New house, looking to add lighting to a deck and above-ground swimming pool. Looks really expensive to get concrete footers and poles like parking lot lights use. But there are no good trees to mount lights to, so I just need a way to get them up high. Can't I just build a "pole" out of a couple pieces of metal conduit attached together, about 14 ft tall, stick one end in the ground a couple feet, and mount a junction box and flood light to the end in the air? Anyone see any possible problems or code violations?

Maybe I can use a couple of these on each pole: https://www.amazon.com/QUANS-Outdoor-Security-Waterproof-12-24VDC/dp/B07DZXJDJ3

You will face severe corrosion problems and so their short life. Mainly the section of 30cm below up to 10cm above the ground level will get eaten the most. The "poles" are usually designed for that, either being thicker in that section (more material needs to be eatenaway before it fails) or having some extra protection layers (asphalt or resin cladding,...).

With plastic conduits you will face the UV/oxygen corrosion all above the ground.

Plus generally conduits are not designed for the strength (mainly bending - wind,...) such use needs.


To save some money, you may erect them just in the corners and then use steel rope to hang the fixtures between them. The poles need to be stronger, but fewer.

You will face severe corrosion problems and so their short life. Mainly the section of 30cm below up to 10cm above the ground level will get eaten the most. The "poles" are usually designed for that, either being thicker in that section (more material needs to be eatenaway before it fails) or having some extra protection layers (asphalt or resin cladding,...).

With plastic conduits you will face the UV/oxygen corrosion all above the ground.

Plus generally conduits are not designed for the strength (mainly bending - wind,...) such use needs.


To save some money, you may erect them just in the corners and then use steel rope to hang the fixtures between them. The poles need to be stronger, but fewer.

Good point about corrosion, wonder how long it would take to eat through rigid steel conduit. To be honest, I don't really care if it lasts longer than 5 years or so. Definitely would not use plastic due to the bending like you said.

Not sure now well the cable would work with flood lights due to them blowing and tilting is wrong directions. But would be fine for rope lights. Will probably do 2 or 3 poles total. Thanks for the input.

Good point about corrosion, wonder how long it would take to eat through rigid steel conduit. To be honest, I don't really care if it lasts longer than 5 years or so.

Here the 4m (=part above ground) poles were generally about 5mm wall thickness tubes, with the critical section being thickened to more than 20mm.
The modern poles are not that thick anymore, but are clad with a glass reinforced resin laminate in that section and generally heavily galvanized.

I guess you may use what our recent ancestors did: Use a steel reinforced concrete rod in the ground section and mount on it a wooden pole above the ground. So the critical section is concrete. But I'm not sure if that is the cheapest option today, maybe only for a DYI construction (just because it is not used anymore).

Definitely would not use plastic due to the bending like you said.

Even the metal conduits are far from strong enough, they use to have wall thickness below 1mm and that won't hold anything...

One house on my street has metal pipe holding up a cross arm with two halogen floods each. Very light fixtures but I assume the pipes must be very thick.

The biggest issue is with swaying. I do agree PVC no way would work. I was going to use a PVC pipe to mount my weather temp sensor/anemometer but even that small weight would cause to bend and especially swaying in wind.

Here the 4m (=part above ground) poles were generally about 5mm wall thickness tubes, with the critical section being thickened to more than 20mm.
The modern poles are not that thick anymore, but are clad with a glass reinforced resin laminate in that section and generally heavily galvanized.

I guess you may use what our recent ancestors did: Use a steel reinforced concrete rod in the ground section and mount on it a wooden pole above the ground. So the critical section is concrete. But I'm not sure if that is the cheapest option today, maybe only for a DYI construction (just because it is not used anymore).


Even the metal conduits are far from strong enough, they use to have wall thickness below 1mm and that won't hold anything...

That's interesting. I never saw or heard of that method before. I found this chart saying 1" has a wall thickness of 3.2mm: https://steeltubeinstitute.org/steel-conduit/types-of-steel-conduit/rigid-metal-conduit-rmc/

I did this. More expensive but very solid. It is a 6"x6"x16' mounted to two channels in a 24" Sono tube filled with concrete, 5 feet in the ground and one foot above. Underground conduit supplies the electricity. You can mount pretty much any fixture of your liking to it without worrying about swaying or bending.

