Rural yard lights
hey arnold
JmG
>|is everyone just paranoid
Yes.
J
--
Be a Mensch. Everything else is commentary. [www.bongoboy.com]
Michael
hey arnold <> wrote in
I get so sick of all these yard lights burning all night long, seems like
everybody has at least 1 of these things, is everyone just paranoid or do
they not realize yard lights make it more inviting for a burglar? I keep my
property completely dark and IF I need to go outside after dark I just turn
the lights on........novel concept hugh.
Man, do I agree with you. Came home from a business trip a few months ago
and my wife had not one but three of these "street lights" installed around
the place. The one behind the house keeps being shot out by some of those
chronic trasspassers we recently had a thread about. Might have been some
hunters though. Got to catch those "kids" or "hunters" one of these days.
mjb
Harry K
> On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 02:46:25 GMT, "hey arnold" <ocean...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >|is everyone just paranoid
>
>
> Yes.
>
>
> J
I really appreciate people leaving their lights on. That just calls
out to the bad boys "hey guys, here I am. I'm all lit up so you don't
trip over anything, come on over". Keeps them out of my dark place.
Security? No way. The home owner is in bed asleep and knows nothing
about what is happening outside. Case in point, my neighbor lost a
new 4x4 PU with a full load of professional tools. Where was it
parked? Right outside his bedroom window UNDER the yardlight. I
should have thanked him. If it hadn't been for his yard light, it
would have been my truck missing. To really highlight the point, I am
right on the highway, They had to make their way up a narrow 100 yard
drive to get to his truck. If it hadn't been for the light, they
would probably never have known the place was there.
Harry K
C. Brunner
town, visiting with some acquaintances over a pot-luck dinner. They
were asking us about our house, which is 18 miles from town and
situated in the middle of our 150 acres of wooded land (hardwoods,
small food plots, creek bottoms, ponds.) The surrounding acreage is
all undeveloped land, managed by timber companies for pulpwood. A
county road runs along one border of our property, and it's the only
access.
One of the partigoers was concerned that someone was hanging around
*her* rural house--her porch light had been turned on, and she knew
she had left it "off" that morning. Her husband was out of town, and
she was afraid of being alone. She wondered what I did when I was
home alone, at the end of our half-mile driveway.
I said we had a sturdy gate at the end of that driveway, and we kept
it locked. Somebody said, yeah, burglers love that--you let 'em know
you're not home (or are home alone), because that's when you lock the
gate. I said, no, we keep the gate locked **all the time**--whether
we're home or not. One of the women looked at me, shocked, and said,
"Why do you do that?" I said, so I know that when a car drives up to
the house, it's either my husband, or the meter-reader (whose truck is
marked), or it's somebody who shouldn't be there, and I react
accordingly. Someone else said, "So, nobody can just drive up to your
place to visit you unannounced, you know, to have a beer?" I said,
no, we'd rather not have unannounced visitors driving all the way in
the driveway to the house. Also, the driveway was full of curves and
blind corners, and we already knew deliverymen (and construction
workers) were hesitant to drive the whole length when they couldn't
see what was coming around the next bend. That was good (I thought),
because it further discouraged explorers.
The group looked at me with a mix of sympathy and amazement. I
muttered something about "guessing we were just unsociable," and
conversation drifted to other topics. As we left the party, one of
the other women patted my shoulder and said, "Just like Jodi Foster."
At first I felt pretty smug, because I thought she meant Jodi Foster,
the tough FBI agent in "Silence of the Lambs." Then, I remembered the
new movie, "Panic Room," where she locks herself in and ends up being
trapped.
The incident has been bothering me ever since. Not that I think we
need approval of others to "ratify" our lifestyle....what bothers me
is the suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against
society. It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
C. Brunner
Jeepers!
> It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
> want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
> bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
>
> C. Brunner
Nope, not at all. I like the part about taking showers outside after getting
dirty and sweaty. We have a shower set up complete with soap dish, who needs
a towel, by the time I get back to the porch the wind has dried me off.
