alsxx
Well-Known Member
I will ask Admin to sticky this for everyone! This is based on how I set up my own yard lighting system - I don't have mains electric and so my two stables, external lights (or under canopy lights) and feed room lights all run from a leisure battery - 5 lights in total.
To set up a lighting system, you really need a 12 volt leisure battery (designed for use in caravans and boats etc) as these are deep cycling i.e. they can be discharged and then recharged again and again; a car battery would not last very long if you did this to it as they are not designed to work way! There are lots of different leisure batteries available, my advice would be to work out what your usage will be and get the best one you can for your money in terms of a battery designed for more deep cycles (a drain and recharge) and the most amp hours.
If you want to work out how long everything will last, add up the total watts of the lights in your system/planned for your system:
Example:
9watt bulb + 9watt bulb + 11watt bulb + 11 watt bulb = 40 watts
Divide total watts by voltage - 40/12 = 3.3amps
Multiply the amps by the number of hours you will use the system, so say 2hours a day in winter, over 2 weeks (28 hours)
3.3amps x 28 hours = 92.4 amp hours - so you know if you have/get a 100amp hour battery it will last 2 weeks at that usage before needing charging. I read somewhere though not to discharge your battery completely otherwise it damages it and reduces its lifespan.
I got my battery from a caravan shop online, and got a 125ah battery designed for almost 200 deep cycles for about £150 - you can get better ones but the price does go up considerably!!! Also, shop around - there are lots of online stores who sell batteries and as with anything, the prices vary depending on the store!
Amp hours is effectively how long your battery will last per amp; i.e. if you run a 1amp light bulb, it would last 125 hours. You need entirely 12v wiring and bulbs, holders etc for a 12v system. I got my cabling, blubs and holders from an internet company called warmsoles - they specialise in solar lighting systems which is mainly 12v, and have everything you need to set up an entire system. They also sell solar lighting kits for equestrian use - useful if you want something not bespoke. Again, shop around, however when I set mine up last year I didn't really find any other places that sold what I needed for reasonable prices.
I use 12v CFL bulbs for my system, and have special waterproof bulkheads that fit the 9watt CFL bulbs for outside - http://www.warmsoles.co.uk/12v_weatherproof_bulkheads-827.html.
The CFL bulbs (get the 'white' light ones) are very bright - an 11w CFL bulb has the same light output as a 60w incandecant bulb; if its cold they can take a minute or so to really brighten up, but I would honestly recommend them over anything else; I have tried some 12v fluorescent strip lamp things and they were rubbish - really dull and yellow light! CFL bulbs are also energy efficient/long lasting.
Setting up the system
Someone recommend to me the following site and I found it really useful when planning and actually wiring up the system, there are example wiring diagrams (the system shown includes a solar panel, if you don't have one like me, simply wire straight to the first bulb: http://www.reuk.co.uk/Put-Together-a...ghting-Kit.htm I have also noticed that the warm soles site sells some lighting kits and there are some PDF wiring instructions on there which people may find useful.
I rigged my system all up myself. I got some croc clips from Halfords and attached one to each of the cable wires that I had split down at one end to expose the seperate positive and negative cores using electrical insulating tape. I leave one clip permanently attached to one battery terminal and then attach the other when I want light.
I tried a 12v switch however for some reason it was really temperamental - sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I spoke to someone else who had the same experience, so I decided to not bother on the basis its better knowing you will definately have light, rather than having to fiddle around in the dark because your switch isn't functioning!! My battery is locked away in my feed room and I have a little hit light from homebase that runs off of 2 AA batteries - I turn that on so I can avoid any buckets lying around until I have my battery on - it takes me 2 seconds to turn it on.
When wiring up your system, take note that the bulb holders will have a positive and negative terminal to them, and you need to ensure you get the correct wire to each - sounds obvious but my bulb holders were not actually marked so it was a case of seeing if it worked and if it didn't swapping them around.
Charging
My set up needs charging once every four weeks so its not really much of a hindrance - I use my lights roughly 30 mins in the morning and an hour max at night weekdays, and generally not at all over the weekend. I got my charger from ebay - I shopped around on the specialist sites to find the best one for me (you need to get one that can cope with the AH of the battery), then found it on e-bay for half the price!
Also, I painted my stables and feed room white this summer to brighten it up a bit, and this has really enhanced the capability of my lighting system by making everything so much brighter.
If anyone is unsure of anything before buying, or has any questions when setting up a system, feel free to drop me a pm, more than happy to help.
