About Light Ropes
“Rope light” is the generic term for any of a variety of accent lights manufactured in long tubes rather than as individual fixtures. A typical one consists of numerous 1/2 watt micro-bulbs, spaced about one inch apart and housed in a clear or colored flexible PVC resin tube. Both 120 volt and 12 volt versions are available, and the lights are rated for both indoor and outdoor use.
The tiny bulbs are maintenance free, and are not intended for replacement. Most of the them are rated for about 25,000 hours of use before they fail — if you had them on for an average of 4 hours every day, it translates into about 17 years of life. At 1/2 watt each and spaced 1 inch apart, a typical one will generate approximately 6 watts per foot (it would take about 10 feet of rope light to equal the energy usage of one 60-watt light bulb). The tube gets only slightly warm to the touch, and does not present a burn danger.
They can be installed just about anywhere your imagination can think up. Indoors, you can use them along mantles and shelves, around bookcases, around or inside cabinets, inside dark closets, around doors and windows, along the edge of a ceiling or a chair rail molding, or to light up staircases or individual steps. Outdoors, they are beautiful around decks and deck railings, along paths, as safety lighting for steps, or as architectural or landscaping accent lights in any of a variety of areas.