--
TO EXERCISE OR NOT TO EXERCISE
I don't exercise at all. If God meant us to touch our toes, he would have
put them further up our body.
Jeff Stehman
reason to give criminals a beacon to home in on. They can provide their
own lights. However, I do like the idea of letting the criminals get
right into the middle of everything and then hitting the floodlights. :-)
--Jeff Stehman
Goedjn
Sounds to me like the difference is less the kind of
criminal than the kind of "rural". People can see
your house from the road? And there's enough traffic
so it matters? What kind of rural is that? :-p
> >I don't like them because they make me feel insecure. I don't see any
> >reason to give criminals a beacon to home in on.
>
> Y'all have different criminals than we do. I don't have a light because
> I like to stargaze, and I have good night vision. And I have dogs,
> irregular hours, and a good relationship wit the police to help
> matters. But the bad guys around here prefer unlit houses they can
> stalk around without being seen from the road or by an inquisitive
> neighbor.
Michael
C. Brunner <bru...@vetmed.auburn.edu> wrote
> The incident has been bothering me ever since.
Don't let it.
Not that I think we
> need approval of others to "ratify" our lifestyle....what bothers me
> is the suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against
> society. It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
> want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
> bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
Don't worry about your situation worry about the other party goers.
mjb
Michael
B.B. Bean <>
> Not in the least. Like you, I don't much like unannounced visitors, and
> really enjoy my privacy. Even if I don't do it very often, I like the
> idea that I could dance buck naked in the yard and not disturb or be
> disturbed by anyone else.
The one my wife tells on me is going to chlorine the pool (now it's
automatic) after dinner and coming in soaking wet with almost dry shorts. I
have to be clothed to come back in the house (daughters don't you know) but
skinny dipping is one of life's great small pleasures.
Offbreed
> The incident has been bothering me ever since. Not that I think we
> need approval of others to "ratify" our lifestyle....what bothers me
> is the suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against
> society. It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
> want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
> bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
Better make sure which she meant, though you are probably right.
"Panic room" (snort). A term of ridicule to prejudice the ignorant and
brainless.
You sound reasonable to me. Then again, I normally hang out over in
misc.survivalism.
I DON'T want anyone just stopping by for a beer. If I want company,
I'll get on the phone or radio and talk to someone, and either ask
them over or see if I can go there.
Nor do I want any more missionaries or magazine salesmen.
AIrons2431
>we're home or not.
What have a right to do what you wish and you shouldn't let anyone make you
feel like you are strange for doing so. I don't like unannounced visitors
either. But, have you ever thought what would happen if there was medical
emergency or a fire? It would take extra time to cut the gate open, if they
even had the equipment to do so.
Ann
Ecnerwal
> emergency or a fire? It would take extra time to cut the gate open, if they
> even had the equipment to do so
Hype, pure and simple.
In the truly "emergency" medical emergencies most of us rural dwellers
will end up dead - transport time is too long, as well as ambulance
getting there time. 30 seconds to fiddle with the gate is not going to
be what does you in. Mostly, if there's anyone to call the ambulance,
they can also open the gate well before the ambulance even gets close.
There are few gates that will make any sort of successful resistance to
a fire truck bumper (however, firetrucks also always have lots of
cutting tools which are nearly as quick, and don't scratch up the truck).
If you're having a medical emergency all alone behind a locked gate and
manage to get on the phone to call for help, just ask them to send a
fire truck to get the gate open for the ambulance.
BarefootinDD
first moved in this house, there were two of them in the yard and one was right
outside the bedroom window. I had the electric company turn them off. The guy
who owns the house next door (that would be the house no one has lived in for
FIVE YEARS) still has one in that yard.
