# Street Light help!!!



## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

This probably isn't much help, but know that you're not alone with this problem. I have two streetlights coming into my property from two different directions (I live on a corner lot). My hope this year is to use them to my haunt benefit. There's one that causes long shadows from the pine trees. I hope to hang a giant web between two of those trees this year. It ought to make for a cool web shadow effect if it works out. I'm planning on having the fog machine pumping through the other streetlight's glare, which similarly should have a cool-looking effect. Both of these ideas are up in the air until this storm passes, but that's the plan: to try to use the lights to my benefit. ?


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## guitarist155 (Sep 25, 2007)

There are ways to defeat streetlights, such as lasers into the photo cells, the cells sometimes have shields to prevent lights from the ground from interfering. additionally, if anything should happen such as an injury things could get complicated really fast as to why the streetlight wasn't on. 

If this is an overhead power pole mounted streetlight, i would not go anywhere near it with any type of pole or shield. power could arc over to your pole or whatever you would be using to attach it. even if you do not make direct contact with a line it can kill. sadly there is very little that can be done, but the only real option is to block the light from inside your own property, including any right-of-way. be careful to not violate sightline laws or structure laws though.


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## Cephus404 (Oct 13, 2017)

It is illegal to directly counteract a streetlight. You can do things on your own property, but you cannot put a bucket over the light or do anything to turn it off. You will get fined or arrested, especially if something bad happens because of your actions.


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## kidatheart (Sep 28, 2016)

Anyone out there have anything they have done on their own property to counter this effect?


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## vinny186 (Aug 27, 2009)

This guy called his electricity supplier, they have a way to shield or redirect the light. It won't do you much good this year but perhaps for next year.








Get rid of street lamp light - LEGALLY! - Beginners Forum (No astrophotography) - Cloudy Nights


Page 1 of 3 - Get rid of street lamp light - LEGALLY! - posted in Beginners Forum (No astrophotography): I have found this to be a rather touchy subject to say the least, but after reading another post I tried a suggested stated there to get rid of the pesky light coming from the street lamp...




www.cloudynights.com


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## vinny186 (Aug 27, 2009)




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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I like the laser idea but if they're light sensitive wouldn't it just come back on after a few minutes, especially after dark?


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## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Every year. Every single year.

The folks that posted about the laser disabling - that actually could be dangerous, please don't try that. If you accidentally shined a laser into the sky when a airplane/craft happened to be passing? That's like federal time if they catch you and even if you don't blind the pilots. LASERS AIMED UPWARDS = BAD. PLEASE don't do this. (and you'd need to stand out there all freaking night hitting that sensor every 5 minutes so it's really not going to work anyway)

Do not try to damage/laser or otherwise disable/block a streetlight. Plant something ASAP that may provide a bit more shade in your yard in a few years, but remember: your yard display is NOT more important than the safety of all the children/adults/animals that will be out and crossing the streets that night. There will be lots more traffic on the roads too, as the thing to do in most suburban neighborhoods is to drive their children around the block to get to each house... so LOTS of kids on the street in costumes, parents or siblings driving LOTS of vehicles... The last thing anyone would want to do is cause someone injury (and possibly get sued/fined) for trying to block light that is meant to be there to make sure people can see when out at night.

Work with the light. Get some large gels and a frame (like a window frame with a red or blue plastic that still lets light through, that you can boost up to light level) that make it cast an orange or blue glow but only towards your actual yard. Put something on that side of your yard that needs lots of light like a small group of funny tombstones that would make sense to be lighted well to read them.


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## guitarist155 (Sep 25, 2007)

Just as a clarification, I was posting it as a why not to do it (hopefully my post read that way) As it was bound to come up. I remember all the threads from years past. Once again I will say. Stay away from the streetlights, power lines and the poles. And do what ever you want to within your property, but do not block sight lines for the street either.


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## ReelSore (Jan 19, 2015)

There a re always lots of different laws depending where you live. Here in SC, I put a black trash bag over ours. No issues yet but I also don’t worry about much. I don’t worry about people getting hurt, if I did I wouldn’t do any kind of haunt. I think it really depends on the atmosphere at which you live around; as in the type of people around you.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

We live on a dead end street, both ends, it's not even the length of a football field, 13 houses in total, & there's only one street into our street. We're pretty well lit on the whole street so I don't worry about traffic or cars roaring up & down the road.

Ours is on a power pole, across the street in the neighbor's yard & it's like daylight every single night in our front yard.

Its the kind that comes on at dusk but it will even come on during those days when you have a heavy storm come through. Even if I did get it to shut off with a laser, I'm pretty sure it would just come back on.

There's no way to paint it either since it's about 20 feet up on a power pole next to the power lines & not in my yard. I'd be very happy if it were gone & if it ever goes out I'm not reporting it to our town. It didn't used to be so bright but in the last 10 years they changed it to a brighter light. I hate it.

If I planted a tree next to it it would probably work but it's not on my property & even if a random tree grew there, the power company would come through & cut it back around the lines since they prune the trees back every year to make sure they don't take down the power lines.

The thing I've always wanted to try was to use a super bright spot light & shine it up on to the sensor. I've never tried it but it seems a better option than taking a plane down with a laser.


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

Spooky cut outs in the path of the lights so the lights cast creepy shadows over the graveyard.


