How to Install RV Deck Lights

Adding a few lights to your RV deck not only makes the experience more enjoyable and user-friendly, but it's also a great way to express your personality. There are many fun reasons for installing RV deck lighting, such as late meals, games, reading, and providing ambient light. With a little work, you and your family can start enjoying well-lit evenings on your RV deck.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Deck lights
Electrical staples
Staple gun
Tape measure
Pen or pencil
Masking tape

Step 1

Measure the length of your RV's deck railing. Decide at what intervals you'd like to place your lights. This will let you know how many lights to buy. For example, if your railing is 10 feet long, and you'd like intervals of one foot between lights, you should buy 10 lights.

Step 2

Choose what type of lights you want. The easiest lights to install come together on strings (usually in ten lights per string). Many of these come in fun varieties, such as birds, fruit, or cactii. If you are going for a playful look, one of the novelty light strings may be for you. If you want a more classic look, there are traditional string lights available. You should also consider the strength of the bulbs. Be careful, because if you are going for brightness, some string lights do not have powerful bulbs, and may leave you needing more light.

Step 3

Mark the spots on your railing where you'd like the lights to be placed by using a pencil and tape measure. Remember, you will be constrained by how much space there is already between the lights on the string.

Step 4

Place the string lights on the appropriate railing spots. Use masking tape to hold the string lights down until you can staple them.

Step 5

Secure string lights in the correct spot by using the staple gun. The staples should be placed on either side of the individual light they are securing (within an inch). Make sure the string line of lights is taught, then remove the masking tape.

Step 6

Plug the lights into your RV's power supply. If the chord will not reach, use an outdoor-safe extension chord. Most lights do not have on and off switches, so you will have to unplug them when it's time to turn them off.

Tips & Warnings

If you are uncomfortable using staples, you could simply use electrical tape to attach the lights to your RVs railing. This might be a good idea if you are unsure if the lights you've purchased are going to work out for the long haul.

Article Written By Kelsey Childress

Kelsey Childress runs a freelance creative business called Awen Creative that specializes in SEO Web content, social media marketing and blogging. She has been writing for online and in-print publications for over six years, and has a bachelor's degree in English literature and creative writing from Kansas State University.

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