How to Choose the Right Rope Light Connectors

One of the best ways to automatically upgrade your home is by installing rope lights. It adds a pop of light, and it's easy to customize.

Whenever you incorporate rope lights into your home, it's crucial you use the correct rope light connectors. Keep reading below for more information. 

What's So Great About Rope Lights?

In a practical sense, rope lights add a little bit of light where you might want it. Instead of leaving the main kitchen lights on throughout the evening, you can use rope light to gently illuminate the kitchen. 

You can also use them during your annual holiday decorating for warm glows. They look amazing with Christmas and winter decorations.

Another thing that's so great is the aesthetic and warmth they can bring to a room. Place them around the corners of the bedroom or above the mirrors in a bathroom to try something new. You can even explore rope light options in the garden!

What Kind of Rope Lights Should I Get?

There are plenty of options out there when selecting what lights you want. You have different colors, heights, widths, and voltages. You can even get ones that change colors.

Keep in mind that the bulkiness and weight of them will affect how flexible the lights are. If you are trying to complete an intricate design, go with something sturdy yet thin.

Rope lights never bend at right angles so keep that in mind when visualizing where you'd like them to go. Excessive bending and flexing of the lights can damage them.

To surprise your guests, you can even install flashing and blinking rope lights. Between the flashing and color-changing, you'll have the best light show in the neighborhood. 

Well, What Else Do I Need to Know? 

One important thing to note about cutting rope lights is you can only cut them at certain intervals. Before you order them, make sure you check and see how long the intervals are on the kind you're getting. Take some time to measure out the space you're wanting to use them.

When unpackaging your rope light, take a close look and search for something like small scissor icons or dotted lines along the rope. This indicates where you're only able to cut. Cutting anywhere else can damage the lights.

Before you start cutting your lights, make sure everything is unplugged. This will keep you protected. 

You'll also need to understand the different pieces of rope light. This will come in handy when using your rope light connectors. You have your power cord, power connectors, rope light, and end cap.

The power cord is what powers the lights to work. This is the part that plugs into your outlet. The power connector is the piece that attaches the cord and rope together.

The actual rope light is the tube that holds the strings of bulbs. At the very end, you'll find the end cap. The cap simply protects the exposed end from getting any dirt inside of the tube. 

As a quick tip, look at some LED rope lights to save energy! 

How Do I Know What Connectors to Purchase?

Rope light connectors are an important part of it all. It's important to grab the right size so you have smooth sailing. 

There are some things you'll have to make note of before you purchase anything. You'll need to know if you need a connector with larger pins or standard-sized pins. In addition to this, you should figure out if you're connecting a cord and a rope or two ropes together.

You are able to separately order connector pieces but many also come in kits. Different kits work with different strands of rope lights.

You'll need to know the size of the tube, the voltage, and how many wires when ordering a kit. For example, your rope lights might be 1/2 inches, 12 volts, and have 2 wires inside. Make sure all this information lines up with the connector kit you want to purchase.

The kits come in handy when you're splicing the rope light and want to place sections across various rooms in the home. Kits are affordable and offer a quick installation process. 

What Kind of Rope Light Connectors Should I Purchase?

There are several different designs of connectors you can purchase to fit your individual needs.

A splice connecter connects 2 runs of lights together. This is great when you are creating extremely long strips of lights. You can even get a splice cable if you'd like an unlit section.

If you want to create 3 separate connections at one spot, grab a T connector. Bump it up to an X connector if you're creating 4 connections. Y connectors allow you to separate off into 2 separate runs.

Your most common rope light connector is going to be your invisible connector. This one is undetectable and gives a seamless look.

Mix and match your different connectors to create different designs. With plenty of planning, you'll never know what you can come up with in the world of rope light design. 

All You Need to Know About Rope Lights

One of the best ways to decorate your yard or add spots of light in your home is using rope lights. When you purchase these lights, you do need to know about rope light connectors. Getting the correct connectors is your key to success.

There are so many options to choose from when selecting the rope light you'd like to use. When you select your rope light connectors, decide how many runs you'd like in one connection spot. You'll also need to know the width of the tubes and the voltage of the lights.

For more on LED lights, rope lights, holiday lights, and light fixtures, make sure to explore the rest of our site. You can even browse our clearance rack!