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## vinny186 (Aug 27, 2009)

RCIAG said:


> I like the laser idea but if they're light sensitive wouldn't it just come back on after a few minutes, especially after dark?


The laser would have to be held in place somehow.


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## heresjohnny (Feb 20, 2006)

I have a light on the corner of my lot that was replaced with a bright light a few years ago. I built a screen that is on a pole that filters enough light so the yard looks good, still lets enough light through to see, and only filters the light into my yard.I set a pole mount in concrete so the screen is securely mounted and cannot touch the light or fall over, but capped and covered with grass the rest of the year. I also have colored lights on the path to my door so the TOTs can see the sidewalk.


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## kidatheart (Sep 28, 2016)

Interesting re: screen concept...I have been tpying with that option. I had a moment of brilliance this week...those feather signs come about 15ft tall. Wondering if 2 of them in black would work...


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## Lonnie (Jul 19, 2018)

I know it's too late now but what I did was call the electric company when they put a new light in on the streetlight across our house. It lit our house up almost like daylight. I told them the light was shining into my bedroom and no matter what I did it could not block out all of the light. it took 4 or 5 calls and took about a month overall but they finally came out and loosened the head and twisted it to where it was off our house. Now it's nice and dark for halloween nights. Remember squeaky wheel gets the grease.


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## Bluesdaddy (Sep 18, 2014)

kidatheart said:


> hey there a couple hey there a couple of years back they replace the street light in front of my house with a much more brighter LED light. Around that same time frame I had to have two trees taken down so now the light shines all through my front yard and graveyard. Last year I bought the biggest inflatable I could find and that still didn't help. I thought about various things but I wanted something easy that wouldn't cause people to call the cops. Any ideas out there would be appreciated. One year I even tried to counter the light with other colored lights and it still didn't really work. If there's some way I could attached like a metal shield around where the light points towards my house with really strong magnets that would work and it's removable. The other thing I was thinking about was getting a piece of black cloth and using PVC mount it like a screen to block the light from my property without even touching the street light. I'm all out of ideas please help


All you can really do is to learn to work with the street lights. Watch how your shadows fall, and work with LED spot lights to highlight the things you want to be seen.


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## BobbyA (Aug 20, 2010)

I have that problem too, and didn't want the liability of taking out the light completely. What I tried that didn't work was a "flag" to block just the light falling on my proerty. I used fishing line to make a old fashioned clothes line loop, from my roof to the light (see picture). That worked until a strong wind blew it out of position. The next thing I tried worked. I used thick aluminum tape (the kind they seal a/c ducting with). I made a loop with the sticky side out, then used three 10 foot pieces of conduit (2 metal 1 pvc)) to place the tape loop on the light lens so it casts a shadow on on my property. Don't be afraid to use a couple pieces to cover the area you need. The loop is so I could go back after and snag the loop to remove the tape. Hope this helps.


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## kidatheart (Sep 28, 2016)

Interesting re: screen concept...I have been tpying with that option. I had a moment of brilliance this week...those feather signs come about 15ft tall. Wondering if 2 of them in black would work...


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## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

Forgive the thread resurrection, but I'm happy to announce that at least one of the two streetlights that were a Halloween bother here in previous years rarely lights up anymore. Actually, I've noticed this in other parts of town too, so I am guessing it might be a city cost-cutting measure? Whatever the reason, I suspect I'll be able to give the yard a creepier ambience this Halloween if the streetlamp situation stays the same come October.


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## Lonnie (Jul 19, 2018)

Tasty Brains said:


> Forgive the thread resurrection, but I'm happy to announce that at least one of the two streetlights that were a Halloween bother here in previous years rarely lights up anymore. Actually, I've noticed this in other parts of town too, so I am guessing it might be a city cost-cutting measure? Whatever the reason, I suspect I'll be able to give the yard a creepier ambience this Halloween if the streetlamp situation stays the same come October.


are they turning kinda purplish? if they are then maybe the bulbs are getting worn out.


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## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

Lonnie said:


> are they turning kinda purplish? if they are then maybe the bulbs are getting worn out.


I was wondering about that too. For a while, the lamp would dim out and then come back on minutes later, and then dim out again. Now it seems to stay out. Either way, I'm hoping it stays good and dark for my Halloween plans.


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## Paul Melniczek (Jun 5, 2009)

If it flickers on and off like the ones they sell, that would be a plus!


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## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

A few years back our street lights did that too. If you watched out your window long enough you’d see them individually go out periodically and then I guess when they cooled down(?) would come back on. Street was a patchwork of lightness and darkness depending on what was working as time went on. Our city was in the process of switching out to LED lighting and guess didn’t want to replace anything that was going on the fritz and going to be replaced anyway.

As we also have a street light near our driveway entrance to our yard (the bane of my “dark” yard display) I was very nervous about LED lighting. The main street corridor lighting ended up being brighter than residential. What they put in, while a whiter kind of light I’d say, was all aimed downwards and the lamps had shades directing all light straight down. LED light will generally not spread so much without reflectors or such. The result when they were done with our street was actually way darker at night and I even commented that people were going to have to add security lighting now at their homes. 

OP hopefully something similar will happen with your city. Happy camper now. Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be when you want a spooky yard.


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