A beautiful deck is something that should be enjoyed long after the sun goes down—which is why it’s important to have the right kind of deck lighting! From a purely functional point of view, deck lighting serves three purposes:

But when it comes to the right type of lighting for your home, deck lighting can do so much more! The key is to design a lighting system that performs all three of the above tasks while enhancing the look and feel of your deck. Rather than flooding the deck with simulated sunlight, integrate accent lighting with posts, railings, stair risers, and other elements to create an inviting after-dark atmosphere.

Low-voltage deck lights – the most common types of deck lights, low-voltage lights are a safer alternative to line-voltage, posing almost no risk of electric shock. Electrical connections with low voltage lights are simpler, requiring neither a permit nor a license to install.

Disadvantages of low-voltage deck lights are that they require a transformer, and unless they are divided into more than one run of wiring, they share the same 12V of power—which, if you have a lot of lights, can reduce the brightness.

Line-voltage deck lights – line voltage deck lights are brighter, but their installation is more strictly enforced. All connections must be made in an approved electrical box, and any cables run in the open must be enclosed in a proper conduit. Line-voltage deck lighting must be installed by a licensed electrician.

Solar-powered deck lights – because solar deck lights require no electrical connections, timers, or switches, you won’t need to drill routing holes, run wires, or make connections to install them. What you will need, of course, is steady sunshine—usually six hours per day, according to manufacturers. Sunlight charges the lights’ batteries, which mean they are typically limited to post-cap features, although lanterns, string lights, and recessed solar lights are available.

The solar batteries will need to be replaced every 500 charges or so, but fortunately doing so is fairly easy.

Once you’ve decided which type of deck lighting you want, it’s time to choose how you want that lighting installed. An ideal deck lighting design makes use of all three styles of lights: post-cap, side-mount, and recessed lights.

The largest and most prominent fixtures in the accent deck lighting category, post-cap lights sit at the top of your deck posts, usually at the top and bottom of staircases and at intermediate posts along the perimeter of the deck. Post-cap lights are available in a variety of colors and styles to match your deck, and most manufacturers make dummy post-caps, which are unlit and allow for some space between light sources.

Side-mount deck lights can be installed on the side of posts instead of the top. Side-mount lights can be beneficial if your posts come to eye level when guests are sitting down, as post-cap lights could shine light directly into peoples’ eyes.

Recessed deck lights are the perfect example of how to accent a deck without overlighting it. Recessed deck lights are installed in holes drilled in the stairs or the floor of your deck to provide lighting while being almost perfectly hidden during the day.

Incandescent Deck Lighting – incandescent bulbs are widely available in several different shapes and wattages, and because they are relatively inexpensive, replacement is quick and easy. They cast a softer, warmer glow than LEDs, but consume more energy, making them less efficient and shortening their lives.

LED Deck Lighting – because of the complex housing and circuitry involved, LED lights tend to be more expensive than incandescent lights. They tend to be more than worth the cost however, with vastly improved lifespans (10,000 to 100,000 hours) and high efficiency with almost no heat production. The trade-off is that unless mirrors or reflective surfaces are used, the light output is focused narrowly in only one direction and can be harsh on the eyes in contrast with a dark backyard.

The right type of lighting can make all the difference for your deck. For outdoor lighting installation in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!

One of the most important factors to consider when designing an outdoor kitchen is the lighting. Outdoor kitchen lighting needs to serve a variety of purposes, including but not limited to: task lighting so the grill master can see what they’re doing, ambient lighting for people to see, and walkway lighting to shine the way from the house to the outdoor kitchen. In this blog, we’ll be going over the best types of lighting for various goals your kitchen needs to accomplish.

Remember: whatever type of lighting you choose for various areas, it should always be rated for use in outdoor environments. Even if you have a solid roof or cover above your outdoor kitchen, you want to make sure your lights can function safely in wet or damp environments.

One of the most important elements of outdoor kitchen lighting design is task lighting around the grill. This is mostly a food safety issues: the grill master needs to be able to see whether the food is cooked properly before he or she can serve it!

