Annoying Street Lights

Christmas on Clarafield

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Nov 9, 2011
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Does anyone else have a problem with having a street light directly in front of their house? When we bought our place 6 years ago I didn't put too much consideration into the street lights, in fact it was kind of good from a security point of view and never having to fumble around in the dark trying to unlock the front door as we were always getting home after dark due to work. Back then I only used to hang about 2 sets of incand icicles and ran a string of multi coloured incands around the front yard and didn't think much of it. But now it's a different story!
So now I have a dilemma. Come December, do I try and knock out the light myself (and hope no one comes to fix it for a month), do I contact the council and ask them to disable it for a month or do I just take it for what it is and hope that from a security point of view people can be seen and it helps to "protect" all my gear?
I guess I had just better be more diligent if I ever move.
 
G

GoofyGuy

Guest
Luckily the light in front of my house is on a lamp post so it has 4 glass panels on it. Last year I didnt do it, but this year Ill be tinting with the spray tint 2 of the panels that are aimed at my house. My lights were visible regardless of the light but Im still taking it the heck out.
 

fasteddy

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The only way is to contact the council and try your luck there. Ive heard of people that point a laser at the light sensor whilst the show is on. But there are 2 big issues with this. One is the fact that lasers are a restricted device in Australia and two, you may not have a sensor located at the front of your house and if you do you will most probably knock out the whole streets lighting which may not be popular with the neighbours.
I you decide to remove the light yourself without asking permission from the council you also will risk being fined if caught.
 

David_AVD

Grandpa Elf
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I have a street light on the corner of my yard and honestly it doesn't really affect the display much at all. Once you get some LED lights up I think you'll find there is still plenty of contrast for a good display.
 

zeph

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I have heard of people putting a LED above the (usually top facing) light sensor, to turn off the light during shows. It would be mostly invisible, just a two conductor cable going up the post. It would fail soft (no power = normal operation). No lasers. And most of the street lights I've seen have been individually controlled (yours may not be).


That said, I've never tried this only read about it, and you need to consider your own area's ordinances and enforcement. You could also try running this past your council - an attachment like that (at not expense to them) which can be so easily removed leaving no damage or impairment, might fly better than removing the whole light.
 

SmartAlecLights

Im a SmartAlec what can i say!
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OK i'll say the stupid idea, but it will work..
get that old fling shot out of the draw an start shooting at the light..
clean up the mess afterwards.
an knowing the power company it'll take them a month to replace it..

i did say it was a stupid idea..
 

AAH

I love blinky lights :)
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Eaglehawk
I have a streetlight out the front of my place but you can barely notice it. The factory over the road with multiple kW of security lights floods my yard with enough light that you can read by it. The factory does look after me a bit during blinky season though. During December the bread delivery trucks all get parked onsite rather than out on the street blocking 1 lane of a night.
 

chilloutdocdoc

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Central Florida
One story I've heard of and do not reccommend:

User opened up access panel to streetlight, found simple wire running from power in ground to light up top, wired a switch in series, turns the light on and off at their choosing.

Usual Disclaimer, none of these are smart ideas.
 

fasteddy

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The issue with the majority of street lights in Australia is the the sensor will control a whole section of street lights, so anything that is to do with defeating the sensor itself will bring attention as you will knock out the whole street and maybe the next street as well.

The best thing is to actually see how it affects your display and if this is a major issue then contact the council telling them of you plan to temporary disable the light. If you have a council thats supports Christmas lighting then they may be good about it, otherwise im not liking your chances of doing anything above board and getting the light switched off.

But RGB LEDs are far brighter than normal lighting so i doubt this will be as big an issue as you may think.
 

ԆцряєсϮ

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Botanic Ridge
Good luck..... We had issues with a light outside our kids bedroom, it was lighting up the whole room like daylight, All the council will do is push you to the elec distrib and claim its their area and the elec distrib will push you back to the council and so on it goes...... round and round..

;) Funnily enough its been nearly 2 1/2 years since that light failed and it still hasn't been repaired ;)

I think they will only repair them if they are reported, your area may be different.

ps. Most light poles have a set of terminals and a fuse behind the panel although this should only be accessed by suitably qualified and licenced personell. :eek:
 

Christmas on Clarafield

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It's interesting to see how many different options there are. I guess trying to get a deflector put on the light in front of our place might be the best option given that its about 4m high and right in the centre of the yard.
 

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ԆцряєсϮ

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It will depend on the council/distrib co and the type of light fitting.
We were bounced between the two for 3 months only to be finally told that there were no reflectors that fit the type of fitting in our estate ???
It was about this time that the light mysteriously stopped working... go figure!
 

Brownie

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Forest Lake
Depending on the type of street light a shroud can be fitted to the outside of the light. The local council may do this if a complaint has been made about light. Maybe give them a try and explain the situation, they maybe understanding.
Otherwise you could look at attaching something to the outside (like a studio light) that can be removed or adjusted to just block out the light in the desired direction that you require. Keeping in mind that it will need to be made of something that can take a bit of heat from the light. Also the council, electricity company or the law may not take it kindly if you modify or damage their infrastructure.
Ben
 

aussiexmas

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Brisbane - Australia
I have a street light right on my corner. (see Pic) Initially I considered of ways to disable it. Our street lights are powered from underground power and each has an individual sensor. (You can confirn this on any street section as each light powers up at slightly different times.) My original plan was to mount a small 12V garden lamp above the sensor and control this lamp by LOR. I actually bought what I thought would be a suitable lamp, but never got around to installing it.

During my show, the street light does not create a major problem. I guess by now my lights are bright enough to not be worried by a street light. However, I do find the light annoying when taking photos. As this light is powered from underground power, the wires run up the pole inside a metal column. It has an access panel on the base with a cover attached by special screws (allen head with pin in centre). By modifying these screws to allow opening, I can now remove the panel. Inside is a simple switch to isolate the light, so I can now turn the light on/off as required. For 2011, I ran with the light on except for a few times when taking photos. With the large number of people watching the show, particularly children, and the continual crossing and recrossing of the road, I had serious reservations on the potential legal consequences if someone was injured and I had turned out the street light.

I will be continuing to run with the street light ON.

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