Hope that helps everyone!!
Alex xx
p.s. I will try and get a picture of my yard lit up at night!
To set up a lighting system, you really need a 12 volt leisure battery (designed for use in caravans and boats etc) as these are deep cycling i.e. they can be discharged and then recharged again and again; a car battery would not last very long if you did this to it as they are not designed to work way! There are lots of different leisure batteries available, my advice would be to work out what your usage will be and get the best one you can for your money in terms of a battery designed for more deep cycles (a drain and recharge) and the most amp hours.
If you want to work out how long everything will last, add up the total watts of the lights in your system/planned for your system:
Example:
9watt bulb + 9watt bulb + 11watt bulb + 11 watt bulb = 40 watts
Divide total watts by voltage - 40/12 = 3.3amps
Multiply the amps by the number of hours you will use the system, so say 2hours a day in winter, over 2 weeks (28 hours)
3.3amps x 28 hours = 92.4 amp hours - so you know if you have/get a 100amp hour battery it will last 2 weeks at that usage before needing charging. I read somewhere though not to discharge your battery completely otherwise it damages it and reduces its lifespan.
I got my battery from a caravan shop online, and got a 125ah battery designed for almost 200 deep cycles for about £150 - you can get better ones but the price does go up considerably!!! Also, shop around - there are lots of online stores who sell batteries and as with anything, the prices vary depending on the store!
Amp hours is effectively how long your battery will last per amp; i.e. if you run a 1amp light bulb, it would last 125 hours. You need entirely 12v wiring and bulbs, holders etc for a 12v system. I got my cabling, blubs and holders from an internet company called warmsoles - they specialise in solar lighting systems which is mainly 12v, and have everything you need to set up an entire system. They also sell solar lighting kits for equestrian use - useful if you want something not bespoke. Again, shop around, however when I set mine up last year I didn't really find any other places that sold what I needed for reasonable prices.
I use 12v CFL bulbs for my system, and have special waterproof bulkheads that fit the 9watt CFL bulbs for outside - http://www.warmsoles.co.uk/12v_weatherproof_bulkheads-827.html.
The CFL bulbs (get the 'white' light ones) are very bright - an 11w CFL bulb has the same light output as a 60w incandecant bulb; if its cold they can take a minute or so to really brighten up, but I would honestly recommend them over anything else; I have tried some 12v fluorescent strip lamp things and they were rubbish - really dull and yellow light! CFL bulbs are also energy efficient/long lasting.
Setting up the system
Someone recommend to me the following site and I found it really useful when planning and actually wiring up the system, there are example wiring diagrams (the system shown includes a solar panel, if you don't have one like me, simply wire straight to the first bulb: http://www.reuk.co.uk/Put-Together-a...ghting-Kit.htm I have also noticed that the warm soles site sells some lighting kits and there are some PDF wiring instructions on there which people may find useful.
I rigged my system all up myself. I got some croc clips from Halfords and attached one to each of the cable wires that I had split down at one end to expose the seperate positive and negative cores using electrical insulating tape. I leave one clip permanently attached to one battery terminal and then attach the other when I want light.
I tried a 12v switch however for some reason it was really temperamental - sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I spoke to someone else who had the same experience, so I decided to not bother on the basis its better knowing you will definately have light, rather than having to fiddle around in the dark because your switch isn't functioning!! My battery is locked away in my feed room and I have a little hit light from homebase that runs off of 2 AA batteries - I turn that on so I can avoid any buckets lying around until I have my battery on - it takes me 2 seconds to turn it on.
When wiring up your system, take note that the bulb holders will have a positive and negative terminal to them, and you need to ensure you get the correct wire to each - sounds obvious but my bulb holders were not actually marked so it was a case of seeing if it worked and if it didn't swapping them around.
Charging
My set up needs charging once every four weeks so its not really much of a hindrance - I use my lights roughly 30 mins in the morning and an hour max at night weekdays, and generally not at all over the weekend. I got my charger from ebay - I shopped around on the specialist sites to find the best one for me (you need to get one that can cope with the AH of the battery), then found it on e-bay for half the price!
Also, I painted my stables and feed room white this summer to brighten it up a bit, and this has really enhanced the capability of my lighting system by making everything so much brighter.
If anyone is unsure of anything before buying, or has any questions when setting up a system, feel free to drop me a pm, more than happy to help.
Hope that helps everyone!!
Alex xx
p.s. I will try and get a picture of my yard lit up at night!