Streetlights..... grr

[redg8r]

Last year we had a streetlight in front of our property go out. we were pleased because it helped with last years yard haunt, however today, Saw the cherry picker pull up and swap out a new bulb and new sensor. :undecidekin:

Now the yard is drenched in yellow & the ballast is humming away.

Anyway, any ideas on how to compensate?
I'll need extra precaution to conceal all my wires & air lines, hell I'm contemplating running underground conduit since I finally own land :D

[debbie5]

I use this on occasion:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=slingshot&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12490718088694225334&sa=X&ei=4HQ7TvbgMa6v0AG7l8m6Aw&ved=0CGoQ8wIwAQ

[redg8r]

:lolkin:

I was waiting for a BB-gun recommendation, I guess your's would be a better challenge :D

[Hallomarine]

THANK YOU debbie5! I haven't laughed that hard in ages. It took me back to those wonderous days of yesteryear. That was often my solution to those pesky streetlight problems too. HM

[Slanks]

I also have a streetlight across the street from my yard. It went out (of it's own accord - Honest!) right before I set up last year. I'm not sure if it was coincidence or divine intervention but it was out all October. The village replaced it at 8:00 AM on November 1st!!!

[Allen H]

buy a bunch of helium filled black balloons, make sure they are all tied together, then with a long string float them up to the light blocking most of it.

[debbie5]

BB guns make noise..I prefer ninja mischief.

[spooky-kabuki]

I'd go with a BB gun as well.

Cherry picker, huh? Guess that means I'm one too? sheesh >:/

[SoCal Scare]

I have gotten to deal with a street light directly in front of my house for the past 4 years. At first I tried to use it to my advantage, didn't work! Being in law enforcement keeps me from shooting it out or disabling it, so I came up with a quick and painless answer. I take 2 10' sections of 1 - 11/2" pvc and put them together with a T at the end then take 4 pieces of pvc and make a square with an opening about 11/2-2' square. Then using a black trash bag I put the opening around the square and hold it with black duct tape now you have like a net and simply get a ladder out so you can get the bag over the light so it blacks it out. I just leave the pole hanging there so it can be easily removed but not reached from the ground. This works great and is cheap, easy and takes the majority if the liability away because it can be easily removed.

[JohnnyAppleseed]

The light in front of my house never seems to turn on on Halloween night. although it works well the night before and even after.

How you ask......well I'll tell you about my discovery, it may work for you as well.

During the daylight hours I pull out my trusty drill with a cross-tip bit, head over to the pole and at the bottom is a panel held with two phillips screws, reverse them out, open the panel, seperate the fuse, replace the panel and no light that night. At the close of festivities, open the panel and repeat in reverse.

[fritz42_male]

Paintball gun?

A non-destructive way to go that can be washed off afterwards

[debbie5]

Paint balls hit hard enough to leave big bruises. Might break the glass..then again, the light would really be out then.....

[goneferal]

Not to be a downer, but those streetlights make tot's visible to drivers. I just put my haunt on the other side of the yard. Another thing to note is that you might want to watch your fogger so the street isn't full of fog. I caught myself last year and realized that the intersection by my house was fog bombed. My first thought was that some neighborhood kid would get hit by a car.

[Lunatic]

Not to be a downer, but those streetlights make tot's visible to drivers. I just put my haunt on the other side of the yard. Another thing to note is that you might want to watch your fogger so the street isn't full of fog. I caught myself last year and realized that the intersection by my house was fog bombed. My first thought was that some neighborhood kid would get hit by a car.

I hate to say it too but safety is important. I too have a street light near my graveyard and I just deal with it. I place the graveyard further back into the yard away from the light a little more. I asked the same question a few years ago and I got the same response as far as the importance of safety and the potential liability issues. Fog produces another potential problem and that is why I cycle my foggers. There usually is some degree of wind at my house so it doesn't stick around long. That is why I shoot fog inside a huge fire pot to keep it contained a little more.

[Spooky1]

I'd wouldn't recommend vandalism. Is there any way you could use a ladder and shroud the side of the light facing your yard for the night?

