Better Way to Install Christmas Lights
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- Опубликовано: 6 дек 2020
- In this video, I show you how to create a new design I developed for installing Christmas lights on your house. This is typically a project I despise, but I hope with this new design, you can do this perennial project faster and with less frustration. You may even find you can install them once and never have to repeat it year after year!
Thanks to Fox Beat Stock Music for the two tracks in this video.
Greemz - Nozrahi
Joakim Karud - Lowrider
Finally -- An update to this video is available! Click the link to view the sequel: ruclips.net/video/0aexDHZ2DuM/видео.html
WHY didn't you show these all lit up at night?
Yeah, I was hoping to see them put to the test as well. Maybe even see them rolled back after season. Still, they look great.
they’re daytime running lights
@@donkeyfacepunch 😂
Use your imagination
Cuz he was too lazy to rec it lol
No finished shots. I wanted to see how they looked. Great idea though, you got the gears turning on improvements. Thanks for sharing.
Please post a follow up of how the lights look at night! I’m so curious to see! This was a great idea, would love to see how it performed on the final result.
They look like Christmas lights.........
It’s like the video cut away before the money shot!
PVC turns very brittle when exposed to the sun and then breaks easily.
Plants some trees and then wrap them isntead 😄
If looks like a classic case of liking to over engineer things. Unless you use high grade PVC paint it the color the house & secure it better so the spans don't droop it is going to look tacky if you rotate them & leave them up permanently.
I installed cup hooks and then just hang and take down my lights every year using a long pole from the ground. Never have to use a ladder again to hang lights. 😃
Good idea and a lot easier to do.
Except he said he had 1,000 lights to put up! Every year. I'd go with his method!
@@stepawayful So did I 😁
Good idea if you don’t have a whole bunch of lights. I’ll try it next year!
@@runawaypony429
I had a whole bunch of lights. Two story house with two car garage. Lights went all around the front of the house, all vertical and horizontal edges, along upper gable, upper and lower roof, around front porch, around all windows.
😁
Im a professional Christmas light installer. These look awesome! The way we do it is with socket wire that we install bulbs into 1 by 1. We use several types of clips that permanently attach to the line. Tuff clips for gutter and shingle tabs for shingles. Then we cut the wire wherever there is a break in the roof and use Gilbert “vampire” plugs and 18ga plain wire to connect everything. The initial setup takes a bit, but once its all put together it comes down and goes up fairly quickly year after year. If you can just swivel the lights up and out of the way, you have definitely got us beat for ease of installation/removal every year!
I put up a string of lights around my front door one time. That was enough light hanging to last me for the rest of my life.
I love lights all over the ground. I tried to convince my husband not to have hanging lights and he said it would look crazy to only have a lit up yard. Needless to say, I took a drive down the ritzy street and someone did my idea and boy was it just gorgeous! Can't wait to take him to show him he doesn't have to hang lights!
With the ground work, it's what I'm capable of doing. I can't climb a ladder out of an alligator pit. So if he wants hanging lights, it's all him.
I think if you had to do it again, I might suggest drilling the holes first, then making the slice cut in the PVC 2nd. Would have made the drilling easier. Just mark the straight line on the pipe and use it as a guide to drill the holes, and then cut the slice.
I was just coming to the comments to recommend the same thing.
I was going to say the same thing.
Then he’d have to get the saw perfectly in the centre of the holes though, which might be tricky
@@jaireidca Thumbs up. But the cut doesn't necessarily need to be in the center of the hole. If it's slightly off - but not too much - it should result in the same thing. But yes, pre-drill. My concern would be insects making nests all year long. Wasps and spiders are problems where I live.
I would just cut with the saw and skip the holes. The pipe would clamp on the wire to keep lights in place and maybe put some tie downs around the pipe to keep lights from slipping around during installation
Well, guess what my project is for 2022! Some of us were born with brains the rest of us watch videos. Thanks. I haven't set up lights for years. Thank you.
