Powerful Words

March 3, 2014/0 Comments

Powerful Words From Our Customers

We love testimonials. They convey a message that we cannot possibly deliver… We CAN be trusted to perform exceptional lighting services to your home and business.

Here is a recent note received into the office:

Ryan,

I am writing to you because I believe in the strength of a strong testimonial in acknowledgment of services rendered over and above my expectations.

I have been using Light Knights for three consecutive years. I have been impressed with every crew you have sent to assist me with my outdoor Christmas lights. Not only are they courteous and professional, they regularly go out of their way to ensure I am more than satisfied with their work. No last minute request or task is ever an inconvenience for them.

In addition to your field crew(s), I am also impressed by the communication and follow up that originates from your office. Your newsletter is a nice touch.

I will continue to promote you personally amongst my friends and family. I also hope this letter generates new business for you and your company.

I want to thank you for making what is a daunting experience a pleasurable one.

Best regards,

Melanie Boivin

4 Steps to Prolong The Life of Your Christmas Lights

February 24, 2014/0 Comments

How To Make Your Christmas Lights Last Longer

Are you tired of throwing out what seems like year old LED Christmas lights? Are your Christmas Lights looking dim after just one season? You may have caught what we like to call the “Vancouver Christmas Light Flu”. The flu you ask? Yes, and the symptoms are bulbs not turning on, flickering lights, dimmer than normal brightness, and potentially fatal, whole strand death.

The new LED Christmas lights available in stores are not as “hardy” as the old incandescent bulbs and strings. People have been used to taking their Christmas lights down and throwing them in the box for the year not thinking about condensation or water being in the storage bin. This used to cause a bulb or two to fail to work the next season and with the cheap cost of incandescent lights it wasn’t an issue for homeowners. Herein lies the problem homeowners across Vancouver are facing. LED Christmas lights not working after a short amount of seasons because the lights are being stored improperly. Unfortunately, homeowners don’t understand this and are actually the main culprit for Vancouver Christmas Light Flu.

Mr. Light Knights, how can I relieve my Christmas lights of the flu?! That’s a great question. Here are four quick and easy steps to prolong the life of your Christmas Lights.

1) When you take down your lights wrap them in coils around your arm and place them neatly into a storage bin. (Pro tip: using a drill, drill 5-7 air holes in your storage bin to ensure adequate ventilation)

2) Take your bin inside and take off the lid.

3) Put the bin in a warm location in your home for 3-4 days.

4) After 3-4 days check to see that the lights are all dry. If dry, close the lid. If damp, let sit with lid open for a couple more days. Once dried, store the bin in a cool, dry location until October/November/December or whenever you would like to put your lights up. (Pro tip: take a few sheets of old newspaper and put them on the top of the lights. The newspaper will act as an absorbent and ensure your bin stays perfectly dry all year long)

That’s it! Such simple steps to prolong the life of your Christmas lights. Remember, Vancouver can be a harsh winter climate and the lights like a little pampering before going in to hibernate for the year.

Best,

LK

Christmas Light Safety

December 18, 2013/0 Comments

Our friends at eClean Magazine have put together a great infographic on Christmas Light safety. Check it out: http://www.ecleanmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/holiday-lights.pdf

Keep safe this Christmas season! Find out more on our safety procedures and how critical safety is to us here: https://lightknights.ca/safety/

Lots of love,

Light Knights Lighting

Christmas Light Testimonial of the Year!

December 6, 2013/0 Comments

We really, really, really love clients who are so thorough with their testimonials! This is what we love so much about the Christmas Light season!

“Things I loved about how you conducted your business:

– responded to my original inquiry promptly

– provided an estimate quickly

– thorough invoice

– insured

– stated expectations regarding Christmas lights being checked and/or replaced

– arrived promptly and according to plan

– the installers were polite, friendly, professional and respectful

– the installers did exactly what we asked – amazing since this was our first time with your company (but NOT the last)

– had the tools and supplies that they needed

– left the storage boxes neatly

– the whole area was neat and clean when they were finished

– invoice matched the quote

– the thank you card was very thoughtful and a lovely gesture of appreciation (so is the draw for the beautiful bottle of red wine)!

Totally impressed – will refer you to anybody that is needing their Christmas lights installed.”

Catherine King, North Vancouver

Christmas Light Installation – Customization

December 3, 2013/0 Comments

Light Knights knows that every Christmas Light installation is different, and we’re prepared for that. We offer customized lengths of lights and extension cords to fit your home perfectly with no bulky leftovers.

How do we do this? We bring in spools of light strand that hold 1000’. Prior to arriving at your home the crew is given a detailed work order map with the approximate amount of lights required for the job. Once on site, the crew will start putting the strands together (screwing each light bulb into a socket) and when a gutter line or peak has finished they simply cut the end and if needed put an attachment on the end so that an extension cord can be plugged in and another strand connected.

Each crew also carries spools of extension cords so that when needed the extension cords are a perfect match to the distance required. No more messy bundles of extension cords left hanging or lying in the garden!

Our last piece of customization offered is the colour of our extension cords, C9 socket strands and our 5mm & C6 strands.

