Ways to deflect my neighbor's halogen light

[Nermal43]

Hi all:

We live on two acres and have only one complaint with my neighbor. He has a rather bright halogen light mounted about 20 feet off the ground over his house and shop. This light comes on at dusk and off at dawn. It shines across the entire back of our house and pool. He is unwilling to turn it off (afraid of the dark, I suspect), but is open to some sort of adjustable shield that could attach to the light pole. I have searched the web for such a shield with no success. Anyone here know where I can find one? Thanks.

Ken

 

[gnpenning]

Don't know of any factory options. check the manufactures web page. I would just make one. Make a shield that's 1/4 or 1/3 of light housing mount to pole (Most likely with U bolts)or where light mounts. HVAC shops could build you one as well. You just need something that is close in size the you can bend the metal around. Garbage can, coffee can,etc. Of course a slip roller would make it too easy. You won't need to bend it much if at all.

I had a neighbor like that. The old type with two lights. One was aimed directly in bedroom window. Some how the wind, something or someone turned the bulb just enough to lose contact??? He was to lazy or cheap to deal with it.

 

[Nermal43]

Thanks. Yeah, I may need to either fabricate something, or have something made. I was just hoping for a off-the-shelf option. I like making things myself, but the thought of numerous back and forths to his place to measure and build doesn't sound so good. Also, it is something I don't have much time for.

Ken

 

[RivennHewn]

How about a concave mirror, that concentrates the light into his bedroom window?

 

[txzone]

http://www.skykeepers.org/good_fixtures/ca-shields-mods.html

 

[HOTFR8]

I would consider it an invasion of privacy to have next doors light shining into my place.
Surely he can turn it away from you or do something to understand it is not so easy for you to deal with.

 

[Playwme]

Read the post people. The neighbor has agreed to do something. the OP is trying to figure out what that something could be.

 

[HOTFR8]

Read the post people. The neighbor has agreed to do something. the OP is trying to figure out what that something could be.

Sounds like more negotiation is required with next door.

 

[brownbagg]

if its a typical power company light, they make a side shield to deflect the light. I have one on my neighbors light

 

[ADSR]

Read the post people. The neighbor has agreed to do something. the OP is trying to figure out what that something could be.

We should care about our neighbours, but sometimes troublesome neighbours need to be corrected.

Light and sound invading your home is not up for negotiation. I wouldn't do it to anyone and I don't want it done to me.

 

[Keel]

We should care about our neighbours, but sometimes troublesome neighbours need to be corrected.

Light and sound invading your home is not up for negotiation. I wouldn't do it to anyone and I don't want it done to me.

I don't know, if I had this problem I might just get a shade for the bedroom window, that is better than the cheap 2mil thick ones.. and if I didn't want to have to pull it down or up.. I'd pop for a power one..
simple, This is what one might do when the neighbor is willing to work with you on the problem but still wants the light..

And you would do it to anyone, if your shop/garage had ever been broken into.. even if it wasn't the place you are at now.. This is fact.. and anyone that says otherwise, is not being honest..

Sounds like the neighbor is understanding and might not have known it was that bright/shining into his house..

 

[joelowrider]

they do make shields, you need to find out what the brand of the light is.

We use a lot of different brand fixtures here at work and some we do put up shields

 

[matt_i]

My free advice is to build a shield with some welded "2 bolt shaft collars" and steel tubes or solid shafts. Search McMaster Carr for examples of the collar. This way you can tweak tweak the alignment, rotation and displacement without having to commit to a complete weldment. You can always make it permanent later.

 

[DenisG]

Evergreen privacy trees (fast growing):
http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/PrivacyTrees.htm

 

[bczygan]

Why are you researching this? He should be doing it.

Most places have rules requiring shielding. His monkeys, his circus.

 

[Stuart in MN]

As mentioned, many brands have an optional side shield available, or it may just be a matter of adjusting the lamp so it doesn't point towards your house as much.

The shields are pretty much just a piece of tin anyway, so it wouldn't be that hard to fabricate something.

 

[YukonXL04]

Just make something that attaches to the light that will block the "Stray light" from aiming in your direction.

