# Inexpensive "spotlights"? For underwater effect...



## HauntedHorror (Aug 7, 2011)

I am looking for some type of inexpensive spotlights, landscape lighting or similar that can achieve a specific look. Preferably battery powered, as I don't know if I can run electricity outside(no outdoor outlets.)

What I'd like is to have blue lights shining from outside onto the windows, to make it look from inside as if you are underwater. Some of the windows are glass blocks so I think just the lighting would be enough, others will be partially covered with the lighting used to enhance the look.

I was thinking some type of spotlight or landscape light that I could have sitting on the ground and pointing up at the windows might work. It has to be inexpensive though because I have a small budget, and it's only going to be used for one night...


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

If you need battery powered Spotlights, the best I have seen are the ones from jacks tool shed. I bought a bunch from them last year and they are pretty bright. 
I don't think jacks carries them anymore but here another place. http://www.christmas-leds.com/category.aspx?categoryID=352


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

There are a lot of people that make light for aquariums that look like sunlight flickering in the water, try a search for aquarium LED lighting.


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

Ohh, or maybe Spooky's spooky light. You could use white or blue and white LEDs, and some sort of reflector.
http://www.spookyblue.com/halloween/flickerlight/spookyfire/


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## CoolDJTV (Jun 28, 2011)

Try chauvets HO2 LEDs for a water effect


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 7, 2011)

CoolDJTV said:


> Try chauvets HO2 LEDs for a water effect


I saw those, but they are definitely not inexpensive...especially not if I bought several like I need...

I don't mind if it doesn't look like the rippling/underwater effect like those lights do, I just want some blue lighting to shine on the house windows from the ground outside.

It will need to be fairly strong light though, because I will probably have to set it on the ground and shine up at the windows, which are fairly high up from ground level (at least 6-8 feet off the ground). Plus I want to light up the whole window, so it doesn't look like a focused beam like a flashlight or something shining in the window.


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

HauntedHorror said:


> I saw those, but they are definitely not inexpensive...especially not if I bought several like I need...
> 
> I don't mind if it doesn't look like the rippling/underwater effect like those lights do, I just want some blue lighting to shine on the house windows from the ground outside.
> 
> It will need to be fairly strong light though, because I will probably have to set it on the ground and shine up at the windows, which are fairly high up from ground level (at least 6-8 feet off the ground). Plus I want to light up the whole window, so it doesn't look like a focused beam like a flashlight or something shining in the window.


The ones that I told you about before should do the trick. Check out this youtube for how effective they are. And did I mention cheap and battery powered.


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## tanalos (Jul 22, 2011)

Have you thought about using a projector to show a looped video on a laptop?


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## singe (Sep 18, 2010)

i bought the Daren Waves projector last year for my underwater bathroom for about $15 on amazon. here's a video: 




i'm pretty happy with the effect for the $. it can run on usb, battery or ac adapter.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

Chuck said:


> If you need battery powered Spotlights, the best I have seen are the ones from jacks tool shed. I bought a bunch from them last year and they are pretty bright.
> I don't think jacks carries them anymore but here another place. http://www.christmas-leds.com/category.aspx?categoryID=352


Wow, those are bright and cheap! I may have to pick up a few for key and spot illumination.



singe said:


> i bought the Daren Waves projector last year for my underwater bathroom for about $15 on amazon. here's a video:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That looks just about perfect (assuming HH can use one or two for the whole display).


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

austenandrews said:


> Wow, those are bright and cheap! I may have to pick up a few for key and spot illumination.


:jol: Watch out Austenandrews, the shipping for me to get 32 lights in different colors was $18.00, which I thought was pretty steep, but maybe I am just a whiner. I will post how much I love or hate them when they get here. I ordered them Thursday (9/8/11) and they have already shipped which was pretty impressive. If they work at all they will beat the heck out of having to run cords all over the yard to get the green/blue/orange lights to spotlight my props! I get the BEST ideas on this forum WooHoo! :jol:


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

So, with shipping they're about twice the listed price. Still not bad if they're really good lights, but not as appealing as before.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Hey Austen..but for what you get..and I can't remember...less than $2.00 for each light...it is probably going to be worth it. I will definitely let you know when I get the lights in how good they look so you can decide. :jol:


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## singe (Sep 18, 2010)

i did a quick test (sorry for the horrible photo, but you get the idea. it's much brighter in person)










it's placed _inside_ on the sill, and the effect projects both up and out onto the overhang, and behind covering the curtain.


