Thread: Lighting question

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Hi everyone -

This year will be my first year attempting to use spotlighting to light my yard. I was wondering, what does everyone use to spotlight gravestones, the house, and other props? Flood lights? Strobe lights? What about battery operated spot or flood lights instead of having to plug everything in?

Any help and where to buy to get a good deal would be greatly appreciated!

i use colored floodlights on stakes, this year i am going to try and replace them with led floods

I used staked colored floods in the past, but may try some led flashlights with filters this year. I'll keep the powered lights for lightning and effects.

For spotlighting small areas and gravestones, I built a bunch of these:

LED Spots

Mine are a slightly modifed form. Instead of the flat back end, I cut them at an angle so I can shove the butt of the spot into the dirt/grass.

So mine look like this:

wandererrob’s Gallery » led spotlight » HauntSpace.Com

I found that a bead of hot glue around the front end and a piece of cellophane (this year I'm using white LEDs and covering the end with gels instead) makes them quite weather proof.

I'm going to be using several flashlights from the dollar store. I'll be putting different colored filters on the lenses to light up different props. I found a plug-in transformer that will power up to 12 flashlights so that batteries are not an issue. The only wire that will go around the yard is a thin speaker wire carrying 24 volts that will be dispersed among the 12 2-volt flashlight bulbs. I will make an adjustable clamp for each light and paint everything flat black and/or hide them behinds tombstones, statues and columns. I think the biggest trick will be making each one waterproof with silicone.

How bright are those LED floods? I'm doing lighting for the first time also this year and was planning on using a severl incadesant floods mounted in coffee cans or something (haven't really figured that part out yet). Do the LED floods put out as much light as a 60W bulb? 100W? What do they look like?

Interesting, I never even thought of using flashlights!

The LED ar the most effiecient, but if you have to go to each spot and put batteries in and out each night .... yuk. Low voltage Malibu lights would be the next cheapest energy-wise. You can get colored lenses for them or spray transluscent tint coat over the clear lens that comes with their spots.

I started phasing my Christmas lights from minis to LED last year. The whites have a unique, quite bright cast to them - amost like the blue-white headlights you see. I suppose you could rewire a string of them to provide the spacing you need between lights ... and even group multiple bulbs together for better "spotlight" affect. maybe I'll try that with a string. of the red LEDs.

Last year I went all LED flood from Corey Minion. It not only allows me to put more lights on a circuit, it reduces the risk of fire.

This year I am going to try solar malibu lights with filters.