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Porches & Decks Electrical Wiring Lighting

HELP! Pergola post lighting - wall sconce ok?

3 years ago

We had recently got a pergola built with 6x6 solid redwood posts. I would like to add some lighting to them and I would really love the look of having up/down lights on the posts like this..

I was so excited I bought these artika wall sconces as well.

Problem is, these wall sconces need a junction box which I think means you'd need to drill a massive hole in the post for the box and the wirings and perhaps compromises the integrity of the pergola.

Is using a wall sconce on a pergola post even possible? If not, what other options do I have to add post lights?

Thank you!

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Comments (3)

wdccruise
3 years ago
I'm a fan of dark sky lighting whose primary rules are to illuminate only areas that need it and to only shine lights downward. I'd follow those rules and attach downward-facing lights to the beams or slats inside the pergola. You could use surface-mount, weatherproof electrical boxes (though there may be fixtures with integrated boxes - dunno) and hide any electrical conduit above the slats and beams.

While lighting the posts would provide no useful illumination, you could use surface-mounted boxes with holes cut just large enough for rear conduit, run the conduit up to the top of the pergola, and attach downward-facing sconces to the boxes.

-- amateur (obviously)
psyche1018 thanked wdccruise
psyche1018
Original Author
3 years ago
Ah thanks for the information on dark sky lighting, I am embarrassed to admit I wasn't aware before. It's unfortunate though as I do love the look of up/down lighting to highlight the beautiful redwood posts, but I would start looking for more options (downward facing). Hopefully something low voltage too but for some reason it's so difficult to find.
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What problem(s) are you trying to solve? What would be the purpose of a light to the right of the garage door? Is anybody going to walk or stand there at night? There doesn't seem to be a path to the right of the garage leading to the back of the house, just a hedge. Would the garage door be open whose light would illuminate that area when needed? What would be the purpose of the light to the left of the garage? Is there a path from the driveway to the front door? If so, why not use landscape light(s) to illuminate the path instead of the wall? If people walk from the sidewalk to the front door along the driveway, you could add landscape lights along the driveway. Outdoor Lighting Basics To minimize the harmful effects of light pollution, lighting should Only be on when needed Only light the area that needs it Be no brighter than necessary Minimize blue light emissions Be fully shielded (pointing downward)
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wdccruise
3 years ago
You could put the lights on the insides of the posts to illuminate the seating area.

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