# Ban, outlaw and confiscate LED yard lights! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 12, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898 "2015-05-12T23:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/41 "2015-05-13T20:01:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I still want to find out about those LED lights that stay on all night long. And party every day. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/42 "2015-05-13T20:11:51Z")
We don’t have any of these lights. But after reading the OP I’m going out to buy a couple dozen. Push back against the darkness! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/43 "2015-05-13T20:50:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > We don’t have any of these lights. But after reading the OP I’m going out to buy a couple dozen. Push back against the darkness! It’s better to buy a single yard light than curse the darkness. Stupid fucking darkness. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/44 "2015-05-13T20:53:31Z")
We had some city folk move out to our area this winter, for the first 2 months they kept their yard, driveway, porch, you name it, lit up like a POW camp all night long. Eventually they must have realized that there isn’t anything scarier than raccoons out here and have joined the dark side. Note: I was never _angry_ that they did this, just amused. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/45 "2015-05-14T03:41:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I still want to find out about those LED lights that stay on all night long. First, don’t buy the cheapest crappy lights. I wouldn’t recommend the most expensive, either, something mid-range will give you sufficient quality for maximum chances of “all night long” lights. Second - these things are solar powered. Therefore, without sufficient light they don’t get a full charge (this is also why you don’t want the cheapest - solar collectors too small/battery too small means limited night time light). If they’re shaded by trees or building structures that will reduce their power. Mine are on the south side of my building without any shade, maximizing their charge on a sunny day. Heavily overcast days, though, they don’t get a full charge so they go dim early in the night. Third - length of daylight. Around the winter solstice it doesn’t matter how sunny the day is, they just don’t get enough of a charge to make it through the long winter night (although the light glowing under a light blanket of snow is kind of trippy). This time of year, with a longer day and shorter night, they are much more likely to make it to dawn. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/46 "2015-05-14T10:04:16Z")
You could just get yourself a bb gun, they are nice and quiet. Then sit out on your porch and do some target shooting. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/47 "2015-05-14T12:14:25Z")
I agree with this pitting. I vacation where I do because I like the dark quiet, and because I LIKE seeing the Milky Way come up over the harbor. I also hate Massholes on vacation in Maine and have taken the step of putting a “Florida Native” sticker on my car so no one thinks I’m a Masshole. Better to be thought of as crazy-with-a-gun than rude and arrogant (which is a very southern response, come to think of it). > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > God, I wish I was as good with a sniper rifle as I am in Borderlands. _“Gotta get some whiskey and a gun, my dear. Some whiskey and a gun.”_ Kittery Trading Post and practice. Take a stand! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/48 "2015-05-14T14:04:21Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > You are obviously unaware of the number of criminals running loose in the woods of New England. Why, it’s a wonder the OP survived as long as he did, prior to his neighbors selflessly protecting him and the rest of the neighborhood. The problem isn’t criminals, it’s much worse than that. He’s in Lovecraft country, after all. Maybe LED lights are good for repelling eldritch horrors. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/49 "2015-05-14T14:35:11Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Any chance of photos? I don’t know what these look like. Here’s an [Amazon page](http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Lighting-Outdoor-Electrical/b?ie=UTF8&node=553784) with a buttload of different lights. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/50 "2015-05-14T15:06:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I have a searchlight on my property. Two, actually. They come in handy frequently. Neighbors can suck it, or I won’t fish them out of the lake after dark. > > No windchimes, though. Foghorn, and a ship’s bell are both much more effective. The bell gets rung mainly on the anniversaries of the sinking of the Edmund Fitz and the Carl D. Bradley. Mainly. Also for supper. I like the idea of a dinner bell, maybe I will ask mrAru to get one. I actually have rather fond memories of the YMCA camp on Silver Lake in NY - I could do without [reveille](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft2WqkvIhXY) at 6 am, but the playing of [mess call](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMptIg98e78) at 6 pm was nice, it gave us a couple hours to get home in time for [taps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI) when we were out in the woods or on the lake sailing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/51 "2015-05-14T15:17:56Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > First, don’t buy the cheapest crappy lights. I wouldn’t recommend the most expensive, either, something mid-range will give you sufficient quality for maximum chances of “all night long” lights. Thanks Broomstick, but I was just yanking the unpaid Barbarian’s chain. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/52 "2015-05-14T15:58:49Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > So someone who payed actual money for the property next to yours is decorating that property as she sees fit. Y… > > Is that about right? Just wait until YOUR neighbor does something you’re not happy with and instead of giving you decent advice people just tell you to move or buy the house. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/53 "2015-05-14T16:03:08Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Here’s an [Amazon page](http://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Lighting-Outdoor-Electrical/b?ie=UTF8&node=553784) with a buttload of different lights. Ooooooooo [turtles!](http://www.amazon.com/Moonrays-91515-Turtles-Solar-Powered-Outdoor/dp/B00352LT50/ref=lp_553784_1_11?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1431619346&sr=1-11) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/54 "2015-05-14T19:15:05Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > You could just get yourself a bb gun, they are nice and quiet. Then sit out on your porch and do some target shooting. I agree. Just shoot the neighbors. That’ll solve your problem. Likewise **Broomstick** should shoot her car and house and then she won’t be crashing into them all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Mikemike2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikemike2/32/305_2.png) [@Mikemike2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikemike2)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/55 "2015-05-14T19:35:58Z")
I love me some colored LED lights, and I try to use more subtle color combinations. I live in the City, so its not like I would otherwise be seeing stars. If you want lights that can last all nite, use electricity. Much brighter and therefore more useful. We have a low voltage system running through our yard. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/56 "2015-05-14T20:12:02Z")
I’m guessing his neighbors also eat Nutella and go to Starbucks. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/57 "2015-05-15T10:01:26Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I agree with this pitting. I vacation where I do because I like the dark quiet, and because I LIKE seeing the Milky Way come up over the harbor. Oh bullshit. Solar yard lights do not block out the Milky Way. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/58 "2015-05-15T12:02:00Z")
I suppose the OP wouldn’t like me for a neighbor. I have kept the post light in front and porch light in back lit for the past twenty years. In the beginning it was annoying, with incandescent bulbs burning out regularly. Then I spent several years with CFL bulbs. These days both are very energy efficient LED bulbs, so I’m happy. The neighbors all have well lit homes. I can’t see the Milky Way in my back yard. A few weeks ago there was a short power outage at night, and it was amazing how dark my neighborhood was. The only thing lit was a set of those solar LED yard lights illuminating the walk of one of the neighbors, and even those were pretty dim. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/59 "2015-05-15T12:36:42Z")
This thread makes me recall a classic poem, only a portion of which shall I post here: > [@](#): > > Now the world has gone to bed, > Darkness won’t engulf my head, > I can see by infrared, > How I hate the night. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898/60 "2015-05-15T13:57:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I agree. Just shoot the neighbors. That’ll solve your problem. > Likewise **Broomstick** should shoot her car and house and then she won’t be crashing into them all the time. No, I meant shoot the lights. Not the actual neighbors themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ban-outlaw-and-confiscate-led-yard-lights/719898.md?page=4)