Outdoor Lighting: Create an Outdoor Resort in Your Back Yard

This summer many will be spending more vacation time at home instead of traveling to a distant location. According to Mark of Gerhard Electric in Laguna Hills, CA, with a few updates to your outside lighting, you can enjoy a mini vacation at home. Believe it or not, it’s easier – and less expensive – than you might imagine to transform your existing patio, deck, or pool area into a retreat that you will love. 

Gerhard Electric specializes in outdoor lighting and can help you with this transformation. Gerhard Electric has been providing quality electrical service for residential, commercial and industrial customers since 1981 and is fully licensed, insured and bonded.

For over 30 years he and his trained electricians have protected their reputation by providing quality workmanship and staying committed to their customers.

Rather than buying a costly designer patio set or lounge chairs that will lose their luster by next season, invest in a new lighting scheme that will enhance your existing outdoor furniture and amenities.

“The best strategy is to clearly define your objectives,” according to Mark from Gerhard Electric.“It’s not necessary to illuminate everything in your yard, so decide which areas are the highest priorities,” he advises. “It is generally better to begin closest to the house, since that is where most activities take place.”

Gerhard also agrees. “The best thing about using low-voltage lighting outdoors is you don’t have to do everything at once,” he explains. “I recommend purchasing a transformer that is larger than you immediately need. Let’s say you want to illuminate the deck area and provide task lighting for cooking at the grill. After selecting the fixtures, you add up the wattage and figure it will use 200 watts of light. You only pay for the energy consumed by the fixtures. In other words, a 600-watt transformer that only has 200 watts of fixtures on it, uses 200 watts of energy, not 600,” he says.

How do you start? “Select two or three items that are important to you during the daylight hours, such as an ornamental tree, a water feature, a sculpture, etc.,” Gerhard explains. “A fixture or two trained on each of these features will make your backyard come to life after dark. You can go back and fill in with some additional lighting later, if the budget is tight this year. By adding three or four fixtures to that larger transformer you purchased for the deck, you still haven’t used all the available power.”

When laying out your project, remember a little light goes a long way outdoors. Consulting with a lighting professional at Gerhard Electric can help you avoid making the common mistake of too many fixtures in one area.

“I see this happen a lot with path lighting,” Gerhard notes. “Folks will place fixtures six to eight feet apart when lighting a sidewalk, and they end up using 10 fixtures for a 50- to 60-foot path. That path can easily be illuminated with three to four fixtures if you select a fixture that is designed by a reputable manufacturer that builds performance into their products,” he advises. “By selecting a fixture from a performance-oriented manufacturer, you will save considerable amount of money on the project by not having to purchase and install extra fixtures to accomplish the desired effect.”

These days there are many more decorative landscape lighting fixtures than the basic black path lights. The combination of form plus function is very important,” according to Gerhard. 

To learn more about lighting your home, inside and out, talk to a lighting professional at Gerhard Electric. Please call us today! 1-(800) 436-9290.

Home Electrical Safety Tips

Listen to your breaker.

A breaker that trips immediately after it's reset is telling you that there's an electrical problem. Sure, sometimes the breaker itself is to blame, and in some cases there may just be too large an electrical load operating on that circuit. But it's more likely that the breaker is tripping because there's a severe electrical problem. Keep pressing that breaker, and you're likely to cause a fire. 

Know when to fight and when to flee.

Firefighters recommend that if you have any doubt about fighting a fire, you're best bet is to get out of the house as quickly as possible. Once you're safely outside, call the fire department. If you decide that there's a reasonable chance that you can fight a fire and win, then stand your ground, but don't let the fire get between you and the exit. If you sense that the fire's going to overtake you and block your exit, get out. 

Never throw water on an electrical fire.

This will be obvious to many PM readers, but in the heat (ahem) of the moment, grabbing a bucket of water can seem tempting, if unreasonable. Water conducts electricity (this is why you don't want to be in a lake during a lightning storm), so throwing water on the fire could cause it to get larger. Instead, use your chemical fire extinguisher. 