For extension cords we carry the colours White, Green, and Black.

For C9 Christmas light strands we carry White, Green, and Black. With these colours we can match most client gutters and fascia to hide unsightly cords during the day.

For 5mm and C6 strands we carry White, Green, and Brown. Why brown? People love wrapping lights around trunks and brown strands are a perfect complement to this.

Do you have your own design ideas that you would like us to implement into your home’s installation? We love sitting down with our clients to work together and achieve that creative desired outcome. Picture your family’s name written with Christmas lights on your hedge! Whether it be random or specific light patterns, the Light Knights team can deliver results. Need a little inspiration? Click here for our Christmas Light photo gallery.

Setting a Christmas Light Timer

November 27, 2013/0 Comments

Has the power gone out and one of our timers reset? Or maybe someone accidentally pulled it out and now the timer is reset. Have no fear! We created a short video on how to reprogram the timer to ensure you don’t miss a day of enjoying your Christmas Lights.

See the video here: [youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://youtu.be/lkx0eJbuKFY[/youtube]

Have a great day!

Christmas Light Installation Safety

November 26, 2013/0 Comments

At Light Knights, safety is our number one priority. We have taken extensive steps to ensure teams have the proper equipment and our designers and installers are thoroughly trained. The result is a safe, timely and professional Christmas Light install.

Proper care and careful planning in regards to power sources and electrical flow must be taken for a safe Christmas lighting install. Improper circuit loads can cause overheating and in extreme cases, fires. That’s why our team has been trained in electrical flow and know how many lights can be run off a single power source, and when to use multiple sources.

Additionally, we have trained our staff extensively on the safe and proper use of ladders, ladder arms, fall protection (harnesses, anchor points, etc…) and extension poles.

Some common safety issues to be aware of when having us work on your home or business:

– If power lines are present we must work at a safe working distance of greater than 9’ and for higher power lines, 20’-30’.

– If your home has high peaks and unstable/uneven ground that eliminate the ability to use a ladder, we will have to use fall protection which will increase the cost of installation. Often times we can make use of trees/shrubs rather than high peaks and still have a fantastic installation.

– For high traffic locations we will use reflective vests, cones, and caution tape to block off working areas. This will be a slight nuisance for your patrons but a much better option than having liability issues with people walking under working ladders, poles, and lifts.

Have a question regarding our safety procedures? Click here or call us 1-888-255-4666.

Christmas Light Colour Combinations

November 7, 2013/0 Comments

Christmas Light colour combinations are one of our designers’ favourite tasks. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity here! With countless options of symmetrical or ‘the beauty of randomness’ designs, we can come up with colour combinations that will warm your heart and make your neighbours rethink who they hire to design and install their Christmas lights. When working with you to build your custom lighting system, we take into account the existing colours around your property, such as the colour of your home, trees, shrubs, rocks, statues, etc.. Choosing just the right colour will make them pop like you’ve never seen before!

Some favourite colours combos to get you inspired:

Warm White & Red

Warm White, Red, Green

Pure White and Red

Multiple Colours

Commercial Christmas Light Installation

October 29, 2013/0 Comments

Light Knights is proud to offer Commercial Christmas light installation services. We work with Churches, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Malls and businesses of all shapes and sizes to brighten up their holidays and special events.

Did you know adding lighting to a store front can make a significant impact on holiday business? Drawing customers into your place of business can be difficult during the holiday season as the competition for shoppers increases. By adding a light display you can dramatically increase the likelihood of people seeing your business and therefore taking a look at what you have for sale.

Let us work with you to create a unique display whether it is lighting up exterior trees, roof lines, windows, or the inside rafters. No job is too big or too small and our design team will work with your company to provide a basic, less-is-more setup all the way to an extravagant, impossible-to-miss lighting system.

Check out Commercial Christmas Light Installations we have done for Save On Foods, Blenz, and UBC in our picture gallery.

How to Install Christmas Lights on a House

October 22, 2013/0 Comments

Every house is different and has it’s own architectural features that can be emphasized. Christmas lights installed in the correct ways can be extremely impactful for your home over the holiday season. Our design team works with our clients to fulfill their visions as well as be there to offer seasoned suggestions. Do you have a beautiful archway entrance to your home? Do you have stylish pillars that could be dressed in Red and White lights to look like giant candy canes? We guarantee your home’s holiday lighting curb appeal will impress any eyes that gaze upon it.

Looking for inspiration? Check out our Photo Gallery.

Some common lingo/areas that we install on:

Fascia – the wood trim below the roof line. Fascia is great for stapling Christmas lights and allows for a straight, clean look.

Gutter line – the gutter lines of a home. We use clips to attach the lights to the gutters and this also allows us to have professional looking installations.

Windows – we often recommend clients use C9 Christmas lights around window frames as this provides a clean look and we can cut the lines to the exact length needed.

Roof line – we can install lights directly on the roof using clips. This is a great way to highlight grand roof lines or to just add more Christmas spirit to a home.

Have an idea that you would like to run by us? Contact us today and we would be happy to discuss any questions or suggestions you may have!