My brother lives in the big city. He was out here a month or so ago, walked
outside and said, "Wow, I haven't seen stars like this in forever. Guess all
that light pollution blocked them out and I didn't realize it."
dd
SpOoKNP
<< The incident has been bothering me ever since. Not that I think we need
approval of others to "ratify" our lifestyle....what bothers me is the
suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against society. It
bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to want to live out by
yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you? >>
My friend's grandparents had a gate in a small acre lot they had just outside
Indy (not rural at all). Never locked, but always shut. It is a deterrence
and when I get a home I wouldn't mind making it part of my home. You have
shut out society cause society is FUCKED now more than ever. A lot of people
will say "Bad things happened in the past.", but I am not so sure. I think
there are a lot more crimes that go unreported or maybe unknown more now than
ever before. Also, my girlfriend went to visit a friend in Florida over
spring break. Said that EVERYONE has gates in this town (it's a big, well
known city in the north...just can't think of the name right now). Guess down
there it's no so wierd.
Woodswun
>
>The incident has been bothering me ever since. Not that I think we
>need approval of others to "ratify" our lifestyle....what bothers me
>is the suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against
>society. It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
>want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
>bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
My thinking is that it makes a whole lot more sense to lock up when you're
home than when you're not, unless you value your stuff more than you do
yourself - and I think placing more value on stuff than your own safety/peace
of mind is what I'd consider weird.
Woods
Offbreed
> I get so sick of all these yard lights burning all night long, seems
> like everybody has at least 1 of these things, is everyone just paranoid
> or do they not realize yard lights make it more inviting for a burglar?
> I keep my property completely dark and IF I need to go outside after
> dark I just turn the lights on........
This sounds like a good idea. Looks like noone has commented on it
since 1997.
http://www.scatmat.com/Products/Scarecrow/index.asp?pcontent=overview
There is a link to some testimonials, including what happens when a
deer walks in front of it and gets a shot of water to the side of the
head at 8 inches.
This could also be neat to hook up to a yard light and a camera so you
could see who just got squirted.
Never tried it. Have no use for it where I am. Just thought it was
humorous.
Larry Caldwell
> Oh yea, I also like astronomy and the darn yard lights pollute the night skies. DOC
The yard light is full tonight, and will be on most of the night. In two
weeks it will be out, so the stars will be bright.
JmG
wrote:
>|It bothers me that so many people think it's so *weird* to
>|want to live out by yourself, in peace and quiet, without being
>|bothered by other people. Y'all don't think that's so weird, do you?
Nope. Not weird at all.
>|C. Brunner
Sylvia Steiger
> is the suggestion that we've created our own personal fortress against
> society.
And that would be a bad thing why?
--
Sylvia Steiger RN BS, who relies mostly on a good border collie but has
a loaded handgun ready
Remove "removethis" from address to reply
http://SteigerFamily.com
Cheyenne WY, USDA zone 5a, Sunset zone 1a
Home of the Wyoming Wind Festival, January 1-December 31!
Sylvia Steiger
House about 1/4 mile from the gate, wife very ill, he kept the gate
locked -- I don't know him well enough to know why. She developed
problems one night, he called the ambulance but couldn't leave her to go
open the gate. I don't know how they got in but I do know that was the
last time he locked the gate.
--
Sylvia Steiger RN BS
Chuck Simmons
>
> In article <56Kx8.11794$Y57.32...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com>,
> ocean...@hotmail.com writes:
>
> > Oh yea, I also like astronomy and the darn yard lights pollute the night skies. DOC
>
> The yard light is full tonight, and will be on most of the night. In two
> weeks it will be out, so the stars will be bright.
I did not even smirk. There is no humor in the above. A friend of mine
has a 26.5 inch Ritchie-Cretien telescope on his property in the
foothills of the Sangre De Christe Mountains. To protect it from idiots
with yard lights, he has bought key properties around his to avoid close
development. Still, my heart sinks when I step outside the observatory
building and see the San Louis Valley alight for as far as the eye can
see.
Many years ago, I worked for a major observatory that has its major
resources atop Kitt Peak (no, I did not work for AURA). There was a rule
that, at night, headlights could not be used the last mile to the summit
when driving up to work on a telescope emergency. It is mostly indian
land around there. The nearest objectionable light was the city of
Tucson miles away. The desert below the peak was dark.
