Outdoor string lights

Start with the location, then the model: under a canopy or on a pergola, an outdoor string lights with E27 sockets gives a warm, adjustable light; in a garden without a socket, a solar string light avoids any wiring. This collection brings together outdoor electric string lights for the terrace, garden, facade or balcony, and the choice comes down to the protection rating, the power supply, the socket and the light colour.

What is the best outdoor string light?

There is no single best string light for every situation: for a terrace or pergola, an outdoor string lights with E27 sockets gives a warm, adjustable light; for a garden without a socket, a solar string light avoids any wiring. The decisive criterion remains the protection rating and the actual exposure to rain.

Outdoor electric string light: for which terrace?

You recognise it by its exposed sockets and flexible cable, which hangs in swags between two supports. The bulbs stay visible: the light comes from aligned warm points, not from a continuous ribbon. This is the format that suits a pergola, a gazebo or a canopy, where the cable finds a support every two or three metres. See the terrace string light.

Outdoor solar LED string light: when should you choose it?

When no cord can reach a socket: the back of a garden, a hedge, a path, a shed. The panel must receive direct light for a good part of the day, otherwise the battery will not last the evening. The lighting remains ambient. The solar garden string lights are installed without an electrician.

How do you know if an electric string light can be used outdoors?

A string light stays outdoors if its protection rating is stated by the manufacturer: count on at least IP44 in a sheltered area and IP65 for direct exposure to rain. Also check the supply voltage, the sealing of the connections and the presence of a protected transformer. A rating is never assumed, it is read on the packaging or the data sheet.

What do IP44 and IP65 mean on an outdoor string light?

The first digit concerns solids, the second water. IP44 withstands splashes and fine rain under a shelter. IP65 withstands water jets and heavy rain. On the sockets, look for seals and caps: the IP44 LED string lights are enough under a canopy, the IP65 LED models are the ones you leave on a facade wall.

220V LED string lights or 24V LED string lights: what is the difference outdoors?

220V plugs directly into a protected socket, with no intermediate box. 24V goes through a transformer that steps the voltage down: the cable becomes safer to touch, which matters near a pool or in wet grass. The transformer itself must stay dry. Compare the 220V LED string lights and the 24V low-voltage string lights.

How do you choose an outdoor string light?

First choose the distance to cover and the support, then the socket and the bulb, the light colour and the available power supply. The length must follow the actual cable route, including sockets and fixings, without stretching the string light between two distant points. An extra metre can be taken up, a missing metre means taking everything down again.

50-metre outdoor string light or several small sets?

A long continuous run avoids connections and gives a clean line on a facade or a pergola. On the other hand, the light points at the end of the line may weaken on very long 220V models. Several short sets are easier to move and replace. In both cases, keep some slack at the corners and never hang on a sharp edge.

Outdoor E27 bulb: which one should you screw into the sockets?

An outdoor E27 bulb must be stated for outdoor use, with an E27 socket and a voltage compatible with the string light. Choose an LED: lighter and less hot, it puts less strain on the socket. Finally, check that the socket seal is in place before screwing it in. The full range is in the outdoor LED string lights.

What wattage for an outdoor string light?

Wattage is read on the bulb or on the LED module, not on the cable length. A string light with sockets multiplies consumption by the number of bulbs installed, whereas an integrated LED wire consumes little over its whole length. Add up the wattages before plugging several sets into the same socket.

Several string lights on the same socket: what should you check?

Add up the wattage of each set, bulbs included, and compare it with what the circuit can handle. Outdoors, avoid stacking extension leads: an outdoor extension lead plugged into a protected socket is better than a daisy chain. The rechargeable string lights take the strain off the network when sockets are scarce.

Does an outdoor string light use a lot of power?

An integrated LED wire stays economical over its whole length, and its consumption does not climb with the number of light points. A string light with sockets, on the other hand, depends entirely on the bulbs chosen: switch to LED and the bill drops without changing the look. A timer handles switch-off, useful in winter when the terrace is not being watched.

Which light colour should you choose, warm white or cool white?

Warm white, slightly golden, creates a terrace or garden party atmosphere and suits outdoor meals. Cool white, more neutral, lights more but hardens facades and foliage. For a garden, warm white blends better with wood and vegetation.

Which white for a wooden terrace or a garden?

Wood and foliage reflect a warm light: warm white extends it, cool white washes it out. On a table where you dine, aim for a low, soft light, never in the line of sight. All our outdoor string lights come in both registers.

Christmas outdoor electric string light: warm white or multicoloured?

Warm white holds a facade or a tree without competing with the decorations. Multicoloured takes on a more childlike, brighter register seen from a distance. Put up the string light first, then the baubles: the fixings go on a free support, and the decorations hide the attachments. The same continuity applies to a bedroom wall string light or a staircase string light indoors.

How do you secure an outdoor string light?

A string light holds if each attachment point is fixed into a solid support: pergola wood, gutter, wall, tree trunk. Space the fixings so the cable does not sag, and leave a little slack to absorb the wind. The fastenings must withstand damp, otherwise the installation gives way at the first gust.

How do you fix a string light without drilling holes?

Use what is already there: gutter, railing, shutter hook, fixing ring. Adhesive fastenings designed for outdoors will do the job on a smooth, clean surface. On a bare wall exposed to rain, a screwed fixing remains the most reliable. A wall string light requires the same precautions.

Where should you place the attachment points and how much slack should the cable have?

Set the spacing according to the weight of the bulbs: the heavier the string light, the closer the supports. The cable must neither rub on an edge nor serve as a taut rope. Keep the socket and transformer sheltered, under a canopy or in a box. Compare the formats on the outdoor string light page.

How does an outdoor string light work?

An outdoor electric string light runs on mains power, via a protected socket or a transformer that steps the voltage down; a solar version recharges its battery via the panel and switches on at dusk. Models with sockets take bulbs, LED wires have the light points built into the cable.

Outdoor solar electric string light: how does it recharge?

The panel converts daylight into electricity and charges a battery housed in the box. A sensor detects the drop in light and switches it on in the evening. Battery life depends directly on how sunny the day was: in the shade of a wall, expect less. The solar LED string lights need an unobstructed panel.

Can several string lights be connected end to end?

Only if the connectors are compatible and the manufacturer allows it: beyond a certain number of sets, the transformer or the circuit can no longer cope. Do not mix two brands on the same chain. For a long length, one string light designed for it is better than three improvised sets.

String light or outdoor wall light for a terrace?

On a terrace, a string light draws a line of light at height and covers large areas, while an outdoor wall light illuminates a fixed point: entrance, wall corner, facade wall. The two complement each other rather than replace each other.

Outdoor wall light for a terrace: what role compared with a string light?

The wall light gives stable lighting, available even when the string light is off, and makes a step or a door safer. It is chosen for its beam, directed downwards or towards the wall, and for its protection rating. The full catalogue is in all our light fittings.

How do you combine the two on the same terrace?

Place the string light high up, on the pergola or the facade, and the wall light low near the door. Keep the same white family so the whole stays consistent: two different temperatures show immediately on a light-coloured wall. The string lights can be adjusted in height, the wall light cannot.

Unsure about the length or the number of light points? The Designix customer service team answers before you order. Secure payment, tracked delivery, returns and customer service: the installation is prepared without nasty surprises.

Frequently asked questions