Sir…in the 3+ hours that it took you to do all this, I…
• grabbed all TWELVE boxes of Christmas lights from my attic
• chugged ELEVEN glasses of pumpkin spice eggnog
• offended TEN neighbors with my ugly Christmas sweater
• cussed out NINE of those neighbors
• threw up EIGHT times
• cried SEVEN times trying to untangle them
• smiled and waved at the SIX neighbors who were standing across the street watching this whole debacle
• fell off the ladder FIVE times
• broke FOUR ribs in the process
• drank THREE more of those pumpkin 🎃 thingies
• waited TWO hours in the ER waiting room just to be told there’s nothing they can do for broken ribs
• and 🎼 a partridge 🎵 in a pear 🍐 tree 🌳 🎶
Same here. And I save $50 dollars in suppies and a trip to Home Depot! lol
Good laughs, love the sarcasm. Happy holidays ya’ll cheers to bring them down after haha. The struggle
This is GREAT! I enjoyed your post as much as his new idea for outdoor Christmas lights. GOOD JOB!
Lol
Let’s go Brandon
👍 Nice job brother. As someone who gets a kick out of thinking outside the box for simple solutions like this, I appreciate the ingenuity. Awesome idea. You earned a like.
Been doing this since 2015, but with icicle lights and zip ties, and without all the drilling/sawing. Christmas light duty went from all day to under an hour, and storage is super easy, tangle free, and actually enjoyable. When I update the lights next time I may go to this more elaborate system.
What kind of irrigation line do you use? Do you use conduit instead? I too use the icicles lights, but have clipped them into those coaxial cable clips and then wrap them up in a sheet of plastic after the year is over. No tangles!
If this is easier and less time consuming than they way you were hanging then before - please post a video showing us how you were hanging them before.
He did it once and now he never has to do it again, unlike having to put them up then take them back down again each and every year. That's how it's easier. Invest the time now so you don't have to waste the time later. In other words: work smart, not hard.
@@NIX0LAS This might be true if the set up last 8 to 10 years. Those lights are likely to break when they are stored inside those pipes. They will also have to be realigned neatly in the pipes before they are put back up. If he removes them from the pipes when he stores them - that’s going to take even longer. I go full out on decorating my house: Straight lights on edges is the easy part. That is why I want to
See how he was going it before.
I personally like the chaotic look of just hanging the strands over nails, but for the clean, orderly look you were after, this is a great idea. I would have drilled the holes in the pvc first and then run it through the table saw.
Yes! Drill holes first!
I was just thinking that too.
Drilling the holes first would have necessitated having to draw a line where the cut was to be and and drawing a line on a round object is quite tedious... would really have not saved much time if at all....
@@marvinisit chalk line
@@jesse4042 you ever try to hold a piece of thin walled sprinkler pipe straight enough to get a chalk line on? Let alone the chalk staying on the pipe? I don't think it's feasable
@@marvinisit Lay it on a flat surface, then use a sharpie on a block the correct thickness to center it, then just drag it across the pipe. Easy, if if the pipe has a curve.
Comparing the amount of work, effort, and money for supplies against hassle and time required to put up lights every year, it is a win/win project and well worth it! Well done!
We did "sort of" the same thing a few years ago at our apartment. Instead of hanging the pvc pipes outside, we made them into a rectangular frame (with feet) that we could stand up in our front windows.
No more suction cup marks on the windows!
ditto. I've got three big windows in the front of my house and made rectangles big enough to fit into them with 1/2" PVC pipe. The corners are held together with 90 degree corners, so there's enough 'friction' to hold it together without glue so easy to break them down and fold up for storage after Xmas. If the corner pieces get 'smooth' and loose they are cheap enough to replace (maybe $1/each).
I love the idea of them staying on the house all year. You need to post a video of you rotating them up against the soffit. Also show what it looks like from in front of the house when they're retracted.
And I think a lot of commenters didn't catch the part of them being able to be rotated. Folks, these don't have to be taken down .... it's a one-and-done procedure.
What happens when the lights goes out? They're all attached??
Oops...when a section goes out??
My wife would have a fit if she could see the lights from underneath when they weren't in use. Life is sooo much easier when she is happy.
So I'd have to come up with a way to cover them so it looks like part of the trim.
Damn good idea!
@@jerrymiller276 just take the poles down and store them in the garage. snap them in again next year
Make each section of pipe so it can be independently put up, taken down, and stored by using wire connectors. Paint the pipe to match the soffit.
