I grew up in the 90’s, back when thrift store shopping was considered alternative and grunge.  While I tooled around Goodwill listening to Nine Inch Nails on my Walkman, my more sophisticated friends were at the mall, looking adorable & stylish in the latest trend from The Limited.

But that was the 90’s.

Thrift-store shopping, dumpster-diving, and hand-me downs deliver a new parlance that has clever DIY’ers quaking with excitement for Saturday yard sales and obsessively scouring Craigslist for the Next Big Find.  This elegant new term for taking used items and making them new = REPURPOSING.

Also commonly referred to as recycling, upcycling, reinventing, revitalizing and/or reusing, entire boards are dedicated to this subject on Pinterest. Everything – and I mean everything – can be repurposed.  So why not the light bulb?

With a few basic tools and a steady hand, a light bulb can be hollowed out and transformed into a unique gift or decorative project.  Prepping the bulb, however, is not a task that we recommend for the kids.  Before you undertake any of these projects, take a moment to read a tutorial on how to safely hollow out a light bulb.

1. Witches Brew

If you’re in the midst of a renovation or simply rearranging your floor plan, then you’ve likely come across the need to add or relocate a light fixture. Maybe your new dining room table is a little wider than the old one, you’re adding a kitchen island with pendant lights, or you’ve finally convinced your significant other to let you get that pool table you’ve always wanted. In any case, you need to move or add a light fixture – but how and when?

First, it should be noted that, contrary to how it may seem, most light fixtures are not connected to a joist or even drilled into wood. Instead, hanging light fixtures and ceiling lights alike are located between joists and supported by electrical boxes that grip a wide surface area of the sheetrock that makes up your ceiling to support the weight of the fixture below; for heavier fixtures, like large chandeliers or ceiling fans, there are larger, even joist-secured boxes that will need to be used.

If you’re moving a light fixture, it is important to note that there are certain limitations as to where the fixture itself can go. If you wish to relocate the fixture to a place where a joist exists just above, then you’re likely going to have to use a swag hook and chain to anchor the fixture in place, as a box under a joist is not an option. That said, if you’re moving the housing for the fixture itself, you’ll need to know which direction the joists above run, then choose to move it either through the same joist cavity or drill through a joist to run the current wiring to the new housing. Other things to consider include which switch controls the light and where it is located, as it is a safe bet that a wire will have already crossed all joists above (at some point). This can prevent your electrician from drilling needlessly by allowing them to fish the wire back to the earlier point. If your switch is further away than the destination, you can bet they’ll have to do some drilling. Jumping through, between, and around the joists in the ceiling represents the largest obstacle your electrician (and light fixture) will face.

Once your location is set, all that is left is to get your electrician out to assess and perform the work for moving your box. If you’re planning on doing one large fixture over a pool table, island, or entire room, then you’ll want to take into account the power output of the fixture compared to what that circuit can safely allow for as well as the weight of the fixture. A typical rule of thumb is that anything under about 35 pounds can be handled by a standard drywall box, but something more (or with a fan) will need extra stabilization. Surprisingly, if you’re running numerous small pendant lights, the electrician may have an even easier time running the circuit and ensuring that your lights are up and running in no time. Just be sure to discuss the fixtures you have in mind with your electrician before you purchase them to know what they believe your limitations are!

Whenever you need electrical work done around your Des Moines home, contact the experienced professionals at Electrical Gurus. We are proud to offer the finest licensed local electricians in the area and are always more than happy to help out on your household projects.

RGB LED strip lights are a great way to add a pop of color to your above-ground pool. These low-voltage LED lights can be applied to the inside rim of your pool or around your pool deck. With RGB LED strip lights, you can choose from a ton of dynamic color-changing and single-color modes with adjustable brightness and speed control. They’re great for parties or late-night swims and can be easily installed. We’ve included installation instructions for our waterproof LED strip lights. Some cities require above-ground pool lighting to meet National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 680 standards, which would limit possible pool lighting installation locations. Before you purchase LED pool lights, check your city’s code requirements. We also recommend that you have a certified electrician install your lights.

1) Before ordering your LED strip lights, measure the diameter of your pool and multiply by 3.14 to find its circumference; this number indicates the total length of strip that you will need. The 21-foot pool used for these installation instructions has a circumference of 65.94 feet and requires 4 runs of 16-foot LED strips.

You will also need to measure the distance between where your power supply will be and both sides of your pool where the amplifiers will be installed (see the setup and wiring illustration below). These distances will tell you how much 18-gauge wire you’ll need for connecting the amplifiers to power. Make sure to account for the distance of any dips or turns that the wires may take along their paths.

Lastly, measure the approximate distance that will be between your controller and where your strip lights begin. This distance will tell you how much 22-gauge wire you’ll need for connecting the controller to your strips. You will also need two small sections of this wire for connecting your first and second strip lights to the amplifiers.

2) Before you’re ready to install your LED strip lights, be sure to drain your pool. Begin by creating or locating a dry area away from your pool for the power supply. The power supply should be contained in a weatherproof box. Power supplies should be installed between a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected circuit and the pool’s junction box. It’s crucial to use a GFCI protected circuit as it shuts off if current flows where it’s not supposed to.

Wire the included plug to the power supply, but do not connect to power until the installation is complete.

3) Connect your RGB LED controller to the power supply. Cut the barrel off of the controller wiring. Strip back the remaining wires, and connect its wires to the power supply.

4) Cut the LC2 connector off of the remaining end of the controller, and strip back the wires. Run 22-gauge four-conductor wire to connect the controller to your low-voltage pool lights; use dolphin connectors to join like-colored wires. Connect your first two LED strip lights to the controller by joining each set of like-colored wire with a dolphin connector. You should be connecting four wires of each color (red, blue, green, and black) together. For added protection, cover all wire connections in this installation with electrical tape.

5) You will apply strip 1 clockwise around your pool rim and strip 2 counterclockwise. If you have a flat surface, use mounting clips to secure the strips in place as you go. If you want to mount the strips under your pool rim, drill small holes in the trusses approximately every 2 feet. Use cable ties to anchor the strip to the truss. You can also use speed nuts or cotter pins for strip anchoring to avoid drilling holes.

Solder a small section of 22-gauge four-conductor wire onto the strip’s end terminals. To reseal the LED pool light strip, slide wires through the holes of a 10-mm end cap, fill the cap with silicone, and slide it into place on the end of the strip. Be sure to cover all of the exposed conductive traces to ensure water resistance. Allow a minimum of two to three hours for the sealant to cure.

7) Once the new end wires are attached to the strip, you will mount the amplifier. Use the double-sided 3M foam pad to mount the amplifier in the middle of strip 1 and strip 3. For best results and added security, apply 3M adhesion promoter to the amplifier and its installation location on the pool wall.

8) Using a dolphin connector, join each like-colored wire on strip 1 to the same color on one end of the amplifier. Do the same when connecting strip 3 to the other side of the amplifier. You should be connecting three wires in each color (red, blue, and green) together on each side of the amplifier. The black strip wire will be joined with white amplifier wire. Note that the separate group of just black and red wires are meant to be connected to the power supply. Follow the same instructions for connecting strips 2 and 4 to the amplifier on the other side of the pool.

9) Use 18-gauge wire and dolphin connectors to connect the amplifiers to your power supply.

10) Plug the power supply’s attached cord into an outlet, and enjoy your LED pool lighting system! Refill your pool with water, but make sure to leave space between the water line and the lights.

For more LED pool lighting options, see our entire selection of waterproof color-changing LED strip lights.

For technical questions, don’t hesitate to call us toll free at 866-590-3533. Our customer service and technical support teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.