# up lights for front of the house



## zen (Jun 15, 2009)

suggestions on what up lights work best for residential use..we have used halogen but sprinklers crack the glass,,they are too hot..now we use red dot i think is the name,, they are brown and we put a 50 w par 20 bulb in them,,they look ok and the light works well enough but the gasket on the lens cover rots after a few months and then they leak water...so we get too many call backs for a bulbs beig out which no body wants the bill for.


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## jbrookers (Dec 7, 2008)

We have the same issues. Lately we have used low voltage. When we need line voltage be use these by RAB.

http://www.lightworld.com/rab2/product_detail.asp?product=VR300F&id=99929684


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## Toronto Sparky (Apr 12, 2009)

I'm thinking LED. Big bucks though..
I saw a replacement LED lamp for a-19 40 W Incandescent .. $39.00 (wonder how long for payback)


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## sparky.jp (May 1, 2009)

Based upon what I've seen, I'd go with low voltage as well, but use the high-quality commercial-grade ones. The ones from the Big Box stores are crap, they are not sealed, water invariably gets in and corrodes the bulb socket terminals and reflectors.

My uplight story:

Back in college I was doing yardwork at a church that was only 8 years old (was all-volunteer maintenance). It had a commercial-spec below-grade uplight at the center front of the building. Glass lens (flush to the ground) and the bulb inside had been broken, and the reflector bowl was filled with standing water (and muck) from the sprinkler system.

Was cleaning out the goop in the bottom of the reflector bowl with my bare hands, and I starting thinking "Hmmm, wonder if this circuit is still hot--I tracked down the panel, actually found a properly-labeled panel schedule (?!?) and yup--that breaker was on and untripped! Thanked God that I was still alive, turned breaker off (can't remember--think I taped it over and used a sharpie to write "DON'T TURN ON" on the schedule) and left it at that. And this was during the daytime--I don't think they even had a photocell or timer on that circuit (stupid). There was a completely different circuit on a timer for all of the pole lights (had to change out those bulbs and globes a number of times as well), why they didn't add the uplight to that circuit I'll never know.

I elected to not repair nor refurbish the uplight. Apparently nobody even noticed that it wasn't functioning, and with the church right in the middle of Greek Row (the trashed fraternity houses, not the tidy sorority houses a few blocks away), who the heck even cared? And even if I had fixed it, nobody would have maintained it after I left college (much less even known that it was there).


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

Low voltage LED's kick ASS!!

They are still kind of expensive but they (good ones installed properly) will last freakin forever.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Check out Vista Lighting and Kischler


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

220/221 said:


> Low voltage LED's kick ASS!!
> 
> They are still kind of expensive but they (good ones installed properly) will last freakin forever.


Have you noticed the explosion of manufacturers of these bulbs.

They say they can last 10 yrs,..... but only give you a 1 or 2yr guarentee.

I doubt we'll see very few make it to 10 yrs.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I tend to use metal halide wall wash fixtures for uplighting facades. As much as I detest well lights, there are a few (big $$'s) that are pretty damed good. If you're not paying at least 250 bucks for a well light, you've got junk. Other than that, use MH wall wash fixtures.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

What the heck is wrong with these?


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## zen (Jun 15, 2009)

thanks for all the replies.ill be checking into them.


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## egads (Sep 1, 2009)

I would also make sure the sprinklers are not coming on when the lights are on.


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## Priority Electric (Jan 10, 2010)

Low voltage is the way to go. High end quality product. Or use flood lamp in a RAB bullet fixture. I personaly hate the look of fluorescent in landscaping but that is always an option.


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## WIREDOG (May 27, 2007)

Try electrodex flourescent. They generally come in two 13w or two 26w and they are plastic with ss screws. Used a lot in floridawhere the weather puts a beating on anything but they have the best longevity in my opinion


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