Anyone Using 'Peanut' or Light Strips Outside?

[ronboc]

Ok, this might sound kinda strange, but at least hear me out...

I've been wanting to add another outside 'porch' lite for quite some time now. With 2 slides on the curb-side, the current lite right behind the door does a very poor job of illuminating anything except right below the lite itself. Anything from the middle of the first slide back is completely dark.

Last night, I noticed my neighbor stringing a 20-30 ft strand of those peanut or strip lights just under his coach. At the time, I thought it sure looked out of place and kinda tacky but then managed to completely forget about it til early this morning when I took the dog for a walk.

What struck me then was how bright the entire campsite was - and not a harsh glare like a big parking-lot lite, but more of an all-around glow. It sure lit up everything. I'm sure it's great for nite-time outdoor activity, and would be a dandy deterent to someone wanting to ... uhhh.... 'permanently borrow' .... his lawnchairs, grill, etc (I hate to think about those kind of things, but sometimes it's just the way it goes).

Got me to thinking about maybe permanently affixing a strip or two of the plain white ones on the underside, and then just running the powercord up to an outlet so all's I'd have to do is plug 'er in (and I wouldn't have to wonder what all that cracking and snapping noise was as I broke camp and drove off the next day). Not sure I'd go so far as to get the colored kind that blink, strobe, or cycle, though ... enough is enough! (however, it sure would look cool going down the highway at night with this awesome electric-blue glow radiating from underneath, pulsing in time to the music!)

So, I ask of you:
Has anyone already tried this?
How did it turn out?
How/where did you mount the strip(s)?
Any problems with getting them wet?
Does the white (well, it's really sorta yellowish-white) attract bugs and mosquitos like a regular white lite?

I kinda like the idea. Simple, easy, and useful.


Thanks!
Ron

[ronboc]

Ok, this might sound kinda strange, but at least hear me out...

I've been wanting to add another outside 'porch' lite for quite some time now. With 2 slides on the curb-side, the current lite right behind the door does a very poor job of illuminating anything except right below the lite itself. Anything from the middle of the first slide back is completely dark.

Last night, I noticed my neighbor stringing a 20-30 ft strand of those peanut or strip lights just under his coach. At the time, I thought it sure looked out of place and kinda tacky but then managed to completely forget about it til early this morning when I took the dog for a walk.

What struck me then was how bright the entire campsite was - and not a harsh glare like a big parking-lot lite, but more of an all-around glow. It sure lit up everything. I'm sure it's great for nite-time outdoor activity, and would be a dandy deterent to someone wanting to ... uhhh.... 'permanently borrow' .... his lawnchairs, grill, etc (I hate to think about those kind of things, but sometimes it's just the way it goes).

Got me to thinking about maybe permanently affixing a strip or two of the plain white ones on the underside, and then just running the powercord up to an outlet so all's I'd have to do is plug 'er in (and I wouldn't have to wonder what all that cracking and snapping noise was as I broke camp and drove off the next day). Not sure I'd go so far as to get the colored kind that blink, strobe, or cycle, though ... enough is enough! (however, it sure would look cool going down the highway at night with this awesome electric-blue glow radiating from underneath, pulsing in time to the music!)

So, I ask of you:
Has anyone already tried this?
How did it turn out?
How/where did you mount the strip(s)?
Any problems with getting them wet?
Does the white (well, it's really sorta yellowish-white) attract bugs and mosquitos like a regular white lite?

I kinda like the idea. Simple, easy, and useful.


Thanks!
Ron

[jimandsue60]

If you are referring to the rope lites, yes I use them. They are really durable and will brighten up a campsite. I never thought of attaching them to the underside but I am sure it would work great.

I just thro mine on the ground and unplug them before we go to bed. I also have a remote control switch to turn them on and off.

They also make great pictures



Jim

[ronboc]

Hi Jim -

That picture is awesome! It looks like you're in a Ring Of Fire.

Thanks for sharing,
Ron

[RonNBama]

I hate a neighboring campsite that looks like a airport landing strip. These little rope lights do a good job of "softly" illuminating the area. It's nice to hear that you turn your extra lights off before retiring for the night, even if they are fairly subdued.

Hey ronboc, there are some neat neon kits that guys use on cars. I'll wager that without the boom-box and the spinnazz going they would provide a decent level of illumination, plus, they are made for exterior use full time.

[Gary RVRoamer]

They sell light strips intended to fit into the awning slot. Clearly they are designed for outdoor use, so maybe they could go under the rig as you suggest. I wouldn't use rope lights that were not rated for outdoor use.

A few years ao I picked up some 12V rope lights at the auto dept of a Target store - they were intended to go on car exteriors. I hard wired them along the ceiling perimeter of the coach to use as mood lighting, but they would have worked nicely as exterior lights as well. Waterproof and low power. Unfortunately Target doesn't carry them anymore, but I'll bet some auto stores do.

[jimandsue60]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ronboc:
Hi Jim -

That picture is awesome! It looks like you're in a Ring Of Fire.

Thanks for sharing,
Ron </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Ron Thanks for the nice comment. The lites look really brite but they are not in reality. That was a 12 to 18 second exposure which made them enhanced. Like another poster said "I hate a neighboring campsite that looks like a airport landing strip".

Jim

[ronboc]

RonNBama - Yeah, those car neon lites is what gave me the idea in the first place about mounting them underneath. I figure with the storage-space I got in the basement, I can fill the space some "way-cool totally-awesome dude" boombox speakers. Then it can SOUND like a landing strip, much less LOOK like one. Sure hope we get to camp together sometime ... heh-heh-heh ...

To the others - thanks for the 'nod', I think I'll move forward with the idea.

Ron

[RonNBama]

LOL OK, OK, Point made.

Keep us posted with your progress. Maybe some pics of what you end up with. I like the idea of semi-permanently mounted lighting myself. Of course, I like the idea of free parking too but TOWMBO usually navigates us to a 50-amp, $45/night site and I keep quite as I have been trained to do.

[BIGRED1]

Ron, I bought some low voltage(12V) outdoor strip lights and put them under the top rail of the steps that go down to a deck in the back of my house. They use the clear bulbs with the thin glass bayonet type base that inserts into the bulb holder. They turned out real nice. You might be able to put a dimmer on something like this too. On mine, I only used 1/2 the bulbs, but since they were wired in parallel they still work fine.

[MonacoMama]

What a great idea! (and I have two strips of the Indoor/Outdoor lights in the other room)

[bg1811]

I've also been thinking about this. I found this web site with some lights.
http://www.urban-neon-car-lights.com...-Kit-p-93.html