My own interest in observational astronomy waxes and wanes but in the
1980's, it waxed and I had the horror of a mercury vapor street light
within 100 feet. Technology to the rescue. I found a laser disk player
for just $10 at a junk store and removed the laser. The laser could be
aimed at the skylight sensor of the street light from a second story
window. Thus I was able to turn off the abomination whenever I wanted.
A friend of mine moved into the country recently. I went to his house
and was horrified to see one of those awful lights that the power
companies install but will never remove. At work, a few weeks later, my
friend said he wanted to buy a telescope and asked me what he should
get. I told him to save his money since he could not possibly use a
telescope at his house. He said the light made his wife feel more
secure. I asked which did more for security, the light or his German
Shepherd dog.
I happen to know a couple of FBI field agents because one of them is the
sister of my oldest friend. At the time, I was living in a rural place
and my neighbors and I never used outisde lighting except when we were
outside doing things that required light. Thus my area was very dark at
night. I asked the FBI acquaintances what they thought of the security
situation. They said the dark was my friend.
I am in the city again and I live in a rough neighborhood. I should move
but I considered this temporary since three years ago my contract was
for less than a year of work so I went for cheap while living away from
"home." More than once there has been shooting in the parking lot of my
apartment. My instincts never change. I hear a shot and I clear the sofa
in a leap on my way to kill the lights.
When I visit my friend in the foothills of the Sangre De Christo, the
last smoke of the evening is a pleasure. The house is dark and blocks
the view of the San Louis Valley. My friend's Great Pyrenees Dog often
joins me. I hear his heavy tread and I can just see him if I take a hard
drag on the cigarette. The mountains are silhouetted by the stars and
the Milky Way is bright. This is surely what makes night a very special
time.
Chuck
--
... The times have been,
That, when the brains were out,
the man would die. ... Macbeth
Chuck Simmons chr...@webaccess.net
Jeepers!
>
We have a yard light, switched for our star viewing pleasure. It allows me
to see the coyotes at the coop and cows in the yard (where they are not
allowed) and the tractor engine at night. It attracts bullbats and bats,
too. We get charged for it's use whether it is or not.
--
RANDOM THOUGHT FEED©
When confronted by a difficult problem, you can solve it more easily by
reducing it to the question, "How would the Lone Ranger handle this?"
Janet Baraclough
from Sylvia Steiger <mamasylvia...@canada.com> contains
these words:
> I actually know someone that had that happen, not too far from us.
> House about 1/4 mile from the gate, wife very ill, he kept the gate
> locked -- I don't know him well enough to know why. She developed
> problems one night, he called the ambulance but couldn't leave her to go
> open the gate. I don't know how they got in but I do know that was the
> last time he locked the gate.
Most people here use gates without hingelocks, for similar reasons.
So even if the gate is padlocked or chained shut at the opening end,
in an emergency the hinge end can be lifted off the hinges and opened
the other direction. It's not quite as secure, but then no locked
gate is totally secure against very determined professional
thieves...they just use boltcutters or a stihlsaw.
Janet.
Ecnerwal
>>weeks it will be out, so the stars will be bright.
>
>
> I did not even smirk. There is no humor in the above.
Really? Do you know which yard light he's talking about? It's been on
for 4.5 billion years or so, and is mounted about 360,000 kM above the
house. Works for my house too - the very same light. Astonomers have
even been known to look at it.
C. Brunner
<mamasylvia...@canada.com> wrote:
>I actually know someone that had that happen, not too far from us.
>House about 1/4 mile from the gate, wife very ill, he kept the gate
>locked -- I don't know him well enough to know why. She developed
>problems one night, he called the ambulance but couldn't leave her to go
>open the gate. I don't know how they got in but I do know that was the
>last time he locked the gate.
