How To Update or Replace a Lamp Post and Light

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Tools/Supplies Used Light Fixture: geni.us/QmVzk Lamp Post: geni.us/XwHjguq Base Rock: geni.us/JJKNqH Concrete Mix: geni.us/0LFIr9 Makita Cordless Drill Combo Kit: geni.us/t7dIA Dewalt Drill Bit Set: geni.us/oFlSl Craftsman Screwdriver Set: geni.us/jXqFI Johnson Torpedo Level: geni.us/wiLcDY Klein Voltage Tester: geni.us/h9Hl Little Giant Ladder: geni.us/fmlmTk Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs Dewalt Screwdriver Bit Set: geni.us/VDcr Eklind Allen Wrench Set: geni.us/7XfvO Pliers (4-Piece Set): geni.us/RIdx Stanley Utility Knife: geni.us/ndIDa Stanley Tape Measure: geni.us/bUfD1R Studbuddy Stud Finder: geni.us/RySCuVw Stanley Hammer: geni.us/bPDk8Wo Buck Bros Wood Chisel Set: geni.us/vk3cpTW Klein Outlet Tester: geni.us/kdBAJ Ideal Wire Strippers: geni.us/MdOB DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[@aceagui1129]

I’ve done maintenance over 20 years & u still give me knowledge, You’re the man, I like the saving time and money tips on your projects very experience, thank you very much

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Happy to help and thanks for the kind words 👍

[@tonnew8319]

Wind knocked over my post y'day. Was debating to hire someone or do it myself. thx for the general guidance and motivation. Now I'm gonna attempt to do this in the middle of winter before more snow come down lol

[@creativesoftwareconceptsin124]

Thank you for the video - it helped me a lot today as I installed my lamp post at the edge of my driveway. One thing I did differently and it worked was to dry fit the fixture on the pole and drill the holes on my bench before putting in the ground or running wires. I did mark the exact alignment spot with a light sharpie so that I could align it in the field. Worked out fine.

[@jacksilverblue]

Going to attempt to tackle this project, I was unsure of what to expect under the post as far as wires and such. I see now to expect some concrete and to look for that specific wire ( and to be careful not to mangle it while digging) I will go the new post route as it is completely rusted. Thank you for the detailed video. Subscribed. 👍

[@songsheep]

Thank you for the video! My post light isn’t turning on, before I replace the post, is there anyway to know if the underground wires are working? Thank you.

[@joed9224]

This video is exactly what I was looking for. I know I can do this correctly now. Thanks for a great video!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Great to hear Joe, best of luck on the project!

[@carenbackus8229]

Thanks!

[@richardnoonan6645]

Your video was very helpful. My original 12” diameter hole grew much larger when I uncovered a HUGE block of concrete used to anchor the old lamp post. It is much too large and too heavy to be lifted out of the hole in one piece. I am waiting for someone to use a jackhammer to break it up.

[@Nick-bh1fy]

Rent a hammer drill w a chipping bit, shouldn’t take too long and prob cost less to pay someone to do it

[@kllgrogto5838]

White romex? For exterior applications it needs to be UF wire designed to be buried directly in the ground, regular romex insulation designed for interior use only will not last outdoors and will most likely cause trouble in the future.

[@corymcd3737]

It may not be romex. The feed for my lamp poast had white 12-2 which I thought was romex but it was UF cable. It was old.

[@ise73ifty]

FINALLY, ready to replace my lamp post light (that i bought before this friggen pandemic). Unfortunately, I only got through step 1 (cut the power) than ran into a problem! My screws are so rusted and stripped that I can't take the damn thing off now! I swear DIYing is never smooth sailing for me, ever!

[@PR-bx2hs]

Use a brand new drill bit and start slow speed and drill out the screw.

[@ise73ifty]

@@PR-bx2hs or just break the damn thing like i did, heehee! I was replacing it anyway since the new light has its own base. I actually just cut the metal around the stripped screws to take light off. Then i removed them from inside of the post until i could take them out manually, if that makes any sense! Thanks though!

[@robertcherry4971]

What would you charge for this job? That is removing the old and installing the new one. Thank You!!!

[@scottwillis1401]

Excellent. Thank you!

[@ramonajacobs9402]

Great video. I actually just repainted my lamp post. Whomever lived here prior did not have any screws in the wholes that secured the light to the pole. Can you please tell me what size/type of screws are needed. I've tried several random screws and none fit.

