Garden Lighting

Irish Gunner

Beginning to get things done with the back garden and looking at lighting. Had the solar lights which are useless.

Looking at getting outdoor socket installed and possibly add some Hue lights as have these installed inside. However not the cheapest.

What are other options or what are other users doing?

Fine Cheers

Went with OxyLED string lights via Amazon and as recommended by The Restoration Couple. IP65 and seem to fairly robust and waterproof. Took them down as currently cladding garden walls. Gave up on the cheap solar crap.

sterling10

Great timing for a thread as I’m about to start looking at this also.

My problem is I don’t have much cable left outside from the build to have Power readily available.

What’s the best option to start? Talk to electrician and see what can be done??

What’s the best site or type of unit to go for when lighting up the outside?

If youre getting work done get some sort of smart switch or socket installed.
I have my outdoor lights set to come one 30mins after sunset for an hour via google home.

Bettysk

We just got some standard outdoor wall lights for €25 or so each in an electrical wholesale and then put Hue GU10 bulbs in. We got white in these (debated the colour but white worked out at €12 each and colour was €30) and then got a coloured Hue rope light for underneath some bushes which works off the app too. We had power already there though which helped the process! Ordered it all on Amazon but Argos had some ok deals too.

milout

We looked at the Hue but was surprised how much was IP44. Wouldn't trust that to stand up to the rain we get in the west so spent a lot of time searching for IP66 fixtures.

Hard to find fixtures that look as nice as the lower ratings.

happyplants

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Beginning to get things done with the back garden and looking at lighting. Had the solar lights which are useless.

Looking at getting outdoor socket installed and possibly add some Hue lights as have these installed inside. However not the cheapest.

What are other options or what are other users doing?

I think whatever our equivalent of "code" comes in as relevant to what I'm about to say, so I'll preface this in that our static wired lights, I was told, had to be wired to a separate fuse. I don't have the technical language too hand, but the point of saying this is that it completely undermines what I am about to say as a "cheap" substitute for Hue.

So, being lock-down bored, I wanted to try a cheaper remote accessible lighting system in the back because, for one, I wanted to stop having to go outside to turn them on and off but still have some lights.

I found some decent mains powered string lights and buried conduit to carry the cable indoors and through the wall. That was then connected to a wifi controlled socket somewhere nice and hidden which in turn gets voice-controlled by Alexa and is capable of general control / programming through the Alexa app.

The upshot is that the back now has this string of lighting which is quite nice, and which has the functionality of the Hue systems I started out with indoors but at an order of magnitude less in price.

Now, it works because its a string. I've no idea if you could rig up a similar solution to drag mains power out to several static ground lights and I'm sure that's massively unsafe and to be avoided etc. I'll probably still give it a shot.

Hocus Focus

happyplants wrote: »

I think whatever our equivalent of "code" comes in as relevant to what I'm about to say, so I'll preface this in that our static wired lights, I was told, had to be wired to a separate fuse. I don't have the technical language too hand, but the point of saying this is that it completely undermines what I am about to say as a "cheap" substitute for Hue.

So, being lock-down bored, I wanted to try a cheaper remote accessible lighting system in the back because, for one, I wanted to stop having to go outside to turn them on and off but still have some lights.

I found some decent mains powered string lights and buried conduit to carry the cable indoors and through the wall. That was then connected to a wifi controlled socket somewhere nice and hidden which in turn gets voice-controlled by Alexa and is capable of general control / programming through the Alexa app.

The upshot is that the back now has this string of lighting which is quite nice, and which has the functionality of the Hue systems I started out with indoors but at an order of magnitude less in price.

Now, it works because its a string. I've no idea if you could rig up a similar solution to drag mains power out to several static ground lights and I'm sure that's massively unsafe and to be avoided etc. I'll probably still give it a shot.

There are regulations for burying power lines safely; for instance they have to be in a waterproof conduit and be more than 600mm deep. Polythene warning tape has to be laid above them in the backfilling to warn anyone digging. A bit of googling would probably reveal the exact details. I think I would start looking under "Building Regulations+Ireland+buried cables"

slinky2000

I got these a few weeks ago and they are amazing. Best Solar lights I've ever had.