I don't know where I heard this (probably here on misc.rural!), but I
heard that crews responding to emergency calls in rural areas
routinely bring a big-mother-of-a-bolt-cutter with them, so gates pose
little problem. Maybe it was one of those volunteer fire-fighters who
hang out here... I do know you could cut the chain on our lock with a
big bolt-cutter, 'cause we've had to do it to replace the lock. The
locked gate is just a deterrent--it's not a preventive. We realize it
won't stop someone who's deadly serious and willing to deal with
whatever is on the other side. It will, however, discourage people
with excessive curiosity and too much time on their hands.
Maybe I'll change my mind if something bad happens. Generally,
though, I believe that people who choose to live in a rural area like
we do assume extra risk when it comes to emergencies. The house would
burn down before the volunteer fire crew arrived, even if the gate was
open. It's not their fault--that's just a fact of rural living for
some people, and you try to plan accordingly.
C. Brunner
C. Brunner
<chr...@webaccess.net> wrote:
>Larry Caldwell wrote:
>>
>> The yard light is full tonight, and will be on most of the night. In two
>> weeks it will be out, so the stars will be bright.
>
>I did not even smirk. There is no humor in the above. A friend of mine
>has a 26.5 inch Ritchie-Cretien telescope on his property in the
>foothills of the Sangre De Christe Mountains. To protect it from idiots
>with yard lights, he has bought key properties around his...
[snip]
Chuck, you've been had. Check the timing.
Chuck Simmons
I think you need to change the light in the belfry. Of course I know!
How utterly ridiculous for you not to realize I know. That particular
one with its 28 day cycle is a major PIA. There is a special name for
when that damned thing does not infest the sky. It is called "dark
time." Observatories around the world charge the most for use of
facilities during dark time. Indeed, dark time without clouds is a
fabulous combination which is too often ruined by idiot lights.
Chuck Simmons
I live in a world that is numb. I noticed a gibbous a couple of days ago
at lunch time that I estimated would be most obnoxious tomorrow night.
Not tonight or last night. My calendar agrees with me. Larry is a full
day or two off and I actually had that in mind at the time. However, in
a fit of maintaining the topic, I stayed on it. Rather unusual for
Usenet but it happens.
Is that the timing you are so damned interested in? I already knew there
was not a full moon the night when I wrote.
Lunarian, one who inhabits the moon.
Lunatic, one whom the moon inhabits.
AB
Larry Caldwell
writes:
> I live in a world that is numb. I noticed a gibbous a couple of days ago
> at lunch time that I estimated would be most obnoxious tomorrow night.
> Not tonight or last night. My calendar agrees with me. Larry is a full
> day or two off and I actually had that in mind at the time.
Ah. You are the kind of fella who can't tell if the moon is full without
an ephemeris. For your makeup quiz, tell us how long a full moon lasts.
You need to get outside more.
As Joe DiMaggio said, "You can see a lot just by lookin'."
Chuck Simmons
The moon is full when the sun, earth and moon are on a nearly straight
line with the earth in the middle. Using the day when this will happen
as the day for full moon is how the day is chosen for calendars. The
moon changes position with respect to the fixed stars by about 13
degrees each day so the calendar definition of full moon is fairly
loose. I don't need an ephemeris to recognize a full moon. At the rate
of 13 degrees per day, only one day shows the whole disk. The moon is
obviously gibbous on the first day either side of full. The ephemeris
will tell you the exact time of a full moon but you were one or two days
off. That is outside of reasonable margin of error.
Frankly, the moon is a problem. The sky is only interesting if the moon
is not up. I love dark time!
Larry Caldwell
writes:
> of 13 degrees per day, only one day shows the whole disk.
A full moon lasts three days.
Chuck Simmons
According too ... ?
