Countersunk Driveway Lights

[Harden Long]

Hi

I have electric lights along my driveway-they are too tall and although bolted to the monoblock stones they keep wobbling and falling over

I have seen some shorter pole lights (my current ones are over a metre tall) that I like but my absolute preference would be to try and sink decking type lights that could be driven over without damaging them(this has been another problem that a klutz in our family keeps reversing into the taller lights)


How easy is it to do this? Are specific lights available for this purpose??

I suppose what I am really asking is-how on earth do you dig a hole out of the monoblock to sink the fitting into?

Or am I being totally thick?

 

[breezer]

clicky

 

[Tim 77]

clicky

 

[Harden Long]

Thanks Breezer-that is what I have in mind

What I am struggling with is understanding how you "sink" the lights into the monoblocks??

 

[breezer]

you cant in this case since the blocks are too shallow

 

[Harden Long]

ah, that makes sense

Do I have many other options other than replacing the tall upright poles with shorter poles?

 

[RF Lighting]

Whats a monoblock

 

[breezer]

single block used for block paving to you (and me)

ah, that makes sense

Do I have many other options other than replacing the tall upright poles with shorter poles?

not really its to do with leverage. (force x distance yahdy yahdy yah)

a 1m tall light means its easy to move a single block,(if you push the light at the top) short of securing a whole bunch of blocks together,

OR bolting the light to a plate and putting the bricks on the plate (lot of effort)

"normal" drives the lights are bolted to concrete which has bigger mass

you could opt for smaller led lights

 

[RF Lighting]

I'd be tempted to dig a bit of a hole under the blocks, chuck in a bit of concrete or even post mix, pop the blocks back and fix to the concrete (right through the blocks)

Surely that is not much more effort than installing paviour uplights (It's gonna be cheaper too)

 

[breezer]

problem is though RF Lighting, is that the family klutz (OP's words not mine) will then dent the car, or still take the lights down

 

[RF Lighting]

Ah missed that.

I suppose you could drill through the block paving with a core cutter, and dig a bit into the ground for recessed lights.

 

[breezer]

yes, but not a lot of use if the light diameter is bigger than the the brick.

which is why sometimes you see 4 bricks taken out, and the light surounded by cement / concrete

 

[bernardgreen]

problem is though RF Lighting, is that the family klutz (OP's words not mine) will then dent the car, or still take the lights down

Use a catenary wire from posts set where the klutz cannot hit them and hang the lights above the driveway where the klutz cannot hit them.

 

[breezer]

probably hit the supporting post

 

[CallEdsFirst]

Catenary Wire? I'd like to see that happen!

What about a oft used trick of the trade..........flood lighting? I'm sure all those astronomers will hate me for my light polluting ways, but it can be done carefully and tasefully, and more efficiently than just chucking a 500W TH up there!

Metal Halide is the way of the future, you'd probably get away with 70w or less.

There are many ways to skin a cat, and many ways to light a driveway! Send us a picture and I'll take a look if you like!