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Mounting a Light on the Shed: Proposal #2 Well, there are no vertical studs above the window, so I decided to not go with a mast arm mount and instead use an EMT pole like in my room. The dotted black lines represent the existing studs (2X4s), which are mounted about 24" OC. The dotted blue lines represent the two new studs I will add up above (2X4s). The dotted red boxes represent the boards I will add between the two studs (either 2X10 or 2X8, we have both). Those "red boards" will provide an anchor for the three supports. The green is the conduit "pole", which will be 1-1/4" EMT conduit. The "straps" are actually going to be yardblaster mounting arm brackets. The EMT will be a straight section with a 24" yardblaster arm slipped over the top (the yardblaster arm is a hair larger than the EMT, which will provide a snug fit. I'll send a screw or two through the area they meet to make sure the arm doesn't rotate. The three straps to hold the EMT will have either hex or carriage bolts (four each) go through the whole wall and have nuts on the inside. That will make a very secure mounting. I was going to settle for lag bolts but like I always say "Go big or go home!" (still working on the highmast pole though George lol) The yellow is 1/2" EMT conduit. Like the 1-1/4" EMT, it will stick into the ground a foot or two. A length of outdoor UF cable (basically gray romex) will run from the junction box, down into the ground and then back up, through the larger conduit up to the light. So now I think it's gonna cost around $50. I'm not too happy about the cost, but it will be better than the previous method... Keywords: Drawings_/_Wire_Diagrams_/_Spec_Designs_/_Etc.

Mounting a Light on the Shed: Proposal #2

Well, there are no vertical studs above the window, so I decided to not go with a mast arm mount and instead use an EMT pole like in my room.

The dotted black lines represent the existing studs (2X4s), which are mounted about 24" OC.

The dotted blue lines represent the two new studs I will add up above (2X4s).

The dotted red boxes represent the boards I will add between the two studs (either 2X10 or 2X8, we have both). Those "red boards" will provide an anchor for the three supports.

The green is the conduit "pole", which will be 1-1/4" EMT conduit. The "straps" are actually going to be yardblaster mounting arm brackets.

The EMT will be a straight section with a 24" yardblaster arm slipped over the top (the yardblaster arm is a hair larger than the EMT, which will provide a snug fit. I'll send a screw or two through the area they meet to make sure the arm doesn't rotate. The three straps to hold the EMT will have either hex or carriage bolts (four each) go through the whole wall and have nuts on the inside. That will make a very secure mounting. I was going to settle for lag bolts but like I always say "Go big or go home!" (still working on the highmast pole though George lol)

The yellow is 1/2" EMT conduit. Like the 1-1/4" EMT, it will stick into the ground a foot or two. A length of outdoor UF cable (basically gray romex) will run from the junction box, down into the ground and then back up, through the larger conduit up to the light.

So now I think it's gonna cost around $50. I'm not too happy about the cost, but it will be better than the previous method...

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Comment 8 to 27 of 27
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lite_lover   [Apr 06, 2015 at 02:03 AM]
Sure if the Regent arm slips over top then it sounds like it would be pretty secure with the 1¼" EMT. Surprised that the conduit is quite expensive there, ½" EMT here is $4.98 and ½" PVC is $3.97 for 10ft lengths,not sure if the string trimmer can take out chunks of the PVC,Schedule 40 is pretty tough.Using EMT having contact with the ground should give you 5 years of service.
streetlight98   [Apr 06, 2015 at 02:21 AM]
ah cool sounds good then. I noticed that the regent arm is thinner gauge than a regular street light arm and when a light is on it, it likes to shake up and down but I see "real" installations with 1-1/4" aluminum upsweep arms all the time so I don't think it's a huge deal as long as i use long bolts.

