Outdoor Lights= prob daft question!!

jillie1974

you know the secirty/garden lights that are really briliant
like this one--
http://www.argos.co.uk/wcsstore/argos/images/7018105A64UC197996M.jpg
do they have to be set upto your main electric or how do you install them??

daft i know..but we had one right up under the roof when we moved in, lightbulb blew bout a week later but because its so high up dont know how to replace it....

ormus

yes they are mains supplied.
you need a big ladder first!
then you unscrew the glass cover (1 small screw) and simply remove the tube. replacement is the reverse. dont touch the new tube/bulb with your bare hands. ie use surgical gloves.

jillie1974

thought it was..
i'll ask my neighbour so as my DH is scared of heights and i would prefer someone else rather than me to fit incase i do it wrong... (or change lightbulb)
so next question... how much do the bulbs cost??

Ephemera

They're not all that expensive, a couple of pounds from your local DIY place. Take the old one out first and check the maximum wattage. Make sure you get a 230v one!

Usually they come in 300watt, 500watt and 1000watt, yours is most likely to be a 300 or 500watt lamp. There should also be a little sticker in where the lamp is to tell you what the maximum wattage lamp should be. DO NOT exceed this!

And your new lamp will most likely come in a little cardboard tube, inside this is a little plastic inner, and the lamp itself wrapped in a little bit of foam. You can use this foam to protect the lamp as you install it.

One last thing - the glass inside the cover is likely to be loose so be very careful when you unscrew the cover!!! Give it a wipe over and your light will look good as new.

All the best,

Eph xx

SootSoot

Last time we replaced our security light bulb we got a few from tesco. Value one was 99p-ish and the 'normal' one was definately less than £5. Value one has been fine so far for over a year.

They're the thin long halogen bulbs and are really delicate so be careful when placing in your basket/trolley.

coolagarry

I have several of them and I use 150w bulbs. As it is in such an inaccessible place it may be an idea to buy a complete new lamp (They're not much more than £10) and put it where your husband can reach so that the next time the bulb goes he (or you) will be able to replace it.

jillie1974

so if we decide to get a brand new one similar to the argos one i have shown above... are they easy to fix/set up or do we need an electrician to wire it all up??
am really in the dark bout this... so sorry

vansboy

Agree with all above.

An electrician is a sensible option - but might be xpensive, compared to a new bulb!!

I'd say choose the 300w as you don't really need 500w blazing away, everytime next doors cat goes past in the night.

In fact, you might even get the smaller, 150w complete unit for £5ish, as this isn't as big/powerful, butr does same job. We've one eitherside of our house & when they do come on, it's not as an annoyance, for our neighbors, as a 500w might be.

If you do re-use the existing unit, put some vaseline or grease on the threads of the screw, holding the glass cover in place. This will stop it being awkward to undo next time it blows!

VB

Igol

I've been through about 4 sets of lights in the past 10 years at mine and my mothers house. The fittings corrode (no amount of copper grease and stainless fittings helped) and the case starts to flake, even through you can buy the tubes in bulk from screwfix cheaply I've ended up replacing the whole unit after the screw head falls apart.

Throughout the period I've had a lantern type PIR on the front of the house thats been fine, needless to say last time I swapped them I went for the lantern ones.

Other nice thing about them is you can use low energy bulbs.

coolagarry

jillie1974 wrote: »

so if we decide to get a brand new one similar to the argos one i have shown above... are they easy to fix/set up or do we need an electrician to wire it all up??
am really in the dark bout this... so sorry

It's a straightforward wiring job. If you can put a plug on a toaster or anything else then you can do this. Obviously make sure that it is not connected to the electricity - or the electricity is switched off when doing it.
With one of mine the wiring comes through a hole in the wall and is plugged into a spare socket in a bedroom - how easy is that!