Outdoor lantern or light pole

[gulab jamun]

Hello people,

Outside our house, we have one ceiling light for the front porch, and one mounted lantern on the garage. I don't think this is adequate lighting, so I'd like to install a lantern or light pole.

I'm thinking that a good place would be on the lawn, closer to the street but before the sidewalk. It would be closer to the edge of the driveway.

This would light up the front of the home and the driveway, providing more security. I think we can install the pole into the ground like we'd install a mailbox, but how do we get power to it so it lights up? I'm sure there's some way to integrate it with the current front lights, so when we turn on the switch, the pole goes on as well. However, I'm not familiar with such electrical work.

Please advise any tips about this, or if you have any other lighting ideas to improve security while not looking tacky.

Thanks.

Sincerely,
gulab jamun

 

[Philphine]

i didn't put my lights up, but i like what was done. i also can't posts pics so i hope the description works.

i'm in a smallish ranch about 40-50' from the street. no sidewalk, with a drive that goes strait back to the left of it leading to a garage.

beside regular porch lights, there is a 5' high decorative type pole light about 8' in front of the house and beside the drive. i hardly ever turn it on since i work nights and to have it on for myself i'd have to turn it on when i leave for work in the afternoon, but it was good to put some highly reflective tape on as a marker at night (also good since i just moved here and it helps me distinguish my house from the others coming home at night).

the light i like best is also beside the drive but at the back corner of the house. it's essentially like a small street light. about 12' high on a metal pole. it works on a switch by the back door, but as long as the switch is on it goes on and off automaticly at dusk/dawn. the height and brightness of it (got some kind of huge bulb in it) lights all the area in front of the garage and the house back door that i use most. they also added an outdoor outlet at the bottom of it that comes in pretty handy.

hmmm... now that i think about it, i should figure out how to make the front light come on automaticly too.

 

[AndyD5]

picking where to connect the new poles power source depends how easy it is you might find it easier to run a new circuit it was the case here it was really simple too. just punched out one of the holes in the bottom of the panel used UF CABLE it's gray and intended to be barried installed a 15A GFI circuit breaker in panel, ran conduit from bottom of box to about 14" below top soil with a bend and a special rubber ring to avoid cutting the coating on the UF Cable ran conduit at the location of the pole and just barried the UF Cable in the trench between the two spots. you can adapt a photocell kit to turn it on and off or install a motion sensor they make kits for that. years later wee installed a weatherproof outlet on the light post 12" from the ground that is code where I live.

 

[petey_racer]

I'm not sure where you are getting this information Andy.

Who says 15 amps? What if he runs 12/2UF?

Where did 14" come from? I don't see that anywhere.

Buried UF must be 18". Same for PVC conduit. DO NOT run the UF in a conduit system. You can run it through a sleeve for protection. If you use PVC for this it must be Sch80.

If the circuit is 15 or 20 amps, AND is GFI protected BEFORE it leaves the structure, it can be buried at 12".
See NEC Table 300.5