Rope lighting

Rope Lighting:
Rope lighting also known as tube lighting is the term for any of a variety of accent lights manufactured in long tubes rather than as individual fixtures. If you want to light up an area without heavy cords and fixtures, or you want some great accent lighting for any of a variety of indoor or outdoor applications, rope lighting may be the perfect answer. The lights can be installed just about anywhere. Indoors you can use them along mantles and shelves, around bookcases, around or inside cabinets, inside dark closets, around doors and windows, along the edge of a ceiling or a chair rail molding, or to light up staircases or individual steps. Outdoors, they're beautiful around decks and deck railings, along paths, as safety lighting for steps, or as architectural or landscaping accent lights in any of a variety of areas.

A typical rope light consists of numerous 1/2 watt micro-bulbs, spaced about one inch apart and housed in a clear or colored flexible PVC resin tube. The tiny bulbs are maintenance free, and are not intended for replacement. When a bulb goes out, the entire 18" section has to be replaced. Even if the rest of the bulbs within that 18" are still on, they will eventually go out, so you'll need to cut out the defective section and splice in a new section with two splice connectors. Most of the rope lights are rated for about 25,000 hours of use before they fail.

The bulbs are 1/2 watt each and spaced 1 inch apart, and the tube gets only slightly warm to the touch, and does not present a burn danger. Both 120 volt and 12 volt versions are available, and the lights are rated for both indoor and outdoor use.

The 12-volt version is essentially the same, but utilizes low-voltage bulbs and a 12-volt transformer. You cannot splice 12-volt and 110-volt ropes together.

Rope lights are very easy to install. For the 110-volt version, a power cord connector is used at one end of the rope to create a power connection between the rope and any standard household outlet. Splice connectors - which are either internal (invisible) or external (white plastic), are used to connect the ropes together end to end, up to a maximum of about 150 feet on one power cord. The ropes are marked at regular intervals - usually every 18" - and they can be cut at these points with scissors if desired. For outdoor use, most manufacturers recommend that the joints be sealed with a non-acidic silicone glue.

You can purchase rope lights in a number of different ways. The easiest is probably to purchase a complete kit, which typically includes a 30- to 50-foot long coil of lights, a 120 volt power cord connector, and a handful of clips for securing the ropes in place. Splice fittings are also included for connecting two or more ropes together.

You can also purchase all of the pieces individually. Coils of lights are available in lengths of up to about 150 feet, along with all of the splice and power cord fittings, to allow you to make up just about whatever length and shape you're looking for.

The ropes are held in place in any of a variety of ways. There are small plastic clips available that can be nailed or glued in place, and then the rope snaps into the clips. There are also plastic channels in clear or colors that hold the entire length of rope more rigidly, as well as metal reflecting channels in gold and silver that enhances and reflects the light from the rope. It can be bent, cut, twisted, used indoors or outdoors, near water (looks great on patios, pools, and spas) or in inclement weather conditions.

While the most common version of the rope light is steady illumination (steady-burn), there are also versions that blink at different rates and in difference sequences, as well as versions that "chase" each other, and multi-effect varieties.

Rope lights also come in a variety of different colored tubes such as clear, green, red, orange, purple, yellow, blue, and pink - and you can splice different colors together if desired.

Rope lights are available from many lighting stores, electrical retailers, and home centers, and will come with complete installation instructions. Be sure that all lights and components are UL-listed, and if you have any questions about proper installation or safe use, be sure and check with the manufacturer or a licensed electrician.

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