Most thieves carry out their heist in the night when its hard to see the things happening around, and most people are asleep. Outdoor security lights play a significant role in keeping our homes and properties safe and secure during nighttime. Well-lit properties do not attract as many burglars, and outdoor security lights are proven to ward off thieves. If your home lacks this essential security device, then it’s high time you surround your yard with the most reliable outdoor lights. If thinking about the installation requisites troubles you, know that help is at hand. Here’s a thorough guide on how to wire an outdoor security light.
The Basics of Outdoor Security Light System Installation
Every activity requires some level of knowledge or else you’d be groping in the dark as you go through the process of perfecting the task. To avoid inconveniences and delays, learn the basics of how to wire an outdoor security light.
Wiring Standard
When performing a wiring job, you inevitably deal with cables. Thus, it’s necessary to familiarize yourself with the different wires that you’ll be working on. It would be best to utilize stranded and flexible insulated copper wires and cables when it comes to outdoor and even indoor lighting installations. Stranded and flexible cables are specifically designed to bear with the application movements, keeping the wires durable as you work on them.
Wire Color
Different devices may be wired uniquely, so it’s best to orient yourself with the variation in the color-coding of the wires you’ll be working on. Here are the colors and the charges each one carries.
Red or Brown – Positively charged.
Black or Blue – Negatively charged.
Green/Yellow – Earth conductors, which may be standalone or as a third wire in 3-core cables.
Wire Protection
When working with outdoor light installation, there is always the possibility of exposing the wires to extreme weather and temperature. Thus, it is crucial to hide wires in UV-resistant conduits or solidly fasten them to a block of concrete for support. And it’s not just the wires that you should secure in a polyethylene UV-resistant conduit, but so are the cable binders, clamps, and other fixtures.
Also, if it’s inevitable that you wire through roofing and walls, secure the line by using bushings, which are electrically insulating lining. Furthermore, when wiring through the roof, use roof-entry boxes and waterproof the area after that. If, by any chance, that the wires of your outdoor light pass through flammable materials, be sure you are using flame-resistant cables, or they must be protected within non-flammable pipes. When using junction boxes or enclosures, see to it that the material is non-caustic and well-insulated, which means you can’t use metal boxes. And there should be no entry points for dust and water.
To prevent overloading, make sure you utilize the right wire size. Your local electrician is the best person to consult for this matter.
Creating a Safe Working Environment
Risk is inevitable when working on a ‘how to wire an outdoor security light’ project, but it can be minimized by adhering to safety regulations. A safe job begins in a safe environment, and so you have to make sure your environment is clutter-free. But more than just the clutter, here are a few more things that you need to remind yourself to make sure you are working in a safe environment, devoid of hazards.
- Consider all conductors as charged. Even when you know you’ve turned the circuits off, it’s still to your advantage to treat all wires as life. When it comes to the preservation of life, you can never be too cautious.
- Remove the fuse out of the circuit box. Before starting the task, remove the fuse instead of just turning the circuit breaker off. You can never guess when an unknowing person will come over and turn the circuit breaker on while working on wires. It’s even best to secure the fuse in your pocket to give others a hard time turning the circuit on while you’re working outdoors.
- Tag or label the circuit to inform others of the job you are working on and prevent accidental charging of the circuit.
- Lock the circuit if you can. There’s no harm in employing an extra layer of protection.
Step-by-step Guide
Installing an outdoor security light can either be easy or tough, depending on your preparedness. If you’ve done all those mentioned above, then you’re halfway through. But if you still don’t feel confident enough to do the job, this is the best time to turn your back and call a licensed electrician. Even as you decide to embark on the task, you will need to submit to the right authorities so they can guide or check your work, for safety purposes. Here’s what you should do next.
- Search for the best place to position your outdoor security light. It’s more convenient to mount it where an old lighting system is installed for ease of establishing an electrical connection.
- If there’s none, you’ll have to cut a hole through the wall enough to fit a junction box. Fit in the junction box and work on the wires carefully.
- Place a frame over the junction box as this is where the lights will be mounted and seal the sides. You can skip this part if you deem it unnecessary.
- After working on the junction box and the wires, it’s time to mount the lights. Connect the wires from the outdoor light to the source following the color codes, red to red, blue to blue, and earth ground to earth ground. In some states, color may vary for the charges, but remember to connect the wires with the same color.
- Secure the light by screwing them on according to the manual’s instructions on how to fasten the light. And your task on how to wire an outdoor security light is done!
Conclusion
Working on a ‘how to wire an outdoor security light’ project can be easy if you have the tools and the knowledge. However, be sure also to have the license to do so. Before starting the task, it’s best to know the state laws regarding wiring installation for you and your family’s safety. Should you decide to have someone else do the job, there is a lot of service companies you can call to help you with your lighting installation needs. Find out more about Outdoor Security Lights.