Ambre
- 150
- 63
Do you ever look at your ladies and think that there are some areas that need more light? Need some light down below the canopy or between plants? Here is how I give my ladies extra light.
Supplies Needed:
Power Cord - I use power cords on a lot of projects around our ranch, so I cut power cords off of anything electric before I throw it out. If you aren't a hoarder of anything that "might" be useful eventually (LOL), get a 2-prong extension cord. If you want to link more than one light, buy a longer extension cord than you need so you can cut pieces off for connecting sockets
Wire Stripper - There are different types, I like the one pictured (the red & black gadget).
Small Scissors or Knife - This is to cut between the two wires on the cord so you can separate them
Weatherproof Light Sockets - I buy these at Casa dePot. The light socket is enclosed in a rubber shell and is waterproof. The vulnerable parts are the socket itself (be careful never to get water in it) and the ends of the wires coming out the back of the socket. If your light won't come on, check to see if the metal strip at the bottom of the socket is up in the air or if it is pressed down to the base. If it's pushed down, use a piece of wire twist tie to slide under the strip and lift it up.
Wire Nuts - These come in several sizes. I keep 3 sizes on hand - small ones to hold 2 wires, medium ones to hold 3 wires, and large ones to hold 4 wires. For this project, you will need 2 small ones and 2 medium ones for each additional light socket you are daisy-chaining.
Electric Tape - I like wider tape for this application, 3/4" or 1" wide if you can find it.
Directions to Connect One Socket to the Power Cord:
1. Cut the socket end off of the extention cord
2. Use scissors or a knife to slit the cord casing between the two wires, then pull the sides apart for about 2-3".
3. Use the wire stripper to strip the casing off of the ends of the wires, about 3/4" long
4. Pick up the "grooved" side of the power cord and the black wire from the light socket. Hold them together so the tips of the wires line up, then lightly twist the wires together.
5. Screw a small wire nut over the wires that you just twisted together
6. Use a length of electric tape to seal the opening on the wire nut (to keep moisture out of it)
7. Repeat steps 4-6 using the smooth side of the power cord & the white wire from the socket.
Directions to Connect Two or More Sockets to the Power Cord:
1. Cut the socket end off of the extention cord. Estimate how much distance you want between light sockets and cut additional pieces of cord those lengths (add extra length if you want).
2. On the power cord and on both ends of each connecting cord, use scissors or a knife to slit the cord casing between the two wires, then pull the sides apart for about 2-3".
3. Use the wire stripper to strip the casing off of the ends of the wires, about 3/4" long
4. Pick up the "grooved" side of the power cord, the grooved side of one connecting cord, and the black wire from a light socket. Hold them together so the tips of the wires line up, then lightly twist the wires together.
5. Screw a medium wire nut over the wires that you just twisted together.
6. Use a length of electric tape to seal the opening on the wire nut (to keep moisture out of it)
7. Repeat steps 4-6 using the smooth side of the power cord, connecting cord, & the white wire from the socket.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 for each socket you want to add to the "daisy-chain" except for the last socket.
9. To end the "daisy-chain," you will add only a socket to the end of the last connecting cord. Just use the connecting cord coming from the last socket, don't add another connecting cord to the set. This tmie, you will use the small wire nuts since you are only connecting 2 wires, not 3. See the photo that has 3 light sockets - notice that the two sockets in the middle have yellow wire nuts (medium size) and the one on the end has orange wire nuts (small size).
To Hang the Lights
I do not recommend hanging these by the cords; that's a big risk! How you hang them depends on your garden and lighting setup - you can hang them from strong branches on your plants, from your light fixture if it's strong enough, etc. I have a 2' x 4' T5 light system that has a hangar at each end of the light. I put a lightweight rope between the two hanging cables and then use other ropes off of that one to dangle down over the side of the light to support the CFL's.
I do two "daisy-chains" of lights, one for the front of my fixture and another for the back.
Supplies Needed:
Power Cord - I use power cords on a lot of projects around our ranch, so I cut power cords off of anything electric before I throw it out. If you aren't a hoarder of anything that "might" be useful eventually (LOL), get a 2-prong extension cord. If you want to link more than one light, buy a longer extension cord than you need so you can cut pieces off for connecting sockets
Wire Stripper - There are different types, I like the one pictured (the red & black gadget).
Small Scissors or Knife - This is to cut between the two wires on the cord so you can separate them
Weatherproof Light Sockets - I buy these at Casa dePot. The light socket is enclosed in a rubber shell and is waterproof. The vulnerable parts are the socket itself (be careful never to get water in it) and the ends of the wires coming out the back of the socket. If your light won't come on, check to see if the metal strip at the bottom of the socket is up in the air or if it is pressed down to the base. If it's pushed down, use a piece of wire twist tie to slide under the strip and lift it up.
Wire Nuts - These come in several sizes. I keep 3 sizes on hand - small ones to hold 2 wires, medium ones to hold 3 wires, and large ones to hold 4 wires. For this project, you will need 2 small ones and 2 medium ones for each additional light socket you are daisy-chaining.
Electric Tape - I like wider tape for this application, 3/4" or 1" wide if you can find it.
Directions to Connect One Socket to the Power Cord:
1. Cut the socket end off of the extention cord
2. Use scissors or a knife to slit the cord casing between the two wires, then pull the sides apart for about 2-3".
3. Use the wire stripper to strip the casing off of the ends of the wires, about 3/4" long
4. Pick up the "grooved" side of the power cord and the black wire from the light socket. Hold them together so the tips of the wires line up, then lightly twist the wires together.
5. Screw a small wire nut over the wires that you just twisted together
6. Use a length of electric tape to seal the opening on the wire nut (to keep moisture out of it)
7. Repeat steps 4-6 using the smooth side of the power cord & the white wire from the socket.
Directions to Connect Two or More Sockets to the Power Cord:
1. Cut the socket end off of the extention cord. Estimate how much distance you want between light sockets and cut additional pieces of cord those lengths (add extra length if you want).
2. On the power cord and on both ends of each connecting cord, use scissors or a knife to slit the cord casing between the two wires, then pull the sides apart for about 2-3".
3. Use the wire stripper to strip the casing off of the ends of the wires, about 3/4" long
4. Pick up the "grooved" side of the power cord, the grooved side of one connecting cord, and the black wire from a light socket. Hold them together so the tips of the wires line up, then lightly twist the wires together.
5. Screw a medium wire nut over the wires that you just twisted together.
6. Use a length of electric tape to seal the opening on the wire nut (to keep moisture out of it)
7. Repeat steps 4-6 using the smooth side of the power cord, connecting cord, & the white wire from the socket.
8. Repeat steps 4-7 for each socket you want to add to the "daisy-chain" except for the last socket.
9. To end the "daisy-chain," you will add only a socket to the end of the last connecting cord. Just use the connecting cord coming from the last socket, don't add another connecting cord to the set. This tmie, you will use the small wire nuts since you are only connecting 2 wires, not 3. See the photo that has 3 light sockets - notice that the two sockets in the middle have yellow wire nuts (medium size) and the one on the end has orange wire nuts (small size).
To Hang the Lights
I do not recommend hanging these by the cords; that's a big risk! How you hang them depends on your garden and lighting setup - you can hang them from strong branches on your plants, from your light fixture if it's strong enough, etc. I have a 2' x 4' T5 light system that has a hangar at each end of the light. I put a lightweight rope between the two hanging cables and then use other ropes off of that one to dangle down over the side of the light to support the CFL's.
I do two "daisy-chains" of lights, one for the front of my fixture and another for the back.