My house has a side entry garage, and there is a dual bulb spot light above the door, I have them aimed mostly down, but it would still light up the neighbors bedroom windows. There are some large shrubs between my driveway and their property that block most of the light, I dont like the shrubs but I leave them there to be nice. I also told them its on motion sensor, so its their cat that causes it to be on all the time roaming the night lol!

 

[OJ Bartley]

Ken, it sounds like he's being somewhat reasonable and wants to light his yard, but doesn't want to bug you with it. If he is OK with you putting a shield on the light, then great. I'd rather do it myself than have him do it, because you can get it the way you want it. Get a ladder, scissors, and cardboard, and get up there and mock up the correct shape that will give you a nice sharp cutoff at your property. Then take that home and whip something up and get it mounted. Problem solved.

If he's a good neighbour otherwise, don't let this get between you and start some unnecessary feud. Just get it done, have a beer with him, and move on. There's much more important stuff in life to worry about, and if you're able to keep on good terms with good neighbours it makes life a little easier.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Is it possible to just rotate the light ? If so, it would light up less of yours and more of his.

 

[rieferman]

Ken, it sounds like he's being somewhat reasonable and wants to light his yard, but doesn't want to bug you with it. If he is OK with you putting a shield on the light, then great. I'd rather do it myself than have him do it, because you can get it the way you want it. Get a ladder, scissors, and cardboard, and get up there and mock up the correct shape that will give you a nice sharp cutoff at your property. Then take that home and whip something up and get it mounted. Problem solved.

If he's a good neighbour otherwise, don't let this get between you and start some unnecessary feud. Just get it done, have a beer with him, and move on. There's much more important stuff in life to worry about, and if you're able to keep on good terms with good neighbours it makes life a little easier.

Good, level headed response. The OP noted that the neighbor is cool other than this one issue. I can understand how the light could ruin enjoyment of your back yard, so it has to be solved - and being part of the solution to maintain an otherwise solid relationship is how I would proceed as well. Good luck!

 

[volvo]

When this type of too much unwanted street light coverage complaint comes up, our city just paints the inside of the Fresnel type lens with black paint to limit its desired coverage. This works better very well.

 

[Trey T]

Buy him another light that's just as bright but with reflectors. I just don't see any solution except to cover his light diffuser (assumed those large halogen light) with some black paint.

I still don't understand the underlying problem though with light shine over your backyard. Are you not able to sleep?

 

[Professur]

Fast growing bamboo.

 

[Casey69]

Ken, it sounds like he's being somewhat reasonable and wants to light his yard, but doesn't want to bug you with it. If he is OK with you putting a shield on the light, then great. I'd rather do it myself than have him do it, because you can get it the way you want it. Get a ladder, scissors, and cardboard, and get up there and mock up the correct shape that will give you a nice sharp cutoff at your property. Then take that home and whip something up and get it mounted. Problem solved.

If he's a good neighbour otherwise, don't let this get between you and start some unnecessary feud. Just get it done, have a beer with him, and move on. There's much more important stuff in life to worry about, and if you're able to keep on good terms with good neighbours it makes life a little easier.

couldn't agree more. holy **** - some of you guys need to chill out.

 

[workhurts]

Is there an issue with a motion sensor or does this person simply like having lights on when not needed? Since our development is near a flight path and airport, all of our street lights have top shrouds and point the light straight down. They aren't horrible. We have two literally 10-15' from the house and I thought they were going to be a headache but they turned out ok. You can do pretty much anything you want with lenses, reflectors and paint.

 

[Crizzle]

if its a typical power company light, they make a side shield to deflect the light. I have one on my neighbors light

At my old house we had a street light that shined right in a bedroom window. Its amazing what a quick application of a thin layer of white spraypaint will do when properly applied. Also very hard to see it there during the day.

You may not need to fabricate something at all. Get an extra light cover and paint 1/4 of it so that it blocks the light transmission toward your house.

 

[rlitman]

I installed an HPS fixture on a pole in the middle of my parent's yard. The 360 degree light needed to get to a high angle on one side, but that higher light washed onto the windows of the neighbors on the other side. My solution was to put a few strips of aluminum metal tape (made for duct sealing) positioned carefully onto the lens to cast a shadow exactly where I needed it.

I put my finger on the lens to see where I needed the shadow, traced the perimeter of what I wanted to cover in marker on the exterior of the lens. Then removed the lens, and applied the aluminum tape to the inside. It's nearly invisible from the outside.