Yeah not sure either. The conduit will be strapped to the shed so it's not really a big deal if it degrades but would be nice if it didn't. Can the buried portion be wrapped in electrical or duct tape to protect it? I know it can be painted but you can't use an oil base paint. It's got to be acrylic or maybe latex. I guess I could probably paint the buried portion of the pipe. It would be either red, green, or blue but it's going to be buried so it doesn't make a difference. The above-ground portion won't degrade, will it? (or at least not as fast as the buried portion?)

1/2" EMT is only $2.30 here at Lowe's. Less than I thought but the 1-1/4" is $10.99. This is for 10ft sections here as well. The Regent arm is $10.44 (I already have one but I want to just buy a new one). 8ft extension cord is $7.29, outdoor work box is $5.88, cover is $7.37, and I haven't quoted the UF cable yet. I'll probably get about 18 feet of UF cable. I could save a lot of cable by using a junction box for the 1/2" to go into the 1-1/4" above ground but the cost of that elbow/intersection piece would probably outweigh the cost saved in less cable. And who knows if an elbow/intersection is available with two 1-1/4" holes and one 1/2" hole.

Anyway, without the cable (probably another $10 or $20) and without the lag screws or thru-bolts, it comes to $48.22. So it'll probably actually come out to 60 bucks at least. Maybe I can just find lag screws laying around that I can use...
lite_lover   [Apr 06, 2015 at 03:07 AM]
Oh yeah the 1¼" EMT is $18.98 here, the Regent arm should be fine with the long lag bolts.Probably the best protection for the buried portion of EMT would be wrapped in electrical tape,duct tape won't work,paint will last a little while then moisture will penetrate it and rust,there could be the possibility of condensation forming inside the conduit too, the above-ground portion of EMT will last for a long time.
NiMo   [Apr 06, 2015 at 03:30 AM]
Only one problem with EMT though, and that is rust. You are better off using pressure treated lumber for the post then to the yardblaster arm. Simplify the wiring by either going direct underground from the nearest feed with either 1/2" or 3/4" PVC underground at an 18" depth then directly up the pole with more PVC. Making sure to use expansion couplings in both vertical runs. Also, you don't need UF cable in conduit. #12 or #14 THHN will work fine. Make sure you run three lines (Hot, Neutral, and Ground). Or the other option is to use #6 triplex (sweetbriar) overhead cable from the house to the pole.
streetlight98   [Apr 06, 2015 at 10:31 AM]
@ Darren: Ah yeah I'll probably wrap it in electrical tape then, even though the help will probably be minimal.

@ NiMo: Yeah it's true. If this was a permanent installation I'd definitely run an underground feed to the house, since it's a fairly short distance but my parents don't want my digging up the yard and don't want a "dangerous" and "ugly" overhead cable. UF would be needed to run the cable into the ground though, right? MY plan was to have both sticks of conduit run down 18" and then the cable would "jump" across the two sticks with no conduit.
streetlight98   [Apr 07, 2015 at 12:42 AM]
EDIT/UPDATE: Ok, I have bought everything except for the 1-1/4" EMT. Turns out I had a 4ft section of 1/2" EMT laying around so I used that instead of buying a new 10ft stick. So the cable won't be 18" deep like code mandates but then again, code doesn't allow the 8ft extension cord input either, so it's not a big problem. The whole thing is just a temporary set-up. If it was permanent I would run an underground feed right up to the outlet on the back of the house and have a wet locations switch on the shed wall with the convenience outlet.