[@tayloredart]

Excellent, Thank you so much

[@trevgill3619]

Just saw the video,very informative and gives me the confidence to tackle this myself,just a question though where abouts is the exact same fixtures you installed available,tried to read of the box and all I could make out was Patriot,your help would be really appreciated. Thanks Trev.

[@millerp3]

Really great video. Thanks man!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

You are welcome 👍

[@ZachCurtis]

SOOO helpful, thanks so much!

[@woof3598]

i got one in my front yard, its been leaning towards the street about 20 deg's, tried digging it up, the 3 foot cement ball it's incased in, is surrounded by hundreds of roots, filled it back in

[@aleliashively1423]

The pole itself is still in great shape, I just need to purchase a new lamp head for it, But arent sure if the wiring still works.

[@danielm1991]

Was the old lamp post set in cement how did you get it out?

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@roadshoulderphotography683]

Would it be easier for me to just slip a 3" pole over the 2 1/2" pole ?

[@greenlantern9453]

Just saw this video. I have been dreading this project sine the onset of COVID. This video completely de-stressed me about the project! Awesome! Two quick questions: 1.) Did that photocell come with the new light fixture? 2.) Did you say where you got those wire connectors? Again, GREAT video! Thanks!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Nice, I am confident you can get this knocked out in no time. The photocell came with the light post. You can pick up a light post with or without a photocell so just make sure you are picking up the correct one for your project. The push pin wire connectors can be found at any home improvement stores or online amzn.to/3kt1bWl . Best of luck on the project and let me know if you have any other questions.

[@Crappie_Hunter_Seeker]

Good job! Looks great.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Thanks!

[@mortb9]

I couldn't stop thinking Joe Pantoliano. lol. Loved the vid!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Not sure I have gotten that one before 😂

[@martincapriotti3433]

Great info. Thank you

[@netzotic]

Those push connectors work well, but they are not rated for stranded wire. The Wago lever nuts would be a better choice. Alternatively, you could make pigtails off the lamp with stranded wire. The extra length of wire isn’t necessary, but it’s often really nice to have.

[@aurvaroy6670]

True. Ever since purchasing a set of those lever nuts, I always use it when I'm dealing with stranded wire. Super easy to take off with minimal damage to the strands, unlike wire nuts. As for wire length, there is a code requirement 6 inches for boxes, but I'm not sure it applies to posts.

[@RonMahaffey]

Can you replace the bulb sockets in pole light fixture? pole lamp is fine, except two of the three sockets do not work

[@aleliashively1423]

Hello. I have a yard light pole on my front yard, But it broke, lolol, years ago. I watched your vid, But mine doest have that night time fixture on it. Mine has an off and on switch in my living room. How can I make sure that the wires even still work to my yard light post?

[@JustinRampage]

Awesome tutorial. Thanks so much!

[@iberios]

looks good. I plan on doing this project this next weekend. What if we don't do the flowers at the base? do you recommend a "lamp post base" like the one's at home depot?

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Do you already have a romex wire ran out to where you want to place the lamp post? Just want to make sure you already have power running out to the future location.

[@iberios]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs yes, I'm replacing an old lamp post that is leaning and past it's prime.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

@@iberios great so the project will be very similar to the one featured in the video. If you don't want to dig out the circle around the lamp post that is not a problem. You can place the post in the ground and have grass surround the post. Once you are done you will just need a bit of grass seed and water it for a few weeks with some straw or another ground cover to help the grass seed growth.

[@35057]

“Spike” = digging bar. But yeah I’ll be doing this soon. I was just out cleaning the glass on mine and it always felt really solid. But looked a little out of plumb. I leaned back on it to try and pull it back after feeling that it had some give... nope. It broke at the ground. It’s still standing but barely lol

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Dogging bar = awesome. Yeah those posts are pretty thin walled. Can’t take much push and pulling from my limited experience. Best of luck on the project 👍

[@35057]

Everyday Home Repairs meant digging bar. Auto correct for ya. Thanks ma. Good install. 🤙🏼

[@harlanprojects]

@@35057 meant Thanks man. Auto correct for ya.

[@roadshoulderphotography683]

Do they still make 2 1/2" lamp post lights. I have a 2 1/2" cast iron lamp post that needs a new light on top. Is there anyway to adapt a 3" lamp light to fit/work on a 2 1/2" lamp post. I'm having a hard time finding a 2 1/2" lamp light. I can't/don't want to remove the old lamp post. It's a 1930/40 lamp post - quite decorative and extremely heavy .Please Help me !!!! Desperate..

