My Old Tools
Well-known member
What have you tried? POCO wants $25 and $9.50 a month for a security light.
LED replacement for a mercury vapor security light?
- Thread starter My Old Tools
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BPJOOP93
Well-known member
Huh????
rlitman
Well-known member
I believe he is saying that the power company will supply a "street" light on your pole, at a fixed cost, and he wants to know if anyone can suggest a fixture that would offer savings.
OP
My Old Tools
Well-known member
Thanks for clarifying. I get a little too short hand at times. Yes, the wife wants some outdoor street type lighting, not motion light security lighting.
Streetbu
Well-known member
I used a Honeywell Lighting LED flood light on the front of my garage with a built in day/night sensor. I love it. Went from 275 watts to 42 watts and it's just as bright, if not brighter.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVI3RME/?tag=atomicindus08-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KVI3RME/?tag=atomicindus08-20
ddawg16
Well-known member
Look into some of the battery powered LED security lights.
No wires needed.
We installed a cheap HF motion detector solar powered light in the back yard. Works *****'n. I've never seen the battery die.....
And a motion sensing light is better than one that is always on.
When the light goes on because of motion, it gets everyone's attention. A light on all the time tends to be ignored. And it lets people scoping out your place see what is around.
99% of the time, a bad guy will run when a motion sensing light comes on.
No wires needed.
We installed a cheap HF motion detector solar powered light in the back yard. Works *****'n. I've never seen the battery die.....
And a motion sensing light is better than one that is always on.
When the light goes on because of motion, it gets everyone's attention. A light on all the time tends to be ignored. And it lets people scoping out your place see what is around.
99% of the time, a bad guy will run when a motion sensing light comes on.
X2 on the Honeywell LED, got mine at Sam's Club, less $, more lumens (4K vs 3500), but galvanized instead of "painted" (powerboat?) same 43 watts, same photocell.
Only thing I can suggest as for caution, keep it away from an eve. I have mine mounted on the front of my garage, up high (replaced a 150 watt incandescent flood light) and I get a slow motion disco strobe at dusk.
I think what's happening is the photocell sees it's dark, turns the light on, and the light reflecting off the eve, from the fixture, turns the light back off, until it gets a bit darker.
In my application I could just bypass the photocell as it's on the switch the old light was on, in the OP's application (on a pole, if I read it right) it shouldn't have that problem.
If you are, however, placing it on a building, and want it to project a bit further, my Sam's Club has one more box shaped that seems to project further, for a few dollars more.
Naturally I don't see it on their site any more.
Only thing I can suggest as for caution, keep it away from an eve. I have mine mounted on the front of my garage, up high (replaced a 150 watt incandescent flood light) and I get a slow motion disco strobe at dusk.
I think what's happening is the photocell sees it's dark, turns the light on, and the light reflecting off the eve, from the fixture, turns the light back off, until it gets a bit darker.
In my application I could just bypass the photocell as it's on the switch the old light was on, in the OP's application (on a pole, if I read it right) it shouldn't have that problem.
If you are, however, placing it on a building, and want it to project a bit further, my Sam's Club has one more box shaped that seems to project further, for a few dollars more.
Naturally I don't see it on their site any more.
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OP
My Old Tools
Well-known member
No, traditional street light is $25 initial plus $9.50 a month.
Kaizen
Well-known member
Here is a thread on one I did. What I like the most is the color of the light is not a horrible led color but actually like daylight. very bright. I added a dusk to dawn at the box as well.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329809
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329809
I'm not sure why the poco is putting this light up. So I assume it's right on their main pole?
How big is the area you want to light up and is it right off a building or is this down a long driveway at the road? What incentive do you have to go led?
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
NO.
A PoCo supplied mercury vapor fixture costs $25 to install and $9 monthly, forever.
OP wants to save on monthly service fees by putting up his own light.
A lot of times people have pony poles on their property that are owned by the PoCo and are used for hanging the service drop. The PoCo can put lights on this for a monthly fee as well as the initial cost.
The OP wants to save money and thus the inquiry about an outdoor LED fixture that no way in hell would cost $9/mon to operate.
jives
Well-known member
My neighbor across the street, nearly 700 ft away, has a standard mercury vapor (or metal halide) dawn to dusk fixture on the utility pole in his front yard. It disrupts the peaceful darkness of this semi-rural neighborhood. It is so bright against the darkness that it silhouettes everything in its path, taking away any view left in the dark.
Why do you want a light? Why would you pay the POCO nearly $100 a year for a light? Why not mount a simple solar motion detector light or two in a convenient spot?
Why do you want a light? Why would you pay the POCO nearly $100 a year for a light? Why not mount a simple solar motion detector light or two in a convenient spot?
nh_yota
Well-known member
My parents have a mercury vapor light on a pole at the end of their driveway and I think the power company charges them $5-10 a month. It was there when they bought the house and my mom loves it, even though it serves no purpose other than marking the driveway at night. The monthly charge covers service and bulb replacement so my dad never has to deal with climbing up a ladder to change the bulb or replacing the fixture if it goes bad.
OP
My Old Tools
Well-known member
Why? Because the wife wants one. I don't want to pay $9.50 a month and I don't really want that much light. The fixture is already on the power pole. POCO wants $25 plus $9.50 a month to put a bulb in it. Not going to happen. I'll probably end up using some "moon lighting" type landscape lighting. I prefer the darkness myself.