What a clever guy- that’s what I want for Christmas - a carpenter - much older though - great job -great skills all the best to you and yours this holiday season!!
I agree! 😄
I did some similar but used spring loaded broom handle wall mounts under my eave. Just push the conduit up and it snaps right in. I left them up all year and it's held up through all kinds of bad weather and not one of the mounts have let any fall down
Was anybody else disappointed that you didn't show them lit up? I did have a little giggle when you were saying about the hassle of putting them up but then took the time to make a jig to hold the pipe so you could drill holes into it lol. That's a woodworker right there.
Love the idea I’m 76years old and I have been fighting with this problem for years thanks and Merry Christmas
I think it would have been better to drill the holes in the PVC first, then make the cut through them using the table saw. No jig required. The lights look nice on your house.
They pipe would rotate while you did it. So you would need to make a straight line and keep to it. Not sure that is much easier in the end.
Definitely would drill first. Would be easier and more accurate. Also, I would use a less expensive spring clamp to hold the PVC in place.
If you decide to cut first then fill, channel locks would be a better idea if you can't make a jig.
You would then have to line up the cut perfectly and that would be pretty tough to do. His way seems better.
@@dougdiplacido2406 Simple, just draw 2 lines down the PVC on opposing sides of the tube; one for drilling and place the other up for cutting.
YOU are a rock star! What a fabulous idea! My husband says to say THANK YOU. :) Merry Christmas
Anthony... you are a genius! I was thinking that you would have to unscrew all the pvc pipes and take them down, and I thought it's fast up and fast down and then you said we'll leave them up and just swivel the pipes to hide the lights behind the sofit and that part just blew me away. Nice job. Paint the pvc pipes a flat black. Great job!!!
A definite time & frustration saver
Thanks for your tip.
This is your HOA that needs to come down
HOA's are the worst invention ever...all the unpopular kids in high school get on their to bully innocent inhabitants of their neighborhoods
Why wouldn’t you just drill the holes first and then make your rip cuts after?
nice suggestion: makes sense, if for no other reason, for guide marks while rip cutting
I liked the rip cuts first idea.. I did my lights a little differently. LED bullet nodes. I drilled holes completely through so I could push the nodes through both sides (I used PVC pipe). With my set up, the wires run along the back side of the pipe, and I didn't do a great job keeping them as straight as I'd have liked (give me a couple days to record/post my lights).. this gave me an idea how maybe I could've done it differently. Rip first, rip after... it got the job done, right?
@@sunsetchristmaslights8526 yes indeed ruclips.net/video/j-CwCqc8oAQ/видео.html
My only thought is in summer, how do you keep the flying insects from making a home in those tubes. I get wasp nests under my shutters every year. These tubes would be crazy hard to stop them. But otherwise it's a neat idea.
Hot glue in the ends of each tube
What about spray foam?
There are many ways to accomplish what he did. His way worked pretty well. I would have used PVC conduit because of its UV resistance and less obvious gray color also the matching PVC straps because cheap. The only issue I see with this is the PVC will likely sag but that is easily fixed with straps closer together if it happens Add a T fitting and a short pipe stub in the center of each pipe section and you could probably rotate the bulbs up and back down with a hook on a pole from the ground!
I too would have used PVC conduit because of its features and color and plus the assembly won't be as flimsy compared to using the thinner wall pipe
Also , to make installation easier , I would attach plugs to each light strip so you put up two strips and plug them into each other afterwards , That way you're not trying to arrange and install all of them at the same time ,
That's a great idea for installing Christmas lights but get some male and female plugs to put on each strip so your only having to put up one strip at a time , making it much easier and just plug in the plugs at the end of each strip
Interesting idea. Still seems like a lot of work regardless. Still going up twice a year to twist the pipes. We simply use 3/4" brass hooks at the end of the rafters just behind the gutters. Hooks stay hidden year round. Lights easy on and off every year.
First year into my house (30 years now), I did this. I now stand on the ground, with an extention pole (painters pole), with a nail in the end. I lift the lights up on the brass hooks. Done. 30 minutes max to hang lights, including the untangling. No ladders, no fuss.
The work is in that first screwing the hooks in to the rafters. A few hours. Best time spent ever.
