possible to light the largest area. The lights should be positioned to light the deck area, night time child play area, and walkways. Gang spotlights whereby as many as three spotlights can be mounted on a single fixture are ideal. Each bulb in the fixture can be positioned to light a different area of the yard. If you can’t mount the lights high enough on your house for adequate outdoor illumination consider installing a light pole. Most public utility companies provide a yard light pole and light at reasonable prices. All spot lights bulbs should be of the CFL type to save cost of operation.

Solar Powered Lights:

Solar power or low voltage outdoor lights work well for landscape lights or accent lights but they don’t produce a great deal of lighting. They are great for lighting walkways but do little toward lighting a backyard. Outdoor flood lights are necessary if you want adequate backyard lighting.

The final results you want when positioning outdoor lights is to provide the maximum safety for nighttime outdoor activities. Keep in mind that you don’t want to position your lights in such a way that they are annoying to a neighbor.

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