Home Improvement Articles and Remodeling Ideas

Installing Outdoor Lighting for Your Home

Follow these guidelines for pain free outdoor lighting installation

By Staff Writer : Garry on October 10, 2005
Category: Outdoor Lighting

The following guide will give you helpful tips on how to install outdoor lighting for your home. The following instructions will inform you on topics including:

• Basic Rules for Installing Exterior Lighting
• Weatherproof Switches and Outlets
• Underground Installation From the Home
• Attaching Fixtures & Outlets to Buried Cable
• Installing Post Lantern Yard Lights

Basic Rules for Installing Exterior Lighting
• Check your local codes concerning exterior lighting. Carefully follow these code requirements
• Remember to use type Underground Feeder cable for installations involving underground wiring. The Underground Feeder cable requires a fuse or breaker inside the house at the starting point of underground wiring installation.
• For your exterior lighting installation, use only those materials that are approved by the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL).
• Cable used for underground installations require a grounding conductor. Exterior fixtures must be grounded for complete safety.
• Use a conduit to protect the cable where exposed above the ground and where bends are made below the ground.
o Some local codes require the entire cable to be covered with conduit.
o Some local codes require outdoor circuits to be protected with one of two types of GFIs or Ground Fault Interrupters.
• Always remember to bury underground cable at least 18" to 24" deep. Cables buried at least 24" deep are less likely to be bothered by spading forks and other tools commonly used around the yard.
• For any exterior wiring installation, be sure to use weatherproof equipment, such as boxes or containers.
• Turn off the electrical current at the main switch before starting any underground wiring tie-in.

Weatherproof Switches and Outlets
• Weatherproof switches and outlet boxes can be bought in either flush-mount or surface-mount styles.
• Flush-mounted switches and outlets must always be installed in a weatherproof metal switch or outlet box.
• Surface-mounted switches and outlets are contained in their own weatherproof boxes and can be mounted directly to a flat surface.
• Weatherproof boxes can be mounted on posts or conduit when installing any switch or receptacle, other than the surface-mounted type.
• Flush-mounted and surface-mounted switches and outlets can be fully weather resistant when installed properly.

Underground Installation From the Home
• Prior to installation, turn off the electrical current at the main switch box.
• For an underground wiring installation, mount a breaker or a fuse box. The breaker box should begin the installation, no matter the type of cable.
• Pass the conduit from the breaker box through the wall to where the weatherproof elbow will be placed on the exterior wall
• Continue passing the conduit down from the weatherproof elbow to where it bends, 18" to 24" below the ground.
• Mount the conduit to the building foundation with conduit connectors.
• As stated before, some local codes require that the entire underground cable be entirely covered with conduit to protect the cable from yard tools.
• With carefulness and practice, you will learn to bend conduit easily.

Attaching Fixtures & Outlets to Buried Cable
• It's important to plan your exterior yard lighting prior to starting installation.
• Strategize early to determine where to install weatherproof outlet boxes. Outlet boxes are useful in providing readily accessible receptacles for outdoor appliances, record players, radios, and Christmas lights
• Weatherproof outlet boxes serve as helpful outlets for spike lights, electric lawn mowers, and other electric appliance.

Installing Post Lantern Yard Lights
• To begin, dig a hole about 2' deep with tilling spade.
• Pass cable up through the lamppost and fill the hole with about 12" of concrete mix. Insert the lamppost into the concrete mix in an upright, plumb position. Use a long level or plumb bob to straighten the lamp completely before the concrete dries.

• Protect the turn in the cable below the lamppost, using a bent piece of conduit.
• Use temporary stakes or four guy wires in opposite to hold the lamppost in an upright position until the concrete hardens.
• After the concrete hardens, fill in the hole with dirt and seed around the post for visual effect.

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