After some shopping on-line. A very stylish lamp-post arrived with instructions. Well to set up a lamp-post you will need electric and you will need a foundation. If you follow my articles it’s likely you have read that I installed a glass block window and brought the electric line out of our home in the corner of one of those windows. I was thinking ahead. So that line, using direct burial cable. I brought that to the right front corner and place up a plug, in the water proof box.
So from that point to your lamp-post at about top of the head height I needed 35 feet of cable. Well you can choose from 50 foot lengths so I purchased 50 feet as well as a foundation tube 4 ft long 10 inches around or 12 inches and 3 bags 80 lbs of concrete mix. If you use a toned shovel at the correct time of the year you can cut the sod and lift a portion at a time. So I would do 4 shovel widths each time. Working my way along and getting a lawn tool to stuff the electric line beneath the sod. If you get the hang of this it is possible to bury the cable 4-6 inches down around the lawn and tamp the sod directly into place in just a matter of about half-hour.
It seems the tough part was digging as a result of 24 inches using a post hole digger. I did not possess a spike or long bar which has a sharp tip to destroy up the soil. Below about 12 inches it turned out clay. I needed with regards to a 14 inch hole in the earth to put a 10 inch tube in and fill with cement. You can find more detail about installing cement foundations anywhere else. I’ll just state that you pour an the wrong way up T shape in your yard so the T bar is a 24 inches plus the foundation tube would be the long part brings you approximately soil level. This really required a long time like two hours in the heat.
Before pouring cement I placed the electric line and created sure 7 feet still existed on top of the earth once the cornerstone set. Then in to the whole went half a bag of cement to with the T shape ugly. Then in goes the inspiration tube. Cement is added and soon you get up to your top. I filled it right to your top. The base towards the lamp-post had 3 aluminum spikes having an L shape about the bottom. That get set inside the wet cement. Notes within the online purchase said many people had trouble finding the bolts to align together with the holes. So I developed a plywood template to keep them. And when it turned out hardened and I removed website my bolts too were off. I Screwed the nut down entirely but not tight. I Held a 2×4 on it to defend it. I struck the 2×4 triple to fix the bolts to fit within the base. Then assembly was easy the cloths line goes up therefore you assemble the post, my post entered three sections.
Lastly the lamp continues top. Note the holes are certainly not drilled, so that you may square the light with all the street. You can mount it with any orientation that suits you. I put mine in and was intending to add a day night sensor but I found a socket sensor for only $7 bucks. So I installed that one for simplicity and value.
Home projects is usually fun and add value. Even if you don’t have any experience I write to help you with some of the pit falls which could come up as part of your project. Bill
Bill spent many years as a contractor. Installing and repairing ceramic tile in bathrooms, kitchens and floors. Through out the North Hills of Pittsburgh, Pa. He is called an extremely handy guy