 

[buddyboy]

paint the rebel flag on a 4x8 sheet of plywood and put it so it blocks the light shining on your window, then tell everyone that your neighbor loves it so much that he pays to keep it lit up all night long.

joking joking

 

[ravz]

I have to post this: http://www.27bslash6.com/halogen.html totally hilarious and this thread reminded me of this

 

[Nermal43]

Wow, the imagery from some of the recommendations are pretty funny. More info:

I have known this family for 40+ years and the current owner inherited the property (and the light) from his folks. The current owner has fought with and/or sued just about every other neighbor we have. I started the conversation as non-confrontational as possible because I try not to pick fights with crazy neighbors with way too much time on their hands. I have privacy screens, but I do actually like to have them open for airflow etc. I will ask him about the brand of the light, but I suspect it is at least 40 years old. I can make something, but was looking for an easy fix. Thanks for all the advice and I admit the thought of taking the light out with a pellet gun did enter my mind, but only after midnight.

Ken

 

[GDPossehl]

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/ame...ogleShopping&gclid=CPCIvq3WzsYCFdgZgQodltUCfw

Cut one of these into a shield. No metal rollers required and you can probably bolt a scrap metal post from something to mount it.

 

[coralnut]

pellet gun. He'll get tired of replacing it and turn it the other direction.

We should care about our neighbours, but sometimes troublesome neighbours need to be corrected...

Vandalism is not the answer. It makes you a criminal. People who aren't already criminals typically try to avoid becoming one.

This thread reminds me of the thread where someone complained about a neighbor parking on the street in front of his house for several days, and the most common response was to respond by vandalizing his car.

I hope you guys aren't serious.

To the OP, you're in a fortunate situation because your neighbor is being cooperative and is willing to work with you on a solution. To me it sounds like fabricating some sort of shade/reflector that he can put on his fixture would be the best answer. Obviously, the closer you can put the screening device to the lamp, the smaller it will have to be. The fact that your neighbor is willing to work with you on this means that the fabrication cost is going to be quite low -- much lower than if you had to build a larger screen closer to your house.

Coincidentally, I was shopping for a house recently, and in doing my due diligence I looked up the building codes and ordinances in the area. I was very surprised to see that the city had recently repealed all of it's ordinances, and passed a new set of "canned" ordinances that had been approved by some international body. WTF? All of the new ordinances and codes were covered by the International Building Code or the International Residential Code, or some other such nonsense.

http://www.rci-online.org/interface/2013-CTS-edwards.pdf

What amazed me was that there was an official standard for the amount of stray light that one house's lighting could cast upon a neighboring yard -- the limit was *ZERO* foot-candles.

Needless to say, in some jurisdictions, stray light has been outlawed. It's not necessary to go vandalizing someone's property if you're willing to abide by the rule of law.

 

[Nermal43]

I like the galvanized bucket idea, but may need to buy one a little larger. Thanks!

 

[dogdog]

I saw this the other day at samsclub maybe this works out for you..... just dust to dawn no motion sensing...

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/led-security-light-outdoor-4000-lumens/prod16470261.ip?navAction=

$50
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/securi...aign=rr&sn=ClickCP&campaign_data=prod16470261

 

[wssix99]

If you google "Floodlight Visor" you should be able to find what you are looking for.

BTW - This is called Light Trespassing and some localities have laws it. In particular, Tucson has a very strong control on this type of thing.

 

['sallgood]

Buy one of these.

Seriously, if it's a street light type call the power co and see what they have.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Buy a brighter light and control your own destiny. Seriously, I used foil tape on the inside of a MH wallpack, did the trick. Short piece of spouting to match the trim maybe?

 

[Nermal43]

Well even though some of you were not helpful at all, at least I got some good laughs out of it. I will talk to him this weekend and will report back.

 

[almac]

I like the tree idea. and if you put them on your property, he can't cut them down.

 

[MrBreeze]

A shield would be good, but a shield combined with a motion detector (so it isn't on all the time) would be even better. You didn't mention if he was open to the idea of a motion detector if he's worried about security and you could argue that a light that comes on when there is motion is more effective security than a light that is constantly on?