Outdoor pendants?

[HotDoggin]

My family has an old cottage-style lake-house up in Erie, PA that was originally wired with the old tube/post style wiring.. For YEARS we ate large family dinners on the large front porch under pendant lights that were made of a fabric covered cord, a simple light socket, and a large housing made from soup-cans..

That house has slowly fallen to old age, so our family doesn't get to visit as frequently as we'd like.

Last summer, I started construction on a deck behind my house, and early this summer I'll be adding some lighting and finishing and trimming the roof and eves. If possible, I'd love to put together something to replicate the old "soup can" pendant lights (perhaps with a more 'durable' build spec) and install them under the roof.. In some fashion, a way to remember the good old days...

My desire would be to install 6-8 individual pendants evenly spaced from the roof-line, which all hang down and have a simple 1 bulb can... however, I'm finding that nobody makes a single "outdoor" rated fixture?!

Does anyone have any ideas for who to reach out to for outdoor rated lighting components? Ideally, the pendant would have a simple (single wire) canopy at the top, a length of wire, and a [glazed?] ceramic (or similarly durable) socket at the bottom (with appropriate cord grips or strain reliefs) that would also be able to receive a 'soup-can' shade... I'm finding lots of stuff for indoor use, but nothing for outdoor.

I am also thinking for the pendants I'll simple order some stainless tubing and have the tops laser-cut from sheet.. a quick weld and BAM. "soup-can" shade!

Any help you GJers could offer would be fantastic! I'm striking out!

 

[danfromsyr]

looks like a few of these could be modified with a different shade.
maybe convert to 12v
https://www.google.com/search?q=out...KEwiKy_z2qq_LAhUFmR4KHVJoCVQQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=_

 

[nadogail]

If you can't buy what you want, you have the option of building them.

Why buy something for $20, when you can build it for $50?

 

[Git]

I have these Feit lights from Costco - really well made
http://www.costco.com/Feit-Outdoor-...ets,-Includes-36-Bulbs.product.100140552.html

They come with an old fashioned looking lightbulbs. If your set on the 'soup can' thing, it looks like they hang down enough where you could just creatively cut the bottom of a can and mount the can over them

 

[HotDoggin]

If you can't buy what you want, you have the option of building them.

Why buy something for $20, when you can build it for $50?

This was actually my prime goal - Nobody sells exactly what I'm after, or anything "close enough" to simply modify the shade (see indoor pendant kits from places like lowes/HD where you simply select your shade and attach)..

All of the components I have been able to find are only rated for indoor use as well...

If it comes down to it, I'll likely just gasket and seal some "indoor" rated items at installation, but this is really my last resort..

 

[plow]

Post a pic.

 

[checkthisout]

This was actually my prime goal - Nobody sells exactly what I'm after, or anything "close enough" to simply modify the shade (see indoor pendant kits from places like lowes/HD where you simply select your shade and attach)..

All of the components I have been able to find are only rated for indoor use as well...

If it comes down to it, I'll likely just gasket and seal some "indoor" rated items at installation, but this is really my last resort..

What do you mean? They make outdoor rated bulb sockets. Then you just get cording and weatherproof boxes.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-We...word=Weatherproof+bulb+socket&searchtype=text

 

[HotDoggin]

What do you mean? They make outdoor rated bulb sockets. Then you just get cording and weatherproof boxes.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-We...word=Weatherproof+bulb+socket&searchtype=text

Think about how you'd integrate that into a hanging pendant that both performs appropriately in potentially wet conditions, as well as looks good.. No bueno. If I wanted to do the "ghetto" bug-light strung through the yard type look, then those sockets would work... they're typically installed and mounted without any sort of guard, hood, etc.



My current plan is to use a canopy that's sealed against the box like any other outdoor fixture, a liquid-tight cord grip on both ends of the cord, and a 1/2 IPS threaded porcelain light socket (which shares a common thread with the cord grip). The combination should allow me to seal the cord grip against my pendant housing, as well as the cord grip against the cord, meaning no I&I unless it's raining upside down (in which case I've got bigger issues). I can either use a stainless "can", or actually use a can - Clean, paint, and pop a hole in one end and I'm off.

...Yes I modeled it in 3D

I've found sources for the cord, cord grips, socket, and whatever shade/pendant cover I'll be using - Need to find a canopy kit that can either be easily modified or is what I'm after out of the box.. (needs to have an opening/load bearing ability for a ~1/2" NPT connection)

 

[SpyderMike]

Will you share your source for cording? I am building some pendants for my vintage industrial garage and need some strong cording to hold up the weight of the fixture.

 

[simpler=better]

Ikea lamp cords + cordgrip + dielectric grease on the bulb socket. I wouldn't lose any sleep using damp rated stuff outdoors on a GFI with a weathertight cordgrip and grease.

Or, you can use that CE weatherproof socket and splice to your jacketed cord inside teh soup can.

Whatever you do, I vote for using real soup cans and painting them.

 

[SpyderMike]

Thanks, but my concern is more about weight. I am using 17" vintage barn light shades in my indoor application. I was hoping to hang them with cord rather than pipe. I have been looking for cord that might be sheathed where the sheathing could support the load, or cord rated to carry the load. Maybe I am worried about a non-issue?

 

[HotDoggin]

Thanks, but my concern is more about weight. I am using 17" vintage barn light shades in my indoor application. I was hoping to hang them with cord rather than pipe. I have been looking for cord that might be sheathed where the sheathing could support the load, or cord rated to carry the load. Maybe I am worried about a non-issue?

I think it's a non-issue...

I ended up going with some 14" vented barn lights (in red/white) from HiLite Manufacturing - They have a black urethane sheathed 14/3 wire that it's hung with, and they use a cord grip and an anti-slip collar (that goes under your knot in the fixture "head" and base).

From what I found out, this is fairly typical for a hanging light fixture.

...HAD to get the lights up as soon as I could (but couldn't get all 6 up when I took these shots) - Turned out super well in my opinion.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Your final purchase was almost identical to what I was going to recommend.

http://www.barnlightelectric.com/di...-weather-warehouse-ceiling-light-fixture.html

Tommy

 

[SpyderMike]

worth a try then - thanks.