External lights

LaLa2004

After 2 years of disasters with battery operated lights letting me down, I'm wondering what others do.
I would like to put a row of icicle lights or something similar on an extended roof. I bought a battery set in Woodies 2 years ago but they did not last the season. I've decided that batteries are not satisfactory.
Have people put in an external socket for lights? Or do you run a cable out a window?
Are there good quality outdoor lights available that will last from year to year? I have my internal tree lights for many years. I hate creating waste. Thanks!

phormium

I have about 10 at least sets of outdoor lights, most are the standard led ones that plug into transformers indoors, the cables are thin and I can put them out the window and close the window fully with them, the rubber seal or whatever it is has enough give to not damage them.

I have an external socket and a waterproof box that I use for other sets as I put 3 sets on a tree in the garden so use an extension cable from the socket to the box and plug in the 3 sets in the box.

I have several sets that I use around the porch area and all these trail in the windows and plugged into extension leads inside.

The only one I ever have problem with is one of those reindeer which has a much thicker normal size electric cable, it's impossible to trail that in a window so I have had to run an extension from it to the waterproof box, I wouldn't buy a decoration with the thick cable again!

They all last fairly well, usually I'll have to replace some set each year but I have got many years out of most of them. Never found the battery ones any good except for some small internal uses.

What can I say, I love fairy lights both inside and out!

Day Lewin

phormium wrote: »

I have about 10 at least sets of outdoor lights, most are the standard led ones that plug into transformers indoors, the cables are thin and I can put them out the window and close the window fully with them, the rubber seal or whatever it is has enough give to not damage them.

I have an external socket and a waterproof box that I use for other sets as I put 3 sets on a tree in the garden so use an extension cable from the socket to the box and plug in the 3 sets in the box.

I have several sets that I use around the porch area and all these trail in the windows and plugged into extension leads inside.

The only one I ever have problem with is one of those reindeer which has a much thicker normal size electric cable, it's impossible to trail that in a window so I have had to run an extension from it to the waterproof box, I wouldn't buy a decoration with the thick cable again!

They all last fairly well, usually I'll have to replace some set each year but I have got many years out of most of them. Never found the battery ones any good except for some small internal uses.

What can I say, I love fairy lights both inside and out!

We have a very similar set-up (with fewer lights, though!)

The wire goes from a socket in the hall and through a tiny gap in the front-door rubber strip sealer, to a socket-box in the porch that has an outdoor breaker, which we can also use for eg, Hoovering the car.

The lights are left in permanenetly but the lecky is only switched on to that socket when needed.

We had them on last night, the evenings are getting darker and the family were modestly celebrating a happy event!

Jude13

I uses there SKY-TOUCH 25 Incandescent String Strip Light Patio Garden Backyard Party Wedding Decorations

TRS30

Have 2 outdoor waterproof sockets with space for 2 plugs in each. One takes the snowman and sleight with reindeer and the other 2 set of icicle lights that run from the one gate pillow, up the wall, across the front of the house and back down the other size.