[CoolDJTV]

The Street lights don't bother my haunt a lot! I just put out ton's of fog and it adds a cool effect! It actully brings in more people since I have a major road down my street a ways and the fog+ Street light combo adds an errie effect!

[Chuck]

I saw a good solution on another forum where they incorporated the light into their haunt. I have the exact same type street light right next to my house, I figured it would work for me and maybe others.

Here is a link to his solution....Street Light Defeated (http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/99660-street-light-defeated-halloween.html)

[ouizul1]

...takes the majority if the liability away...

LOL...I like that one. (honest)
But with my luck, I'm thinking that leaves just enough liability to be trouble. The Town inspector-guy actually stopped by my house to tell me I own too many trash cans.

[debbie5]

the city tells you how many TRASH CANS you can have!!?? WTH!?

[B Robinson]

use it.....get maybe ....an old parachute, paint some type of scarey back drop on it and put up so the street light makes it cast an frightening shadow over your yard!!!!!!!

[ouizul1]

the city tells you how many TRASH CANS you can have!!?? WTH!?

Turns out they can't. Only how many you can put out at one time.

But that's how my luck runs. I still take static at work for being the only guy they know who got pulled over for doing the speed limit. No ticket, but I did get to spend about 15 minutes playing question & answer with the State Trooper.

So there's no way I'm gonna mess with the street light right next to my house!
...tempting as it is. :D

[Spiderclimber]

I have seen several good responses here on how to take care of the street light. Some legal, some not. I have a feeling that after the first year, if you shot the light the second year, someone would be onto you. So don't shoot the light, keep a temp fix, either the garbage bag, balloons, etc. Removing the fuse may be on the illegal side as well as you are messing with internal configurations of city propery. As well, you take the chance of playing with 480 volts which if you hit the wrong wire would kill you, not my idea chance for a little less light.

Here is my solution which if needed, I would try and may try this coming year. All of the street lights are on sensors. They come on when it is dark and off when it is light. Ever driven down the road and the sensor is slightly turned and your headlights set it off? All you need to do is make the sensor think it is day light for one night. Create a long pole like others have done and lift a small light up to the sensor. The sensor will trip and no bright light for the evening.

Good luck to all for the pesky street lights.

[redg8r]

Thanks for the replies! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading each one. We're a demented & devoted group alright.

I did try aiming a laser at the sensor last night, but no dice, so I think I'll just try and compensate & keep my yellow floods and gels packed away.

I remembered a killer haunt lighting tutorial from the guys @ skullandbone. after re-reading it I came to find they had the exact same problem.

-Warning- PDF link (2.5mb)
http://www.robertdbrown.com/haunt/YardHauntLighting-SkullAndBone.pdf

[vincemacpaul]

I'm not sure how those streetlight sensors work but can attest they turn the light off for about 5 mins after the presents of a loud noise near them (probably the flash). I'm sure they all work differently and might not work in your case. Our house is has always been New Years Eve Central. Firecrackers on the ground won't knock em out, but a stray bottle rocket popping within 10 feet will trigger the off button. A cherry bomb/m-80 or quarter stick on the ground within 50 feet will shut it down (not flash). Our street cannons knock em out for 3 blocks around (type louder, I still can't hear). Thinking out of the box here, if you could determine your light is so sensitive, maybe some of those chinese electronic firecrackers on a stick with a timed relay at ground level? I'm a legal beagle but no one is gonna deny my family fireworks or the possibility of disabling a streetlight for one night on Halloween. Good luck my friend.

[alienyoungjr]

Quick and easy fix to that streetlight problem. After all, they are activated by darkness. So hit the sensor with a laser pointer and the light will go out within seconds.

[goneferal]

Go with Skull and Bone. I have a very bright streetlight and I still got this effect last year:

http://goneferalinid.blogspot.com/2010/10/lookie-what-i-got-today.html

Thanks HC for the first photo, the rest of the post has my haunt pics with a bright as get-out streetlight that I have to buy black-out curtains for the bedroom window so I can sleep.

http://goneferalinid.blogspot.com/2010/10/lookie-what-i-got-today.html