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

Pumpkin5 said:


> :jol: Hey Austen..but for what you get..and I can't remember...less than $2.00 for each light...it is probably going to be worth it. I will definitely let you know when I get the lights in how good they look so you can decide. :jol:


Pumpkin5, I bought about 20 of each color last year when jacks tool shed had them for $.75 a piece.

I used them everywhere. And they were perfect for what I used them for. Which was to light up tombstones and props I wanted a particular color on.

For instance, I will be using a white one to light up the BBQ cook (as you suggested)


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

HauntedHorror, have you gotten the answer you needed?


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Okay I AM IN LOVE!!! These LED lights are the bomb...and then some. The blue and red are the brightest, but I love the green and orange too. Does anyone know how long they will last? I guess I could just leave one on and time it to see how long it lasts, but I hate to waste the batteries. These little gems use 3 cell batteries and that is probably why they are so bright. Here's a pic of these tiny little wonders....and they have a swivel head! 
Mah-velous!!!








I just took the picture with the LED light next to a pen so you could see how small they are for a size comparison. I got 8 of each color, red, blue, green and orange. I could only order 8 per color, when I tried to order more, it knocked me back down to the original 8. Not sure why.....


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

Pumpkin5 said:


> Does anyone know how long they will last? (


I placed a couple red ones inside of a scarecrow last year, forgot to turn them off and left for 4 days. They were still on when I got home, not as bright as day 1, but still on. 96 hours straight seems pretty good to me, figuring you only leave them on for a few hours at night.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

Chuck said:


> I placed a couple red ones inside of a scarecrow last year, forgot to turn them off and left for 4 days. They were still on when I got home, not as bright as day 1, but still on. 96 hours straight seems pretty good to me, figuring you only leave them on for a few hours at night.


:jol: Thanks Chuck! As long as they get me through Halloween night, I am golden. I don't usually put all my graveyard tombstones out until Halloween day, so as long as they will last a good 24 hours I should be okay. And if they can last 48 hours I may do a dress rehearsal for Sunday night since the big event is on Monday this year. :jol:


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Stay on topic, please We don't want HauntedHorror's original question buried in a discussion of other people's haunts.


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

ahhh what was the question again...? lol


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Sorry! I just got excited, that's all. I think the blue and green LED lights together would make a nice 'water look', and you can't beat the price, it is super cheap.


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 7, 2011)

I thought about getting one of those Darren Waves things last year when I was only doing the underwater theme in my bathroom. I ended up rigging something up using blue cellophane and a rotating party light instead... Did it work out well for that?

Thanks for the photo singe! That looks perfect for placing outside my windows... The price is definitely the best compared to the other suggestions since I will need one for each window which means I need at least 6-8 of them, and that's if I don't do my big picture window(it might require several lights) or any of the upstairs ones... 
Doing blue and green is a good idea too.

ETA: Darn! I tried to add them to my cart and it said they only have TWO blue spotlights available. 



singe said:


> i did a quick test (sorry for the horrible photo, but you get the idea. it's much brighter in person)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 7, 2011)

Well this stinks... The place selling those mini LED Spotlights only had 2 left! I emailed them to see why I could only add a few to the cart and they said it's because they only have a few left and so far they are not able to get any more. So there goes that idea.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Those mini LED lights can also be had by people in canada at the dollar giant store as finger lights.. You get 5 of them for 1.25 . And then wire them with a small resistor and you can run them off a 9 volt battery and they will run for days without a problem.. 
As for your idea about water you could also probably get that effect with some thin plastic sheeting that can ripple in the breeze with blue lights shining on it


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## HauntedHorror (Aug 7, 2011)

Well, I ordered a few of the mini spotlights(what they had left in blue) and I don't think these are going to work for most of my windows. They just don't put out enough light, especially not if I had them on the outside sill or on the ground aiming up which was my plan since I don't know how else I can easily set up lights outside my window (I mean it's not like they can float in midair.) I may be able to use them for one of the kitchen windows since there is a porch out there I can set the lights on in order to shine them directly at the window from a distance to get a more diffuse light, but for the rest it's not going to work.

So I am still not sure what I am going to do about the effect for the rest of the windows.


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