“Yeah that look so easy to do with all those tools I have laying around in my full on carpenter garage shop”, she said sarcastically AF
I am liking the idea. I have a split level house with an attached garage so I have 3 roofs facing the road. I did not want lights just hanging between the levels but I can see setting up a structure to handle them. Thanks for the tips. Also, thanks to those suggesting the drilling first. I thought the same thing.
Thinking about this a bit...I wonder if you really needed to do all that drilling, or if you could have just cut a wider channel in each run of pipe - one that was just a hair smaller than the sockets.
I would love to see more content. This video is stellar, useful and well put together.
It literally takes me 15 minutes to put the lights up every year. Why would I spend 3 hours on it? I appreciate your showing us how you do it...
Love the idea. Loved it so much I posted your video on fb. Great idea.
The only improvement I would make is to allow water that might be sitting in the pipe to drain. In the festive (lights down) orientation, the groove allows any moisture that gets in there to drip out. But if any condensation/ someone cleaning the gutters/ frost gets any water into the pipe in the stowed away orientation, it could possibly sit there for a while. I'd just drill some small holes in between each pair of clamps. Ideally you'd put them at slightly different angles around the pipe so that they work even when the lights aren't at a perfect 90° to the ground.
It may be some work up front but we’ll worth it in the long term. Looked great. Nice work and thanks for sharing. I love the idea that you may be able to just turn them during the off season. I hope that works out for you.
In 2000, like you, I became frustrated with hanging my Christmas lights. I decided to use pvc pipe to hold them. Since mine are icicle lights, what I did was cut a ⅛" groove in the ¾" pvc pipe and then work the wire into the groove wedging the small lights into the groove. Originally, I used tea cup hooks to hold the pvc up, but they were a little more expensive and then you had hooks there when you took them down. Eventually, I settled on galvanized wood screws. I cut a piece of pvc in half and drilled a small hole in the middle and 18" from each end. This is the template where I put the small unobtrusive screw heads in my house and I also drilled a small hole in the side of the lightholder pvc. From that point, I cut a 2"groove on the one end, a 4" groove at the middle and a 6" groove on the other end and then drilled a hole big enough to insert the screw head at the end of that groove. So you insert the screw head at the 6" slot, slide it 2" and then insert the screw head at the 4" slot, slide it 2" and then insert the screw head at the 2" slot and slide on the final 2". I have 8 sections and they go up quickly. I store them 2 sections to a 4" drain pipe in the summer. Anyway..sounds like we both have similar ideas on using pvc to hang Christmas lights. Kudos to you.
How did they look at night?? Do you have a 1 year update?
I was going to ask how you planned on storing them for next yearS Pretty sharp idea. Good job. Needed to see it lit up at night. 😁
I think he said hee was going to awivel the lights back and up out of the way and hidden from view, but they'll remain hubng up. Seems like a good design to me.
I have been wanting to use some vinyl "J" channel set up against the side of the house and use ribbon LED strips. They would shine up and be protected from the sun.
They make dedicated aluminum channel with a cover for that purpose. Bit more expensive, but cleaner look.
Expensive, but that's what the "everlights" product asks for.
@@uploadedvideos7907 20m is $90US, so it isn't incredibly expensive.
This might be one of theost useful videos I've watched this year!!!
BRAVO BRO' !! "True Genius is Rarely recognized".... !!
That’s a compelling title… We specifically got one of those Grinch yard decorations so we only mount a small strand within easy reach and the rest get wound through his hands and coiled around his feet. Love the look of them hung though. :)
Would love to see a picture of your Grinch!
Dude that’s Awesome!!!! Thx for sharing!
Even if you lose the bolts that secure the PVC to the clamps, you could use zip ties to tighten them up. Great idea for the lights, I HATE putting up lights. Might actually do that this year lol I do like others who have said, leave them up and change the color for the season if you have that type. I would definitely go that route.
I have solar lights and dont worry about them just white lights so i can use the all year around
Leaving them up all year round! YES! A solution to one of lifes biggest problems.. 'Why cant everyday be like Christmas'.
1/2” cup hooks and you are good for many years of easy installation
That's the way to go
Liked the idea. Innovative. If Edison put his idea out on RUclips and had all these nasty, unnecessary comments, then we wouldn't have to worry about Christmas lights.