I bought a 25ft coil of UF cable (12 gauge; they didn't have 14 gauge at Lowe's) for $20. 25ft will be more than enough. Right now, I have everything assembled and ready to install (I'll need to take it apart to install it but it'll be faster since I've already taken the time to see how everything assembles. I used metal weatherproof (well I think they're weatherproof) connectors that tighten via twisting the ring with a wrench, which clamps down on the conduit. Same for the cord, except it's a rubber washer that clamps the cord. So yep, all I need now is the 10ft 1-1/4" EMT and then I'm ready for the installation! I will also need to screw in the boards inside the shed to create a better anchor. Oh and then I need to pick up two hex bolts to use as thru-bolts for the two top holes in the top bracket for the 1-1/4" EMT. The rest of the brackets will use the 2" lag bolts they came packaged with.
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 07, 2015 at 03:08 PM]
What's the UF for then? Is this feed getting buried now?
And at a later date you could add a light and receptacle in the shed if you wanted, still off the extension cord feed
streetlight98   [Apr 07, 2015 at 08:40 PM]
Look at the diagram. Razz The feed goes into the ground in 1/2" EMT and back out in 1-1/4" EMT to the light. I couldn't find a 1/2" to 1-1/4" adapter (if such a thing exists) so the best option in my opinion was to bury the cable a little bit. The UF cable goes from the outlet box into the ground and then back up to the light. The 8ft extension cord terminates at the outlet. The outlet serves as the splices for the cord and UF cable.

Man you're really pushing the wiring up of my shed. Razz Laughing It's really not necessary. It would be cool if we actually needed power in there but we don't need power in the shed. The shed is only used to store the ride-on John Deere tractor and my lights (and yard stuff like chairs, coolers, frisbees, etc) and we're never out there at night. It would just be a waste of my money since I'd be paying for it. However, there's a slight possibility that I could be adding accent lighting and/or undercabinet lighting to my kitchen cabinets. It won't be fluorescent lights though since I personally don't think they'd look nice and my mom agrees. It'll probably be LED rope light.
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 08, 2015 at 01:57 AM]
Interesting about the cabinets. If it were me I'd stick F96 strips under there but that's just me! (I tell people if they get migranes from fluorescents they'd never be able to even BE in my house! Laughing )
I want to do undercabinet lighting as well but I'm thinking 12v LED tape light...but if I was on the grid I'd stick one of my F96T12 strips above my sink/counter LOL.
streetlight98   [Apr 08, 2015 at 02:15 AM]
Yeah it's likely not going to happen but its something my mom always wanted (by my dad was always against). It would be hard to wire it in too, since there's really no good place to tap into and rope light is insanely expensive. Yeah fluorescents would be cool, although I think something dimmer/more compact and crisp would look better. When people tell me that CFLs give them headaches I just say "Linear fluorescents don't do that" lol.
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 08, 2015 at 02:43 PM]
My dad didn't like the first 23w CFLs I convinced him to buy in 2009 or so since they were too bright compared to 40w and 60w incandescents and stuck out of fixtures, creating glarebombs.
I don't think he particularly cares for the blinky startup of preheat fluorescents, but I can sympathize with that, I actually prefer rapid start (my favorite way to start fluorescents) but of course nothing beats the "cool" factor of preheat. The one I always find disconcerting is the "Thump!" when turning on a slimline, and think "T12s aren't supposed to start that violently!" Laughing Especially six of them on the same switch...that always scares the crap out of you LOL. Especially with rather noisy ballasts chattering away with 60w lamps on a chilly night.
I like my linear fluorescents though, I could totally live with every room being 4' and 8' fluorescents EXCEPT over the dining room table...that should be incandescent IMO, preferably on a dimmer.
streetlight98   [Apr 08, 2015 at 07:11 PM]
Yeah I would want the extra light from 23W CFLs but they're too big for most fixtures. I have a 23W CFL that I'm trying to get rid of and stick somewhere but it won't fit anywhere. Confused The garage keyless socket comes to mind but it's over the shelf so I want to keep it incandescent in case something ever whacks the ceiling and breaks the bulb. I'd rather have an incandescent break than a CFL. Plus it's nice to combine fluorescent and incandescent lighting together. I think large rooms like a basement or garage look good with a combination of keyless incandescents with IF lamps and linear fluorescents.

