When it comes to simple Christmas light installation, homeowners turn to EverLights. Our patented design means EverLights are the easiest permanent holiday lights to install. Whether you’re experienced or a DIYer, we’ll walk you through the system and installation procedure with the following guide.
Permanent Christmas Light Installation
Drill
Insert
Twist
Changes For New Version 3 Lights
New Version 3 EverLights introduce many improved features which results in a few tweaks to the installation process. Stick with the standard instructions found below with the following adjustments:
- There are now 4 wires, still connect like-to-like wires. The positive wire is marked as “EverLights”, the solid white line indicates the main data wire, solid black is the backup data wire, and ground is marked as GND.
- All version 2 and version 3 EverLights components are compatible with one another. If using components from each version and connecting 3-wire to 4-wire, combine the ground and backup data wire from the 4-wire to connect to the ground on the 3-wire.
- Before any jump wire of 5 feet or more insert a data buffer to keep the data signal clean. More on this below.
- The shell on the V3 lights is a little bigger than previous versions to accommodate for the fourth wire. To fit in the top lip of the gutter you may need to take some pliers to pinch tight the inside lip at each light locations.
The 3 Must Follow Rules For A Proper Install
If all else fails, follow these rules and you will be OK.
Required Tools
Cordless Drill
Wire Stripper/Crimper/Cutter
Small Flathead Screwdriver
Lighter or Mini Torch
Ladder
Liquid Electrical Tape
Before You Begin
It’s well worth the time to consider the following before getting the ladder out:
Layout: Where do you want the lights to go? Where will you need a power booster? Where are the external outlets on your house? Just a few questions you want to consider. Generally speaking you want to move consistently in one direction across your Utah home. Read more about power requirements below read the Tips & Tricks before diving in.
Connect Your Control Box: Before you mount your control box and route the wiring along your Utah home, setup your control box and make sure it is responsive to commands where you intend to place it. The garage is the best place for the control box but your Wi-Fi signal may be more reliable on one side than the other. As much as possible do this testing with cars in the garage that are typically parked there. *Note: you must connect to a 2.4 GHz network for proper function.
Installing Lights
With a plan in place it’s time to start punching some holes. Use the EverLights layout tape as a template to install into your gutters, flashing, or custom EverLights housing feature, and you’re ready to rip.
Version 3 Data Buffers
It’s important to have a clean data signal connecting each section of lights. With longer jumps of wire it’s possible the data signal can become too weak to provide consistent lighting across the building. It is recommended to tie-in a data buffer before any jump of wire 5 feet or longer.
Data buffers are increasingly important if there is a Y-split at a jump point. In these situations tie the data buffer in immediately after the Y-split on the leg with the longer run of wire before the next light.
Adhere to the 3 rules of installing EverLights and you can't go wrong
Terminating Wires
At the end of a run make sure to coat the end of the wire with liquid electrical tape or another outdoor coating. It’s also wise to cut the positive wire an inch or so shorter than the other wires so there’s a further distance to bridge before causing a short should the coating fail over time.
Wiring Basics
EverLights run off a three conductor cable. The two outside wires are stranded 18 AWG power wires, and the middle wire is a stranded 22 AWG data wire. The positive wire is consistently labeled with the text “EverLights”. Match the positive “EverLights” wire to the +5v port on the control box.
The EverLights control box has two zone outputs. You can have each zone display the same or unique patterns at the same time or individually. The wire for each zone screws into the black terminal blocks. Follow rule #2 by inserting each wire into the corresponding port of the terminal block. Each pin is labeled on the bottom of the control box. The power supply simply inserts into the jack labeled POWER and there’s also a reset button should you ever need to turn on/off access point mode or reset your controller.
Wire attachments:
Strip ¼” of insulation from the wire, twist the strands of wire to compact, and insert the stripped wire into one side of the connector. Use your crimp tool to squeeze the coupler tight around the wire. If your knuckles pop, you have squeezed hard enough. Use a lighter or mini torch to gently apply heat to the coupler, starting at the middle and moving outwards. Same procedure for the clear Y-split connectors but strip 3/8” of insulation off the wires that go in the double side.
Power Boosters
Inside each LED there are three pixels, a red, green, and blue pixel. The 16 million colors are achieved by mixing the brightness of these three pixels. White is achieved by full brightness on all three pixels. As such, white is the biggest power draw to the system.
We recommend boosting the power every 75 feet or so to keep the colors consistent. Many patterns or colors will be fine at longer distances, but if your lights are on all white at full brightness, you will start to notice the colors turning yellowish around the 75 foot mark. You can boost your power at longer or shorter intervals, but 75 feet is a good rule of thumb.
If you are tapping the fresh power into the middle of a run, cut the two power wires but leave the data wire intact. You can also add the fresh power at any connection point, in which case you would connect the data wires as usual. Next, join all three neutral wires using a multiple wire butt splice connector. If connecting the booster between two lights be sure to put the booster wire in the larger side of the connector with one of the wires from the lights. This will ensure proper spacing. Lastly, connect all three power wires using an additional multiple wire butt splice connector. Watch Video Here.
Tips and Tricks
The following is not necessary for installation but could save you a headache or two. It’s worth a view!
EverLights manufactures user-friendly holiday lighting that you can easily control with a smartphone app. Come to us when you need a trustworthy team to install permanent Christmas lights in your Utah home.
Illuminate your home with smart lighting.