I have to point out that this does not have an agreed answer in that I
have always been taught that the full moon lasts but one day. Perhaps I
worked too many years at a major observatory. Perhaps I was greatly
influenced by Bart Bok when he toured my lab on 22nd Street in Tucson
back in 1974 (Bart detested astrology). Perhaps I drove to the top of
Kitt Peak too many nights without using headlights and thus missed that
gem of wisdom. Perhaps I am a perfectionist and will only consider the
moon full upon the instant it crosses the ideal plane through the earth
and sun normal to earth's orbital plane. I actually have a lunar
calendar for 1999 that gives the right ascension of the moon for new,
first and last quarter and full (published by Johnson Books, 1880 S.
57th Court, Peoples Republic of Boulder I mean Boulder, CO). The RA is
given to 1 minute accuracy (roughly 15 arcminutes). That calendar does
not admit to a full moon lasting even three minutes much less three
days.
Even if I admit a bogus definition contrived by whoever, you still
missed by a day in that tonight the moon is full and by you definition
it was not when you wrote. Your three days are properly Friday, Saturday
and Sunday are they not or shall you skew the days to the three
preceeding the full moon?
Whatever ridiculous idea you have, I knew perfectly what you had in mind
with your post.
Voltar
A dumbed down scientific definition of a full moon is when the right
ascention of the moon and sun have a difference of 180 degrees. The moon is
really only full for a very short time. As a matter of fact, two places
that are seperated by more than a few hundred miles East/West don't even
have the same times for a full moon.
Three days?!?! Geeeeeeessss.
Ph
"Larry Caldwell" <lar...@teleport.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1734580de...@news.earthlink.net...
Voltar
Your explaination was better than mine. I tried to over simplify. Good
job!
I'm still wondering how anybody that has lived on the Earth long enough to
learn how to type can come up with three full moons in one month.
Dark skies!
Ph
"Chuck Simmons" <chr...@webaccess.net> wrote in message
news:3CCAE58D...@webaccess.net...
Larry Caldwell
writes:
> A dumbed down scientific definition of a full moon is when the right
> ascention of the moon and sun have a difference of 180 degrees. The moon is
> really only full for a very short time. As a matter of fact, two places
> that are seperated by more than a few hundred miles East/West don't even
> have the same times for a full moon.
> Three days?!?! Geeeeeeessss.
Sigh. Another geek who doesn't have the brains to go outside and look
up.
Chuck Simmons
Do you mean to say that you cannot tell that the moon is not full the
day before a full moon and the day after by looking at it? OK. If you
say so.
Voltar
I don't want to get into a whole thing here (well....maybe I do...), but
just how do you define a "full moon"?
Ph
"Larry Caldwell" <lar...@teleport.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1734c6f24...@news.earthlink.net...
Steve Dunlop
favorite topic of everyone's, these thoughts occur...
[1] Everyone's situation is different. While our farm is most
assuredly in a rural location, it is not secluded. In fact, it is
something of a fishbowl with the house and barn each a
little more then 100 feet from Nerstrand Blvd., this being the
main road from Nerstrand to Cannon City. There's usually
some traffic. We're proud of the place so we don't try to
put up hedges and stuff to mess up the sightlines.
While occasionally someone pulls in with mechanical
problems, or out of gas, or wants to sell us insurance,
a box of steaks (lol), bull semen, insurance, vacuum
cleaners, salvation from sin, siding, painting, or insurance,
we don't have trouble with theives or trespassers.
We don't have a driveway gate. The many gates we have
are there to keep stuff in rather than out.
We do have a perimeter fence, though, and some months
back a neighbor's herd of cows came trotting up the driveway,
and were promptly rounded up since the driveway is the only
cut in the perimeter that doesn't have a gate. We just blocked
it off so he could catch them.
[2] Rural is not necessarily remote. Remote isn't necessary
rural, as there are remote communities that have more of
a tourist, recreation, or retirement culture than a rural one.
Driveway gates seem a lot more popular in communities
with a lot of seasonal or abandoned housing, than they are
here in the heartland.
[3] Yardlights. Unlike most of our neighbors, ours are on
switches and we shut them off when they're not needed.
This is more aesthetic than practical since we could get
HPS lamps that use so little electricity as to be insignificant.
The advantage to the ones that are on all the time, is that
you don't have to go running for the switch to turn them on.