A spline mounted on your jigs into the rip cut would keep your drill-out perfectly in-line, same scenario on your table saw! a tabletop jig with a dado cut down the centerline of saw blade to push the pipe through and a kerf cut on the out-feed side with a spline inserted (like an inverted splitter) for alignment! I found your build more interesting than the application for myself👍…. another woodworker!
Overly complicated. Unnecessary. But credit to you for coming up with something different.
Brilliant! How does this not have more likes?
Great idea for shapes, such as large Christmas trees and those pipes are cheat and easy to store
You should do more videos. You have a good voice and presence and can teach a lot of folks about whatever you’re working on. And take any comments positively - people are interested in what you’re doing and it shows interest. Of course, also take the comments with a grain of salt - everyone has their own opinion on stuff! :-)
Great ! Now I need a table saw - kreg jig drill mill, work bench to hang up Xmas lights😂
You could have just cut the lengths of pipe in half and put hinges on them to make putting in the lights and removing them easier. It would also make it easier if you decided to change light style to be used in the pipes. Otherwise his seams like a pretty good idea 👍
Santa's workshop in your garage,😁 dude! His elves could learn some tricks!
Looks like a great idea. Unfortunately many of us do not have either table saw or drill press.
Seems a bit Tim Allen to me, might save you time next year but long pvc takes up more room than rolled up lights. I do see the possibility’s tho you can make objects with that pvc.
Three hours later????? You could’ve hung the lights up in that time.
That Sir was an Abundantly Over Engineered Solution . All that was needed were stainless steel screw in hooks , ( that could be painted over ) , and a pole with either a " V " on the end or another hook , the pole being long enough to reach up to the hooks already screwed to the wood , in the inner side of the trim , if a cleaner look is desired . catch the light or wire onto the pole , hook it .
I did something similar with PVC pipe. I have commercial grade LED lights that look fantastic. The company sells clips that hold the light with a clamp on the top side that almost fits the PVC. I put velcro tape around the pipes to allow the clip to hold securely. All I do is put the lights on the velcro and then take them down. The PVC is held on to the soffit by zip ties and eye hooks. I could take the PVC down but left it up all year last year. Very simple and the lighs look great.
Very creative! Would've loved to see it fully installed & lit up. Does it rotate & stay hidden to keep up year round?
I did similar to this five years ago. The difference is I used 1/2 “ PVC then used short sections of 3/4” not quite cut in half. The 3/4” pieces act as snap in holders for the half inch. I painted all of my pipes black to match my soffits and gutters.
I would drill all the holes before ripping the pipe, Also make the holes larger so that the light socket is not clamped in the PVC.
I take mine down every year, they store easy and they go up easy every year.
does it not hold water when it rains?
Nice idea! Clark Griswold would be proud.
That's a lot of work. Nice that you have the tools.
Brilliant! Ignore the non-constructive criticism. This is a fantastic idea. I HATE hanging Christmas lights & always thought there was a better way out there.
This would work well for patio lights, as well. An added benefit is that the wires would be safe from squirrels.
Thank you so much!
I've used barge board clips for years. But squirrels (or maybe roof rats) have chewed through the wires several times. Almost always, right next to a light socket so that I couldn't splice it back together. And, it's always on the highest peak on the second story. About 20' above ground where I have to use an extension ladder to get up there.
I think I'm going to look into controlled LED lights and mount them like this after this season. I have deep barge (fascia) boards with shallow overhangs. I can rotate such a set up down and set the light colors to appropriate colors for the season - xmas, 4th of July, Halloween, etc. Then rotate them up when I'm done! And, I can paint the PVC pipe the same color as the house trim to help hide them when not in use!
Dude, this guy's table saw is massive!
My method is even easier. My grown sons are 6’7” and 6’8”. I have them come over, and they can put in the hooks and string the lights along the eaves without a ladder. And the service even includes taking them down. It pays to be nice to your tall children 😆.
Or they might eat you!
Just make sure to supply some egg nog!
Just use some hearty young hands and back method!
I like it! 👍🏻
Man i cant wait for my babies to get tall . Im getting tired of this im 5 foot and my daughter is only four and is 4 foot tall so i can ask her to help mama
By the time I do all that I can be done and in my recliner having a beer.😂😂
That is an EXCELLENT idea, I am going to do it this year !!!!!!!! Ever SO EASY Thanks Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!!!
