black lights

Black Wire Patio String Lights

Available with candelabra (E12), intermediate (E17), and medium (E26) bases, black wire patio string lights have either in-line or suspended sockets. In-line sockets are close to the main wire and are a good choice for covering shorter distances or as a temporary installation. Suspended sockets resemble small pendant lights, with the socket and bulb hanging below the main wire. These strings are preferred for permanent installations or runs that span a longer distance. Each socket has an eyelet at the top to allow you to add a guy wire (or guy-line) to help reinforce the sting and prevent sagging.

Black wire patio light strings can be used with incandescent or LED bulbs. Popular choices include S14, A15, globes, and vintage antique bulbs. When deciding which bulbs to use, you will need to consider the wattage. Patio lights have a maximum wattage, or the total wattage the string can handle, that cannot be exceeded. For instance, a 15 socket sting with a maximum wattage of 1,200 Watts means that each bulb can use up to 80 Watts (1,200 divided by 15 is 80). If you plan on connecting two strings together, the max wattage for the run stays the same and the individual bulb wattage decreases to 40 Watts spread over 30 sockets. Go with LED bulbs for long runs or to take the math out of your installation preparations as they use far less power than incandescents.

Decorating Ideas and Tips

Black wire patio string lights can be used for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor lighting projects. Add lights to your covered patio or gazebo by hanging strings from overhead beams. If youre handy at DIY projects, you can make light posts using planters and wood poles to run lights around a picnic table, fire pit, or outdoor sitting area. Patio string lights can even be strung across the yard to provide soft lighting during your next outdoor barbeque. For weddings, drape lights behind food and cake tables to create a stunning backdrop or hang multiple strings over the dance floor for beautiful ambient lighting.

To get the most out of your patio lights, keep these helpful tips in mind. Dont wrap patio string lights around trees or columns. The bulbs risk breaking if knocked into a hard surface by the wind. You should avoid draping lights though tree branches as well. For permanent outdoor installations, use bulbs that are wet location rated. These bulbs are designed to withstand direct contact with water and other weather. Damp location rated bulbs can used outdoors temporarily, but should be taken down once you are done using the lights unless if used under cover in a permanent installation where protected from direct contact with water.

Need help deciding which bulbs are best for your black wire patio light string project? Call 1-800-624-4488 today to speak with one of our outdoor lighting experts!

Black Lights

What is a Black Light?

A black light is a bulb that emits ultra-violet (UV-A) light and not much visible light. A bulb can either use a filter to block most visible light and only allow ultraviolet light through or it can produce ultraviolet light and limited light in the visible spectrum. When you think of black lights, youre probably thinking of the first kind. Black lights with the blue filter coating are called blacklight blue or BLB by manufacturers. The filter causes these bulbs to look purple or dark blue even when turned off. The second kind can look like a standard fluorescent tube. These black lights are labeled blacklight or BL since they lack the blue filter that gives the first type the name. BL black light bulbs tend to skew more towards a blue light than purple and are made for use in bug zapper insect traps.

What Glows Under Black Light?

Ultra-violet light causes some materials to glow or fluoresce, which is brought out by blocking most of the light in the visible spectrum. Youve probably been to a bowling alley or college party that used black lights to make clothing glow. White and neon colors react the best, especially orange, yellow, pink, and green.

Black light bulbs are used to authenticate oil paintings, some antiques, and catch counterfeit currency. There are also inks and dyes that contain fluorescent ink that can invisibly mark items, which can be used for anything from passing secret notes to marking items to be recognizable if stolen. Invisible ink is also used by some childrens party centers to stamp a parents hand to a matching number on their childs to prevent adults from leaving with a child they did not bring to the event. There are also some plants and animals that glow under UV light including some species of scorpions and fungi.

Shapes and Types of Black Light Bulbs

Black lights can be fluorescent tubes, CFLs, mercury-vapor lamps, incandescent, or LED. The first black light was created by using a UV filter called Woods glass over the bulb. Since then more efficient sources have come to light. Incandescent bulbs do not produce much light in the ultraviolet spectrum, but they remain the most economic option. Fluorescent black lights, whether as a spiral CFL or a black light tube light typically use a special phosphor that emits UV-A light instead of visible white light. The dark blue outer coating filters out much of the remaining visible light so that the fluorescence effects of the bulbs can be better observed. Black lights come in many different shapes and sizes, like the spiral shape of CFL bulbs and the A-shape or tubular shape of incandescents. Black tube lights have the same sizing designation as linear fluorescent or LED tubes, with the number after the T signifying the tubes diameter in eighths of an inch. So, a T8 tube has the same 1-inch diameter as a standard T8.

Black Lights

What is a Black Light?

A black light is a bulb that emits ultra-violet (UV-A) light and not much visible light. A bulb can either use a filter to block most visible light and only allow ultraviolet light through or it can produce ultraviolet light and limited light in the visible spectrum. When you think of black lights, youre probably thinking of the first kind. Black lights with the blue filter coating are called blacklight blue or BLB by manufacturers. The filter causes these bulbs to look purple or dark blue even when turned off. The second kind can look like a standard fluorescent tube. These black lights are labeled blacklight or BL since they lack the blue filter that gives the first type the name. BL black light bulbs tend to skew more towards a blue light than purple and are made for use in bug zapper insect traps.

What Glows Under Black Light?

Ultra-violet light causes some materials to glow or fluoresce, which is brought out by blocking most of the light in the visible spectrum. Youve probably been to a bowling alley or college party that used black lights to make clothing glow. White and neon colors react the best, especially orange, yellow, pink, and green.

Black light bulbs are used to authenticate oil paintings, some antiques, and catch counterfeit currency. There are also inks and dyes that contain fluorescent ink that can invisibly mark items, which can be used for anything from passing secret notes to marking items to be recognizable if stolen. Invisible ink is also used by some childrens party centers to stamp a parents hand to a matching number on their childs to prevent adults from leaving with a child they did not bring to the event. There are also some plants and animals that glow under UV light including some species of scorpions and fungi.

Shapes and Types of Black Light Bulbs

Black lights can be fluorescent tubes, CFLs, mercury-vapor lamps, incandescent, or LED. The first black light was created by using a UV filter called Woods glass over the bulb. Since then more efficient sources have come to light. Incandescent bulbs do not produce much light in the ultraviolet spectrum, but they remain the most economic option. Fluorescent black lights, whether as a spiral CFL or a black light tube light typically use a special phosphor that emits UV-A light instead of visible white light. The dark blue outer coating filters out much of the remaining visible light so that the fluorescence effects of the bulbs can be better observed. Black lights come in many different shapes and sizes, like the spiral shape of CFL bulbs and the A-shape or tubular shape of incandescents. Black tube lights have the same sizing designation as linear fluorescent or LED tubes, with the number after the T signifying the tubes diameter in eighths of an inch. So, a T8 tube has the same 1-inch diameter as a standard T8.