Minor electrical work like putting in outdoor patio string lights often vexes the best of us. On the other hand, few people have the spare cash to go around hiring a licensed electrician every time they want some new lights put up! By educating yourself on some of the proper methods for putting lights in place in the outdoors, you’ll be able to do the job yourself at no added cost. It’s important to understand the necessity of not going in blind; electrical work is a serious matter and should be taken seriously if you want to get it done in such a way as to insure the safety of you and those around you.
Of course, for the most part you may enjoy the initial shopping process the most. Outdoor string lights come in many different types, with variations in bulbs and wiring that you may have never even thought of before you see them. Despite all the differences in the many products, though, outdoor string lighting generally installs in about the same way from one product to the next. So don’t worry about things being too different between brands! However, do keep the packaging and any included instructions, in case you need them later.
Before you even buy, though, the first thing you need to do to get things done right is to accurately measure the area you want illuminated. This is generally best done with a tape measure, although a ruler can do in a pinch. When in doubt, overestimate the length needed by a little bit, to account for cords wrapping and the like. Excess cord can always be hidden or curled artistically, but if you don’t have the right length of cord then nothing you do can make it magically stretch to fit the entire patio.
Once you’ve determined the necessary length and purchased your outdoor light strings, it’s time to think about power. How is your string going to get electricity? This is more a matter of aesthetics than practical imitations, since if worst comes to worst most people have a spare extension cord they can just lay across the patio. However, if you want it to look as good as possible, you need to think of ways to conceal the power cord. This means, firstly, getting the actual lights as close to the power outlet as possible to minimize the distance the power cord needs to go. After that, you can take advantage of surrounding bushes, railings, and the like to hide the power cord behind so your lights get lit without any visual ugliness.
Last of all, think about how you’re going to secure your patio string lights. No matter what brand of outdoor string light you use, there are many options here. The safest one, albeit a little inconvenient to set up, is to snake your lights through plastic tubing, protecting them from the outdoors and casual contact. You could also use various products, such as staples, to affix the cords to appropriate objects. Or you could even leave the cords loose and simply wrap them around things, though this carries the risk of the cords being displaced accidentally. No matter what you choose, remember safety over beauty, and beauty over laziness, and you’ll get it done right.
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