I did this. More expensive but very solid. It is a 6"x6"x16' mounted to two channels in a 24" Sono tube filled with concrete, 5 feet in the ground and one foot above. Underground conduit supplies the electricity. You can mount pretty much any fixture of your liking to it without worrying about swaying or bending.

That's a great idea. I've seen your setup before and it never really dawned on me what a great idea it was. I plan to do that if I ever get my own place or can install a light here. I priced one of those posts from Lowes and it's only about $46. Way easier and cheaper to obtain than telephone pole and can probably be transported relatively easily. I don't know about the cost for the channel or concrete, but still very reasonable.

Plus, 16' is a pretty good mounting height for fixtures, I think.

I'd buy a 4x4 Pressure treated piece of timber of your desired height (I'd personally do 20 feet) then I'd dig a hole about three or four foot deep, pour in some quickcrete (concrete) insert the pole let the concrete dry then mount the light.. If need be you could double up a couple 4x4's or screw a 2x4 to the 4x4 to re-enforce it..

Also when you mount the light make sure the bolts go through the board.. Or use thick bolts because you don't want the fixture plopping off and smashing stuff. Or getting destroyed itself. It'd suck to lose a vintage fixture to a wind storm because the pole couldn't support it...


Conduit I believe would be considered a code violation due to safety.. I suppose if you bundle enough of them together you'd come out with something somewhat(?) strong but I personally wouldn't even risk it.

Last I checked, an 80 pound bag of quick Crete costs about $8-$12

I'm unsure how much timber costs in your area.

My utilty Company required to me to install a meter pole with two 4 inch Rigid conduit. 4 feet into ground and cemented in. rest of it is 16 feet in the air.  And I dont
see why not use metal pipes.  old oil drilling pipes are commonly sold in Texas people chop them make fence out them as well.  so I dont see why not using rigid conduit as light poles.  in process of doing a light pole with that method my self.

I'd buy a 4x4 Pressure treated piece of timber of your desired height (I'd personally do 20 feet) then I'd dig a hole about three or four foot deep, pour in some quickcrete (concrete) insert the pole let the concrete dry then mount the light.. If need be you could double up a couple 4x4's or screw a 2x4 to the 4x4 to re-enforce it..

Also when you mount the light make sure the bolts go through the board.. Or use thick bolts because you don't want the fixture plopping off and smashing stuff. Or getting destroyed itself. It'd suck to lose a vintage fixture to a wind storm because the pole couldn't support it...


Conduit I believe would be considered a code violation due to safety.. I suppose if you bundle enough of them together you'd come out with something somewhat(?) strong but I personally wouldn't even risk it.

Last I checked, an 80 pound bag of quick Crete costs about $8-$12

I'm unsure how much timber costs in your area.

4x4 is actually really thin for a pole like that. I would do at least 6x6.

@ lumex   U telling me it a cod violation.  Yet I installed
2 x 4 inch rigid conduit.  and I installed my meter Riser
PVC conduit on it  for my electric service.  this what  installed by NEC code and Pedernales electric coop specs provided.  yet I built it to spec using two different type of conduit here.  first is 4 inch rigid this not thin wall
EMT stuff. this harden steel rigid conduit. Then i install
my electric meter service right on that conduit with Plastic PVC 2 inch riser on it. 
 
Now remember NEC just basic min standard
also depends on authority.  Like city of San antonio they
want rigid meter riser pipe.  but This area in the PEC district been allowing PVC riser on poles. This also common in coastal areas too.  And yet I installed many meter loops i never got ? when they hooked my service up.

You will face severe corrosion problems and so their short life. Mainly the section of 30cm below up to 10cm above the ground level will get eaten the most. The "poles" are usually designed for that, either being thicker in that section (more material needs to be eatenaway before it fails) or having some extra protection layers (asphalt or resin cladding,...).

With plastic conduits you will face the UV/oxygen corrosion all above the ground.

Plus generally conduits are not designed for the strength (mainly bending - wind,...) such use needs.


To save some money, you may erect them just in the corners and then use steel rope to hang the fixtures between them. The poles need to be stronger, but fewer.

In Australia the standards require that all plastic conduit must be treated with UV protection and all metal conduit MUST be galvanised depending on where you are, if you live in a coastal area then the zinc coating will corrode quicker.

hello every one.  I am sick of people who misjudge go this  major violated NEC using 20 foot galvenize rigid conduit in the ground and using electrical PVC riser. 
to Buliding my meter pole.  so my photo is hard this
specs from my power company if u want your own meter
pole.