Grill task lighting can be accomplished with either Halogen or LED bulbs. The most important thing is that you get a nice, bright white light—this will help you see most clearly and ensure that the food coming off the grill tastes good, is presented well, and most importantly, is safe to eat.

In addition to lighting the grill, you want to make sure all cabinets are appropriately lit. This can also be done with LEDs, which can be installed under lips in the cabinet so you won’t be able to see the lights themselves—just the glow they cast. Such lighting can enhance the aesthetics of your outdoor kitchen area while making it easier to see what you’re doing while cooking.

Once the grill lighting has been figured out, the next thing to do is make sure your eating areas are properly lit! The main goals for lighting eating areas should be as follows:

The best type of lighting for outdoor eating areas is LED, which is highly efficient and durable. When it comes to keeping insects away, meanwhile, one of the best things to do is install a ceiling fan, which can be wired with lights and will discourage insects over a wide area.

Last but not least, it’s important to make sure you have adequate lighting along any pathways from your home to your outdoor kitchen. Walkway lighting can be accomplished with any type of low-voltage lighting, but we prefer LED for this task—they’re efficient, long-lasting, and get the job done better than any other type of lighting.

The right lighting can make all the difference when it comes to your outdoor kitchen. For outdoor kitchen lighting, or any type of low voltage outdoor lighting in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!

Electricity is a valuable part of our world today. We use it for just about everything. Without electricity, we would struggle to get through a single day. With that said, electricity can be extremely dangerous, deadly even. There are some electrical hazards you need to be aware of, teach your children and keep top of mind as you go through your daily routines. Becoming complacent around electricity can be extremely hazardous. Your Burbank electrician has some tips to understanding electrical hazards and how to avoid them. You can count on the crew at The Electric Connection to keep you informed about electricity and the potential hazards it poses.

1-Extension cords are not meant to be long-term solutions. They are simply meant for temporary fixes while you use a particular appliance. Extension cords are the cause of over 300,000 fires every year due to improper use. If you need an additional outlet, whether it is in the house or outside, call an electrician. Burbank homeowners don’t have to put their homes at risk by using extension cords as permanent fixes.

2-Pets and young kids and electricity never mix. Do what you can to keep children away from outlets and pets away from cords. You can buy cord protectors to keep pets from chewing on the lamp cord and outlet protectors to keep children from putting things into the outlets. These are quick, inexpensive fixes that can save lives.

3-Water is probably one of the most obvious dangers when electricity is around. You can protect yourself by having GFCI installed in kitchen and bathroom areas where water is most likely to be introduced to an electrical current. This is a simple fix that can be taken care of by your electrician.

Give The Electric Connection a call today to take care of any electrical hazards in your home.

This winter, Mr. Electric® wants to help you power your tomorrow by choosing the best holiday lighting gadgets. We searched all around to find you the top four lights and tools for your home displays!

This is a great way to light your outdoors without using energy and without using an outlet. The sun will charge the lights during the day and will turn on automatically when the sun sets. Each package contains 50 lights over 23 feet, making this an affordable alternative to outdoor lighting.

Source: Solar Powered Light Strings

This is a durable and heavy duty timer that helps you control your holiday lights.  It has one grounded outlet and a manual ON/OFF switch. This comes with an 18-inch cord and grounded plug to make it a durable timer that’s a safe choice to use on Christmas lights, landscape lighting or fountains.

Source: Outdoor Timer

These LED light strips are designed to be versatile. You can cut or bend them to fit your custom displays. The hue app allows you to change your light colors and turn ON/OFF all from your mobile device or tablet. We also love the efficiency of these lights and have a good feeling more and more people will began using these, instead of the traditional lights, in the future.

Source: LED Light Strips

The Light Keeper Pro is a small hand-held tool capable of fixing mini light sets, icicle and net light sets, yard decorations, pre-lit trees and wreaths. Simply plug in your light set and press the trigger to repair most of your lighting problems.

Source: Light Keeper Pro

Show off your holiday light displays by tagging us in them on our Facebook page. Don’t forget – if you need some holiday lighting help, you can give us a call and we will set up and take down for you!