They are really bright and last all night

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XRPQRJS/

mossym

i wouldn't judge solar lights on a few weeks use. they often start out well, but see how they are in 6 months. most are absolutely rubbish by then

i have a couple of sets of these lights and am very happy with them, but i have outside sockets i can use for them (properly wired )

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BPFC7HS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Mackdublin

mossym wrote: »

i wouldn't judge solar lights on a few weeks use. they often start out well, but see how they are in 6 months. most are absolutely rubbish by then

i have a couple of sets of these lights and am very happy with them, but i have outside sockets i can use for them (properly wired )

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BPFC7HS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Did you order from the seller on that link?
I only ask as I was looking at them myself and would be interested to know how you got on, how long you have them?

mossym

i have two sets of them. the second set came from that seller above, i ordered them last friday night at 10pm while sitting out underneath the first set, and they arrived on monday morning just after 9. was amazed.

i have the first set since last summer(from a different seller), and nothing but pleased, hence why i bought a second set. here is the first set in action, i've since installed a proper hanging light in the shed but these give off way more light

Alkers

mossym wrote: »

i wouldn't judge solar lights on a few weeks use. they often start out well, but see how they are in 6 months. most are absolutely rubbish by then

i have a couple of sets of these lights and am very happy with them, but i have outside sockets i can use for them (properly wired )

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BPFC7HS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They look good, do they come with a standard 3 pin plug? A lot of people complaining about the length from plug to first bulb. Did you find a dimmer to go with them, I can't think of ever seeing an external dimmer switch

mossym

standard 3 pin plug, no dimmer. the plug screws off on a short length of cable as you can connect one set onto the end of another. as a result it's no both to extend that bit of cable if you are any way capable of some wiring.

Irish Gunner

Hopefully getting the outside socket this week and then look at outdoor lighting

For the hanging lights don't really want them hanging on the wall banging against the wall and possible cause damage

Looking at the Hue Lily as can put these in the plants on ground to light upwards. Price is a big issue and you get 3 in a set,. Garden average size but would need extensions for each so to have one at either side and one at top of garden

Any other suggestions for similar and I could possible add hue bulbs so can time them etc

Cheers

mossym

mossym wrote: »

i have a couple of sets of these lights and am very happy with them, but i have outside sockets i can use for them (properly wired )

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BPFC7HS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought some similar priced ones on amazon in OCT 2019 and there is no way they were IP65 as advertised, the glass g40 bulbs were very very fragile and they stated to die very quickly. I got two sets the the bulbs were going within weeks.
Saying that mine were exposed to the elements unlike yours.

The ones I got

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W5Z8ZTT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

mossym

BrownFinger wrote: »

I bought some similar priced ones on amazon in OCT 2019 and there is no way they were IP65 as advertised, the glass g40 bulbs were very very fragile and they stated to die very quickly. I got two sets the the bulbs were going within weeks.
Saying that mine were exposed to the elements unlike yours.

The ones I got

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W5Z8ZTT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

may be similar priced but they are very differnet to the ones i have. even look at the cabling, there is no comparision. the bulbs are different, e27 verus g40.

the ones i linked to were used by a couple of the bbq guys i follow on twitter/youtube who have been using them for a couple of years and both highly recommended them.

mossym

mossym wrote: »

may be similar priced but they are very differnet to the ones i have. even look at the cabling, there is no comparision. the bulbs are different, e27 verus g40.

I wasn't saying they are bad ,I'm saying mine are bad.
A waring to others that not all lights on amazon are what they claim to be.

I'll probably get a set or two of the ones you linked to.

mossym

BrownFinger wrote: »

I wasn't saying they are bad ,I'm saying mine are bad.
A waring to others that not all lights on amazon are what they claim to be.

I'll probably get a set or two of the ones you linked to.

ah okay, apologies. i read it as that price couldn't mean tehy were any good

these might turn out to be rubbish, but they've held up perfectly so far, (they have been outside permentantly since januay this year in all the wind/rain and not a bother. ). i think they'll last , but only time will tell for sure

blackbox

I bought some of these fro Amazon - very cheap but they look well.

You can also get them with motion detectors, but I had one already. They need the supply cable to feed them from underneath. Mine are screwed to slabs.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005MQE7TW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fine Cheers

These are the Oxyled I linked to in earlier post