Lamp Post & House Fixtures

Lamp Post Lantern, House Fixture and Post Replacement; Wiring Repairs
 
Lamp posts are considered a maintenance item for the aesthetics of the community and the association can require that they are in place, upright, and in good condition.  The association cannot require that they be kept on.  However, we encourage everyone to keep their lamp posts on for safety and security as well as appearance of the entire community.
 
House, post and post fixtures must match in finish.  Original brass house and post lanterns do not have to be replaced if they are in good condition and untarnished.  However, if you must, or choose to, replace a brass fixture, you must replace it with an approved black finish fixture, and if you replace one fixture, you must replace both fixtures, even if an original brass fixture is still in good condition. Replacements for the lamp post, lamp post lantern and house fixture have a black finish and can all be purchased from Home Depot. We have not seen them at Lowe's.
 
If you need an electrician to install your fixtures, contact Guy Gettman at 1-443-221-1644. Guy is listed under "Electrician" on the Vendors We Like page and has fixed several lamp posts in the community, so he is familiar with how they are wired and some of the issues that have arisen during replacement.
 
Click on each item to be taken to the Home Depot website.

 Hampton Bay Lamp Post Lantern - 240-369- $24.97

Assembled Depth (in.) : 6 in
Assembled Height (in.) : 15.5 in
Assembled Width (in.) : 6 in

Hampton Bay House Fixture - 240-177 - $17.97

Assembled Depth (in.) : 6 in

Assembled Height (in.) : 13.75 in
Assembled Width (in.) : 5.25 in

Lamp Post Cross Bar

If you just need a cross arm or "ladder rest", Lowe's has them with black knobs for only $3.98 (as of 3/2017).

Portfolio Black Cast Aluminum Post Light Cross Bar

Lamp Post

 

Different brands with cross arms or "ladder rests" will work as replacements. Posts tend to come with gold plastic balls on the end of the cross arm, so use the black ones from the original post or paint the gold ones to black. The post can be, but does not have to be, embedded in concrete. The top of the pole should be 60" from the ground so either an 80" or 84" pole will work.

#502047- Steel, 80" tall: $66.97

SKU# 716716, Model 5391-31PC - Aluminum, 84" tall:  $111.51
Progress Lighting Black 7 ft. Exterior Lighting Post with Photocell and Ladder Rest
 

SKU# 716716, Model # P5392-31PC - Aluminum, 84" tall:  $134.91
Progress Lighting Black 7 ft. Exterior Lighting Post with Photocell, GCO (Grounded Convenience Outlet) and Ladder Rest 

Brass Fixture Paint Option

 

Rust-Oleum Universal 245221

 

11 oz. All Surface Metallic Pure Gold Spray Paint and primer in 1

 

$6.76 /each

 

Dries to the touch in as little as 30 minutes.
Available at Home Depot, Lowe's, Amazon and craft stores.

 

 

A.  To replace the bulbs in the BRASS light fixtures:

 

1.  Buy "candelabra" style (tiny base) incandescent, florescent or LED bulbs suitable for outdoors. Halogen bulbs have been known to "blow" once installed in the fixture. Do not use bulbs that exceed 25 watts. This will save electricity and keep the heat down within the enclosed glass so that your circuit doesn?t overheat and trip. The total wattage for all three bulbs should not exceed 75. The compact fluorescent bulb equivalent is 7 watts.

 

2.  Turn off the power at the circuit box or trip the GFI breaker on an outlet inside the house in line with the fixture.

 

3.  Read #4 and then come back to this one. Climb on a tall step stool or ladder and unscrew the 3 little screw tops from the 3 posts that pass from the lamp through the lid itself. They slip out of your fingers and are so small they get lost in the grass/snow/leaves. Have a designated pocket or zip lock or something to hold them in.

 

4.  Leave all the other little screw tops alone. Taking them out will drop all the glass out of the fixture. Hope you read this one before actually doing #3 above!

 

5.  Unscrew the bad bulbs, replace with good ones. Replace lid and tiny screw tops. Turn on light and, if it is dark out, notice if the bulbs are on.

 

It is easy if all goes smoothly, but hard if the screw tops fall out of your hand and get lost on the ground or if you buy the wrong bulbs, and even a bit hard to line up the lid holes with the 3 posts to put the lid back on.

 

B. To replace the bulb in the BLACK fixtures:

 

Remove the screws on top of the fixture, lift the lid, replace the bulbs, put the lid back on and put the screws back in!  To save electricity, use 40W equivalent LED bulbs. Replace both the house and the post lamp with the same bulb so that the light output and color are the same.

 

C.  If your lamp post is NOT WORKING even after you replace the bulbs:
1. Lamp posts are controlled by a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) switch. The GFI consists of two white buttons in the middle of an electric outlet (between the two receptacles) directly in line with the lamp post, either in the garage or in the front room of the non-garage units, directly in line with the lamp post.
The reset button may have tripped or the switch itself could be defective. If the "Reset" button on top is popped out, push it back in. If  you cannot locate the GFI, please contact a Board member for assistance in locating it.

 

Click here for eHow information on what GFI means: The Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) protects the user from a shorted receptacle because of a moisture event. If the receptacle sees an over-current condition caused by water, for example, the GFI activates ("pops out"), and the circuit on which the receptacle is located, shuts off. In addition to the garage circuit, to which most if not all lamp posts are wired, they can also be installed in laundry rooms or bath/laundry combinations. They are also common in kitchens and bathrooms. Every couple of months, it's a good idea to test your GFI receptacle by simply pushing the lower of the two buttons. The upper of the two buttons should pop "out".  Restore the circuit by pushing the upper button back in. If it stays in, the receptacle should be OK.  If the upper button will not stay in, do not use the receptacle and have it replaced.

 

2.  If the GFI has not popped and the light is still not turning on, try these remedies:


(a) replace the sensor on the front of the lamp post - before installation, use clear sealant around the front edge of the sensor - water gets in there even though it says it is waterproof - it is NOT totally waterproof based on past experience.
(b) replace the outlet with the GFI switch
(c) replace the socket inside the fixture
(d) have the fixture rewired. There could be a short in the wiring from deterioration or an accidental cut in the wires. The wires running underground from the lamp post to the unit should be made to be placed directly in contact with the soil, without being protected in any covering. However, water damage can occur to the wiring at the base of the pole.  If the wiring is the problem, you may wish to encase the wiring in PVC pipe so that the wiring is protected from the elements and light landscaping digging.