Interesting idea. I am going to modify this a little and use it for my RGB icicle lights.
Real Men of Genius
Great idea, but I would have drilled the holes before making the groove and spray painted the pipe green (just so it wouldn't be glaringly obvious it was there). I'm curious a year later if the plan to swivel the lights up worked and they all still function?
Or, instead of green, paint the piping the same color as the house.
@@mikebeam822 Granted, my roof & gutters are green so that's why I went with that :)
Looks like a whole lot more work than using plastic clips. Plus where do you store them once you take them down. Appears they would take up more space as well
I agree
You must not have noticed in the video how he talks about not having to take them down. He just rotates them in place so the lights are hidden.
@Craig Chatterton
He is still right as the video poster simply hinted at being able to do that.
This is way more work than the clips and only makes sense IF one is willing to have the lights showing all year long. Even rotated you will see them.
I believe the idea was to have the lights be very neat and orderly which this achieves. You can’t quite get that look with clips.
@@mollykrieg2510 I use shingle clips and mine are as straight as an arrow. It is all about the spacing + tension.
That looks great - very professional looking.
We did this in 2002 when first decorating a new house. Drilled 1” PVC for the lamp sockets, then ripped the cord groove. Made clips from rings cut from 1-1/4” PVC, splitting them with PVC shears. Attached clips permanently with screws under the soffit edge. We snap up over 500 lights in 2-3 hours. Built storage trays from 1/4” plywood, which are mounted between garage joists. Trays hinge down to load and unload. Nineteen years, a couple of broken clips, otherwise still working great, and most of the original bulbs still light thanks to gentle handling.
Now the challenge is to retrofit RGB C9 LEDs into the pipe.
And, by the way, the lights look just like they would if hung on hooks or clips.
This is great ! Thank you for sharing, great job !
You obviously love your wife very much. Good job.
Genius man! Was a bit of work but buy once cry once I always say.
I don't mind stringing the lights around the front and along the peak of the roof. My fear these days is climbing our steep pitched roof which I tried yesterday afternoon after not having done it in a long time. I thought this isn't going to happen!
I always thought a pulley system with brackets on each end of the roof peak to attach the lights too and shift them over might be neat. Kind of like a clothes line...
great video thanks for sharing. I love how neat the lights look on the house
Fabulous idea. I’ve left the lights up rather than take them down and call them party lights.
Genius! You should market this.
Pretty slick! Without a drill press or table saw, and already having some 8' long sheets of coroplast I'm gonna just drill holes and give it a go. I like your style though
Wow! You did a great job with this!
Great idea, good job you finally got around to it.
excellent...thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas 2021
Brilliant 👏 idea 💡! I'll be trying this for sure next year. I'll start in September for a good trial run. And come Xmas their set. I saw my neighbor put up led lights from Costco all year long she just uses the app to change colors for each season. All white till Jan, Feb she does red for valentine, March green, April, may June all white, July red and white for the fourth, Aug Sept all white and Oct theirs an orange and purple for Halloween. And of course red and green for Xmas. What a freaking Brilliant idea . I'm just not the biggest fan of seeing the lights year round. However your idea is really smart
Did you try it?
How did the install work? Where you able to turn them in so you dont have to take them down?
So brilliant. Finally going to do this.
Ohh wow that’s awesome!! I am going to have to give it a try next year 2022. I also thought of something else you could do with the light setup too that I am going to do; put them in a teepee in my yard for a cool Christmas tree 🎄 shape. Thanks for sharing this with us and giving us some Christmas inspiration!!
Beauty thought and execution! Lots of work, but very legit for long term, thanks ferda! Sub
Seems like a tedious endeavor with added expense. If it works you then great. Easier to leave mini hooks in under soffit year round. Then you just hang lights from it.
Nice. Wish I had a shop equipped like yours to do this.
I did the same thing about 5 years ago. But I drilled them sideways into the backside of the facia board and left some play in the screw to expand to put the lights in. I also use a pair of dikes to open the channel when I twist it. Hides the wires and holds the lights straight. I use it every year. I leave the pipe up but take the lights down.
Nice work Anthony. Great idea.