# Which type light bulbs to use at night?



## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

I searched for "daylight bulbs" but no hits so they must not be what I need? I remember someone talking about bulbs that imitate moonlight on the garden railroad at night? HELP!
I also have "open" flood lights without covers so they need to be outdoor bulbs etc. I guess.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Blue lights are used for moonlight, you can get blue floods.


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

guy at the hardware store said to use Daylight bulbs? Anyone know why?


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Biblegrove RR on 13 May 2010 01:28 PM 
guy at the hardware store said to use Daylight bulbs? Anyone know why? 

I think he was referring to using bulbs that produce a broad spectrum of light colors similar to what the sun provides. Gives truer color recognition to our eyes.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

It is interesting to note that the term "Nightlight bulbs" does not refer to the light given from the lack of the sun at night!


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I have a bulb that suposedly puts out the sun's spectrum and I'm guessing your guy is thinking of sun light refected from the moon, however blue is often used in theaters to simulate dark light. 
Moonlight creates long shadows due to the lack of bouced back ambient light. Under a tree at night and you can see where light passes through, under a tree in daylight and you can see almost everything... 

John


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## White Deer RR (May 15, 2009)

You might play around with some inexpensive solar LED garden lights. The one I recently purchased (a fake rock with a solar panel on top) appears to use "cool" white LED's. which contrast nicely with the "warm white" LED's in the buildings. I think historically white LED's always had a rather bluish cast, until the advent of the "warm white" variety. Just an idea.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Other than rope lighting to mark steps for safety, I find that there is plenty of ambient lighting outside, even in the hills, and any added exterior lighting usually just detracts from the railroad's own lighting including that of the major features. Still, dusk is the best viewing time when there is that magic window of time where you can see the structure lights, but still make out detail of the scene, and if you can get to there...


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Bulbs are planted







............Lamps are lit


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Madman on 13 May 2010 06:51 PM 
Bulbs are planted







............Lamps are lit









So that's why our flower beds are dormant this year. I guess I was in the dark when I planted the lamps. ;-)


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

yeah, thanks for the clarification on that.


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

I use led blue "Lamps" in my garden lights on the fence, it is a nice effect at night contrasting with the white building lights.


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

LED flood lamps (BULBS) aren't that cheap are they?


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## White Deer RR (May 15, 2009)

I used the Google and Home Depot had a result for blue LED flood lamps at about $35 each. Ouch. Although unless someone somehow breaks them they'd likely never, ever need to be replaced, unless you lit them 24 hours a day for ten years or something.


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## thumper (Jan 31, 2009)

Questions: do the LED floodlights need a low voltage power supply? Also, what kind of socket is used?

Thanks,

Will


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I suppose it depends what kind of lamp you want to grow.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By thumper on 14 May 2010 06:16 AM 
Questions: do the LED floodlights need a low voltage power supply? Also, what kind of socket is used?

Thanks,

Will


The ones on the shelf at the hardware store have standard "Edison bases" like any other lightbulb and run on 120VAC. They were just too expensive to buy one to see what they are like.


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

I use leds bulbs from superbrightleds.com in my exisiting Malibu fixtures. They do not burn out, there is a much lower load on the transformer, and they do not require wiggling once a week to make the contacts touch the socket... 


http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=/led_prods.htm 


I tried one led floodlight inside the house, it did not last as advertised, and the part that failed was the diode/resisters dropping the voltage from110 to 5. However, I now have a bunch of white leds with short leads that I cut from the floodlamp.


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By Richard Smith on 13 May 2010 07:17 PM 
Posted By Madman on 13 May 2010 06:51 PM 
Bulbs are planted







............Lamps are lit











So that's why our flower beds are dormant this year. I guess I was in the dark when I planted the lamps. ;-) 


Why didn't you have your bulbs lit?


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