[@m.zehner7145]

Have you considered checking the plumbing isle of the box stores? I would bet there is a 3” to 2.5” PVC or ABS reducer sleeve available.

[@joekovalcheck701]

How many hours does this take ? I just had someone replace mine and wanted to compare.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Hmmmm, I would say it is about a 3-4 hour project assuming 1 trip to the store.

[@joekovalcheck701]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs thanks , he might have took me for an hour of labor. Oh well.

[@DavidSmith-tu1nd]

What if there is no ground in the romex to an outdoor light. There is only a black and white common.

[@armelind64]

Do we have to turn the power off to the home

[@Tixbomber]

No. But you do need to trip the circuit breaker the wire is attached to.

[@dwamser5619]

My lamppost just stopped working. We changed the bulb and photo cell. Still doesn't work. My lawn guy did this. Inside front door has 3 switches and I know 2 work I get no power to outlet on the pole I have old time fuses. Any idea on what electrician would charge? Could it be the underground wiring? Post is about 2 years old. Lawn guy thinks he isn't capable of repairing further. I'm an old lady and don't want to spend a lot on fixing it. Thanks!

[@BillColeExperience]

Why did you put the hanging arms on the post horizontal to the street?

[@billhandymanbill2775]

Scott, at 4:00 in the video, for safety sake, you really shouldn’t store a propane tank in your garage. Experts agree this is a dangerous practice to do especially being that propane is a heavy gas a sinks to the floor where you could have an explosive spark sometime or even from a garaged car. You can have a gas leak from these types of gas valves. Be safe my friend.

[@mpineyro77]

My husband put in something exactly but three lights, one only turned on and the plug didn’t work. He just left it like that. I want to fix it myself with this video but not sure if it’ll work.

[@ssmcamo833]

Is the patriot light fixture still working well?

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@tylergmorales17]

Is photo relays frequently going bad a common problem? I replaced my relay a few months ago and I noticed the light dimming later on and now it won’t come on. Its probably worth to say that the finial was missing from the top so it’s likely that water got into the fixture (I’ve since replaced the fixture, but not the photo relay).

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

I would say the photocell is probably the most common failure on a lamp post but should last much longer than a few months. I would check the wire connectors in the lamp post.

[@tylergmorales17]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs I also found just now that the wires in the harness spin freely but won’t pull out. Maybe the connections are bad like you said, so I ordered a new cell and harness.

[@dougackerman4182]

Awesome channel

[@aurvaroy6670]

When I first started watching his videos, I agreed with you. The new content he posts is hit or miss to say the least

[@lancer525]

I've got one of those in my yard, and it has never worked since we bought the house. There's no switches anywhere that turn it on or off, there's nothing marked in the breaker panel for it, and yet, there are wires in the post! How do I "trace" those wires back inside the house to find out where they go? Do I need to just replace everything from scratch, and treat it like a new install?

[@aurvaroy6670]

Most panels don't have a breaker labeled backyard lights or something similar. Just grab a multimeter or non-contact voltage tester and go through each breaker until you find the one that kills power to the wires in the post. If you still don't understand, then you're better off calling a professional to help you out

[@lancer525]

@@aurvaroy6670 Not interested in financing someone's beach house or contributing to somebody's kid's college fund. I just asked a question because I don't want to hire an electrician. So unless you've got something to offer that actually addresses what I asked, oh, maybe like how to actually find out where the wires are, then you really don't have anything constructive to offer, do you? How hard is it to answer the question that was actually asked, instead of the one you wanted to answer that I didn't ask?

[@aurvaroy6670]

@@lancer525 I told you the steps you can take. It's up to you if you want to follow them or not.

[@jonnya3425]

@@lancer525 yeah, he told you exactly how to do it. I think his snarky response was kind of a warning that if you can't follow what he's saying then maybe don't mess with electricity. Its dangerous obviously. Or, you can Google the tools he posted and then find a video on here that will give you some guidance on how to use them. That's how I learned. I'm sure it will work for you.

[@dstre17]

Same problem for me

[@GodIsLove5bc]

How do I just remove a broken lamp & pole and leave the wires to possible later use? To cal them off & protect from water & snow? Thanks.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

I would install wire nuts on wires, put a robust bag over the wires and use electrical tape to seal the bag around the Romex wire. Most importantly I would find the junction box and disconnect the hot and neutral wires then cap with wire nuts and leave in the junction box for use later on. That way you can energize the circuit and be confident no problems with the wires running out to the old post location.