Use your fire extinguisher effectively.

Firefighters recommend the time-honored PASS method: 

Pull the fire extinguisher's safety pin.
Aim the extinguisher nozzle at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the extinguisher's handle.
Sweep the extinguisher's nozzle in a side-to-side motion until the flames are out. 

Sure, it sounds easy, but let's hope you never have to use this advice. Start by paying attention to what the circuit breaker is telling you. If it trips immediately, evaluate the situation if you are electrically competent or call an electrician. Don't call Pat, though; he's already got enough to do. 

Aside from blatantly obvious electrical malfunctions that lead to flying sparks or circuit breakers that trip repeatedly, you should always keep a sharp eye cocked for more subtle telltale electrical-danger signs: 

Lights that flicker or that trip the circuit breaker

Cause: Loose wiring splice or a light fixture that's worn out and needs to be replaced.

Solution: Cut power to the fixture and investigate the supply wiring and the fixture itself. Replace wire connectors with new professional-grade types. Replace the fixture if suspect. 

Outlets with a faceplate that's warm to the touch

Cause: An overly large electrical load operating on that outlet, undersized wiring or a loose electrical splice. (Note: it's not unusual for dimmer switches, especially large ones, to be warm. Unless the switch face is actually too hot to touch, a warm dimmer is not a hazard in most cases)

Solution: Cut power and investigate. Look for a loose splice, melted connections, burned insulation. Repair as necessary. Also, evaluate wattage of device; it may be too large relative to supply wiring. Move device to another circuit, preferably one served by a 20-amp circuit breaker and 12-gauge wire. If condition persists, contact an electrician. 

Extension cords wrapped in electrical tape or with loose ends

Cause: Wear and tear has taken its toll on the cord.

Solution: Cut off damaged sections of cords; replace loose or damaged male/female ends. Replace severely damaged cords. 

Wobbly switches or outlet receptacles

Cause: Device is improperly mounted to the electrical box or the box itself has come loose from the stud.

Solution: Cut power. Remove faceplate and tighten mounting screws. Occasionally, overly long screws will not fully seat. Shorten screws with an electrician's multitool (a pair of pliers that strip wire, bend wire and cut screws ). Reinstall device. Otherwise, tighten connection of box to framing. 

Ceiling fans that slowly wobble

Cause: Fan is out of balance or may be installed on a box that's not listed for supporting a fan.

Solution: Balance fan or cut power and reinstall fan, checking for loose, damaged or missing hardware. If necessary, replace box. Use a retrofit/old-work box rated for fan installation (note: These are not to be confused with old-work boxes or other electrical boxes not listed for fan installation. Specialized retrofit boxes rated for fans tend not to be common hardware-store or home-center items. Visit an electrical supply house or use a Web-based supplier. One version is the Steel One Box manufactured by Arlington Products. (www.aifittings.com). 

GFCI outlets that trip repeatedly

Cause: A ground fault or a worn-out GFCI outlet receptacle.

Solution: Move appliance or tool to another GFCI and test. If GFCI trips, appliance or tool is suspect. If GFCI does not trip, electrical problems are likely. Cut power and investigate for damaged wire insulation, a loose splice or a small length of exposed wire making contact with a metal electrical box. If you don't find wiring or splice problems, replace the GFCI. If condition persists, contact an electrician. 

The beer fridge in the garage that occasionally gives you a small shock

Cause: Many an old refrigerator will have a tiny leakage current because of worn-out insulation on its internal wiring, especially if it has a defrost circuit. This phenomenon is well-known and can even be quite dangerous when the refrigerator is placed on an electrically conductive concrete floor, especially a floor that's damp with condensation.

Solution: Replace the refrigerator with a new energy-conserving model.

Read more: Popular Mechanics