Before the widespread acceptance of x10, it took a lot of
wire to have a light that would switch on and off from the
barn, the shed, and the house. And you still end up in the
dark when you pull into the driveway at night.
Even with x10 you can run a HPS light for a year or two
for the cost of a couple X10 controllers and relays. And
x10 doesn't always work over the larger distances present
at many farms.
[4] For most people I know, at least, the lights aren't there for
security so much as convenience.
[5] As people grow older, night vision deteriorates. So that,
more than habit, is what makes these lights less popular
among 22 year olds.
[6] The sea of yardlights in the night landscape does seem
rather wasteful when viewed from a couple thousand feet,
at night, in a small aircraft.
My two cents
Steve
"hey arnold" <ocean...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:56Kx8.11794$Y57.32...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
I get so sick of all these yard lights burning all night long, seems like
everybody has at least 1 of these things, is everyone just paranoid or do
they not realize yard lights make it more inviting for a burglar? I keep my
property completely dark and IF I need to go outside after dark I just turn
the lights on........novel concept hugh.
Harry K
Several points there but they all seem to come down to just one -
convenience. That is easily solved and much better by simply install
motion detector lights. That is what I use. Benefit there is that
the bad guys just -might- get scared off if a light comes on
unexpectedly. They won't if the light is on all the time. As I
pointed out, a constant on light only helps them, it does nothing for
security.
Harry K
Steve Dunlop
news:751f8d35.02042...@posting.google.com...
>
> Several points there but they all seem to come down to just one -
> convenience. That is easily solved and much better by simply install
> motion detector lights. That is what I use. Benefit there is that
> the bad guys just -might- get scared off if a light comes on
> unexpectedly. They won't if the light is on all the time. As I
> pointed out, a constant on light only helps them, it does nothing for
> security.
>
> Harry K
The motion detectors work poorly enough in town, where they only
last a few years and tend to require a lot of fiddling to keep from picking
up snow, blowing leaves, etc.
The problem for us is that they simply don't cover a wide enough area.
Most of our lights provide reasonable illumination up to 100 feet away
from the light, and the motion detectors don't work to those distances.
So we have ours on regular manual switches.
5 of our outside lights are 300 watt and one is 1500 watt. They're all
halogen so they run at full brightness as soon as they're turned on.
--
Steve
JmG
wrote:
>|The motion detectors work poorly enough in town, where they only
>|last a few years and tend to require a lot of fiddling to keep from picking
>|up snow, blowing leaves, etc.
Never had that problem.
>|The problem for us is that they simply don't cover a wide enough area.
>|Most of our lights provide reasonable illumination up to 100 feet away
>|from the light, and the motion detectors don't work to those distances.
>|So we have ours on regular manual switches.
The motion sensor on the house picks up the car coming up the driveway at
about 100 feet. And, with the sensitivity turned down it gets large humans but
not smaller animals like raccoons, young deer or the coyotes that run through.
>|5 of our outside lights are 300 watt and one is 1500 watt. They're all
>|halogen so they run at full brightness as soon as they're turned on.
Are you landing aircraft? Playing baseball?
Steve Dunlop
baseball and I can no longer afford aircraft.
Different areas have their purposes. One light on
the house, two on the far sides of the barn so we
can see the cows and also see to fill the silo at night,
one that we hardly ever use on a storage building, one
over the fuel pumps, one sort of in the center illuminating
the driveways and parking area, one on the grain bin
used when filling or emptying same (oops that's 7, I
can't count).
The big one is on the machine shed and illuminates an
area we use for repairing equipment during favorable
weather. There's a white building across from it that
serves as a large reflector, so the light is soft and even
despite coming from a single source. It illuminates an
area about 60 feet square well enough to do repair
work without having to carry a drop light around
constantly.
It would never work with motion detectors. All else
aside, the cows would be constantly setting off the ones
by the barn.
Steve
"JmG" <jmgreenATbestweb.net> wrote in message
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