We have CFLs in the ceiling fan over our dining room table so I guess linear fluorescents wouldn't be any different, though I don't like the look of linear fluorescents in "Living space" since they just look to utilitarian IMO. They'd look nice in a hallway or something but we don't usually use our hall light and when we do it's just for a few seconds to get from one end of the hall to the other (it's on a 2-pole switch with one switch at one end next to the fridge and the other on the opposite wall at the other end, just outside my bedroom door. So I'll flick it on as I walk down the hall, turn on my light, then shut off the hall light. That's if I use the hall light at all. Other times I just plow through the darkness since I know the layout of my house well enough to not need the light lol. I mostly use it because I get creeped out with the fact that someone could be at the end of the hall lol.
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 09, 2015 at 12:27 AM]
Yeah I know the layout of my house well enough too, and don't have to worry about home invasions here like you might. (And I can totally understand why).
Now I'd like to find an 8ft HO fixture though, even though as you might be able to tell the F96 instant-start slimline is sort of my favorite fluorescent.
I've thought about putting F96T12 strips in my entryway/hallway though, replacing three boring, rather ugly 90s-early 00s "Mushroom" incandescent fixtures (With 5000K CFLs though). That is, if I get more slimlines (I already have plans for the other four I have)
streetlight98   [Apr 09, 2015 at 02:33 AM]
My neighborhood is not one that would get a break-in but I'm just overly paranoid, more so at night. When I'm home alone I have like all the lights in the house on lol. HOs are cool. Between SL and HO I prefer HO. Between PH and RS, it depends on the type of fixture. If there's a diffuser, I prefer RS. If it's any multi-lamp strip or longer single lamp strip light (3ft+) I prefer RS. If it's an industrial or undercabinet I prefer PH. Turrests I prefer RS. If it's a single lamp strip light under 3ft I like preheat better. I think in general, I prefer RS for longer fixtures and PH for smaller but it really depends on the fixture style for me. I think more fixture styles are "acceptable" as RS than there are preheat for me.

We have two of those mushroom lights in our house (over the kitchen sink and in the hallway upstairs). They're brass with opal glasses and two lamps (hall one's got its two original Sylvania Double Life Soft White SuperSavers (52W IIRC) and the one over the sink's got two Cree 800 lumen 2700K LEDs).
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 09, 2015 at 03:03 AM]
Yeah HOs are cool. Any "Big" or "Industrial" type fluorescent is, with the classic hum or raspy buzz, and the striating of energy saver lamps when cold is cool to watch. Or maybe it's just childhood nostalgia of seeing them, long before finding LG or GOL.
streetlight98   [Apr 09, 2015 at 09:21 PM]
Well, this weekend is supposed to be nice so I might see if I can put the studs in up above where the trusses are to support the EMT pole when I mount it (I'll probably mount it after my eagle scout project is over, so in or after late-May). I have some cash to buy a 2X4 stud or two but I don't know if I can buy both the studs and the EMT. I spent most of my Easter cash on the other materials for the project...
xmaslightguy   [Apr 10, 2015 at 02:29 AM]
Quote: GEsoftwhite100watts
over the dining room table...that should be incandescent IMO, preferably on a dimmer.

I agree completely on that, dining room is not the place for a fluorescent strip.

When it comes to fluorescents I'm fine with them in other rooms,
but not just a plain old strip-light mounted on the ceiling, to me that's something for a shop or garage Laughing
I prefer a 'nicer looking' fixture, of even better something recessed so it doesn't stick down from the ceiling

My favorite type of ballast is RS, and preheat being second. Instant-start has its uses, but is boring..

----------
back on topic..
This should look great once done Smile
A_lights   [Apr 10, 2015 at 04:48 PM]
Very cool! I'm putting 2 lights on my shed..should really post some pics
streetlight98   [Apr 10, 2015 at 10:20 PM]
Thanks! And yeah I'd love to see pics of your installations! Are they cobraheads or others?
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Apr 10, 2015 at 11:18 PM]
I like more "industrial" type fixtures, like striplights, shoplights, or turret lumes...but that's just me. And I'd be fine with them in most places in my house, they'd fit in just fine here EXCEPT for over the kitchen table!

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