When warmer days come, every owner of a balcony or terrace begins to spend much more time. We also tried to arrange this space, so that staying there was pure pleasure. However, when we know that there is not enough light on our balcony to be able to spend evenings there comfortably, we wonder how to hang a lamp there and what to choose to create a pleasant atmosphere.
We usually hang lamps on our balconies around Christmas time, when we are in the habit of decorating our homes and gardens. However, more and more often during the spring and summer we come to the conclusion that creating a pleasant atmosphere with additional light on the balcony is also a good idea.
To begin with, we must consider what type of lighting we need? Is it a single larger source of light, for example in the form of a lamp standing on a table or wall mounted wall sconce, which will allow us to spend long evenings with a book among the beautiful balcony flowers? Or maybe we want to create a gentle glow illuminating the flowers and here it will be enough to use wireless solar lamps, attached to the balustrade or directly in the pots?
Or maybe you bet on small lamps or bulbs on a cord wrapped around the railing? Regardless of what you choose, you must remember that these lamps are adapted to outdoor conditions.
It is unacceptable to install indoor lighting outside – it can be highly dangerous. Lamps for the balcony should be made of suitable materials and meet specialized safety standards. Their indicator is the IP rating, which in the case of terrace or balcony lighting should be a minimum of IP44, although it can obviously be more.
When we talk about Christmas lights, we do not have to report their installation anywhere. However, all other interventions sometimes require permission from the housing community to which we belong. Therefore, if it is required in our cooperative, we must report the installation of lights and obtain permission for this. If you are not sure what it looks like at your place, just contact the administration.
You have decided that you want to install a pendant lamp or wall sconce, you have already received permission for this and bought it? Great! Now you can get to work, but if you are not an electrician by training, we encourage you to have an electrician do the lamp installation. Remember that working with electricity, in addition at height can be dangerous, and improper installation of lighting can lead to tragedy.
However, if the lights you have chosen do not require connection to the power grid, you can install them yourself. If you have opted for plug-in cotton balls or incandescent lights, wrap them around the banister or rungs. The situation is even simpler when you have chosen solar lights, which you can simply stick into flower pots or attach to railings with cable ties. Larger lamps, for example, free-standing ones, may need to be fixed to the ground, which you can do with the included screws.
main photo: unsplash.com/Hédi Benyounes