[@behlauski4427]

Wire nuts in the ends of the wires, then tape em off from the weather

[@zagoda2000]

have you ever seen lamps mounted to a 3 inch post without screws? I have a stone wall that has several of these.

[@frankhynes4514]

I think the level used was a Johnson Level & Tool 1421-1200 12-Inch Magnetic Aluminum Reinforced Torpedo Level, Black

[@billhandymanbill2775]

Nice video Scott! I am surprised the the light pole manufacturer didn't provide you with a protective bushing for the hole on the pole where the electrical cable enters the pole to prevent the wire from chafing with the pole slightly moving up/down during thaw/freeze cycles you get during the winter. Also, I am surprised that the light fixture manufacturer would provide you with sharp pointed screws that may come into contact with the wire inside at the top of the pole. Is this light fixture UL or CSA approved? I also use a light coating of "Nolox" or "Penitox", anti-corrosion gel on the base and screw portions of the threaded light bulb so the bulb doesn't become corroded in the socket. Great work!

[@mr7k138]

Okay but the cable on the ground is it connected to the box? If so what kind of cable is that?

[@barbaras711]

It should be UF cable, which if 120V and GFCI protected, is permitted to be buried directly at least 12 inches below grade

[@rosiegonzalez167]

Why did you have to drill your own holes on the post ? Doesn’t come with it ? What screws did you use ?

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

The pole doesn't come with predrilled holes since there are a number of different lights you could mount. I don't know the exact screw size as they came with the light.

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@lavishlex]

What if I wanted to take the light out and install a flag pole in its place?

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@TimKaseyMythHealer]

I would use the old lamp post as a sleeve for a longer, 10' lamp post. Buy an electrical conduit of larger diameter and slip it over the old post.

[@micheledelgaizo787]

Yeah but I just wanted to replace my electric one with a solar. Live at top of hill,no obstruction. Electric came with mobile home but think it's too close to road, so also wanted to bring it up closer. Last year trucks that got stuck in the snow kept sliding into it.

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@shadowrnr3966]

Buy lutec solar lamps 150$ but they are solar and battery powered had em for more than 3 years stilll bright and nice looking

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

nice

[@jillenes6190]

Just bought a new house and can’t figure out where the power switch is to turn mine on. 😔🤦🏾‍♀️

[@nickmusgrave8t]

Damn that was a big a** spider.. where the heck you live man 😬. Any ways thank you for this

[@jdicari9534]

sweet

[@LLcreeker]

better off drilling the holes in post/leveling the lamp before doing the wiring. thats what the manufacturer's directions say with the post i bought. it leaves a lot less wires from the courtesy outlet and photoelectric switch (if you have those options) in harms way while drilling.

[@Alex90Wilson]

You should be using UF cable for the lamp post not romex

[@paullund9386]

Why didn’t you just use Schedule 40 PVC pipe

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Hey Paul, didn't even think of that option. Definitely would have helped with the metal post breaking down over time from corrosion. Did you use PVC for your lamp post?

[@paullund9386]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs at our last house yes. It was a little more work involved, but sanding down the pvc pipe to accept Gloss White paint and drilling a hole towards the bottom to allow for the wiring to go through. Other than that it looked good. I wish I was in the same state to go take a pic of it...

[@paullund9386]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs also, here at our new house I am in the process of making a pvc pipe scheduled 40 post cross rails and pvc lattice fence. All white. With a PVC pipe lattice walk through gate..

[@rosiegonzalez167]

@@EverydayHomeRepairs use pvc as a pole ?

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

@@rosiegonzalez167 I haven't tried it out but Paul indicated it worked well for him. Might be worth a try.

[@NorthStarVlogs]

That's a lot of work when I would have slapped some paint on the post and it would have looked brand new. I'm here for a little different reason. I looked outside and saw that my lampost no longer have light. I changed the lightbulb and that wasn't it. A bigger problem and project I'm not up to. I hate to call an electrician but will probably need to if I want it fixed. I bought an old house and probably shouldn't have.

[@ZhaoYaoLong-nc7ct]

🌷

[@emilygoldstein8709]

Pastor park

[@amped1one]

not romex, UF

[@tamaratamrot2681]

Woodglut is nice for that.

[@Ayushgamer272-d5v]

ল্যাম্পপোস্টমামান এমন

[@DKSE123]

I need to replace my outside light fixture , I took it apart but only found a tube without any wires . Where are the wires supposed to be?