Landscape Lighting: All You Need To Know About Outdoor Lightings

Landscape lighting gives a perfect final addition to your landscaping project. More so, it is an inexpensive but highly rewarding undertaking for your home. Nevertheless, more than these, landscape lighting provides other benefits, which include

· Beauty: Landscape lighting allows showing off your brilliant landscaping and gardening efforts at night. It can soften, dramatize (bring to life), highlight, reveal or even conceal.

· Increase utility of your garden or landscape by allowing you to unwind and relax, prolonging the time you spend enjoying your garden r landscape as well as entertaining your guest.

· Safety: Landscape lighting makes walkways, driveways and steps safer by preventing accidents.

· Security: Good landscape lighting deters thieves, prowlers, vandals and other intruders from getting access easily into your compound. It allows you and your guest to be comfortable outdoors after sunset.

· Increased property evaluation: Landscape lighting gives an opulent look to your immediate outdoors, increasing the value of your estate.

Exterior lighting is one of the most dramatic transforming improvements you can add to your home.

There are three basic systems utilized in landscaping lighting. These systems are

Various terms are used in describing landscape lighting setup. It is important that you familiarize yourself with these terms so that you can better appreciate and make meaningful decision when undertaking your landscape lighting project

Bollard : A landscape light mounted on a short vertical post. Bollard lights can be shorter than 12 inches when used as garden lights, but are usually closer to 30 inches. Also known as post lights.

Cowl: A hood apparatus used on spotlights to concentrate the light in a desired direction.

Deck Lighting: Landscape lights mounted on walls, rails, fences, posts, or other architectural features of decks. Step lights are deck lights placed near stairs or walkways.

Floodlight: Floodlights are broad-beamed exterior lights most often used as security or functional lighting.

Lens: Lenses are landscape lighting accessories used for light alteration and fixture protection. A landscape light lens might be used to filter colors, soften beams, or reduce glare.

Louver: Louvers are the vent-like openings or slats used on some landscape lighting fixtures to control the direction of the light.

Rock guard: A landscape lighting accessory attached to well lights to protect the lens and fixture from being damaged by rocks or debris.

Spotlight: A type of landscape light that directs a concentrated beam onto a very specific area or feature. Spotlights offer targeted lighting rather than ambient or diffuse landscape lighting.

Stake: Stakes are landscape lighting accessories that are driven into the ground to support path lights and other yard lights. Also known as stems.

Transformer: Transformers are electrical devices used in low-voltage landscape lighting systems to reduce the 120-volt power of a home's electrical circuit to the 12-volt power used by low-voltage landscape lights. Transformers have a maximum wattage capacity that cannot be exceeded, e.g. a 200-watt transformer is too weak for four 50-watt lights.

Well light: Well lights are outdoor lights that are usually "buried" in the ground or paved into driveways or walkways. Well lights cast light upward and are most often used for wall lighting and similar techniques.

There are principally three lighting types. These landscape lighting type include

Down Lighting or Area Lighting : Mount lighting units high up in trees or on the house to cast broad illumination over wide areas. Floodlighting enables you to entertain in your backyard or outdoor area after dark, and does double duty for security and safety. For highlighting flower beds, paths or steps, the down light is positioned close to the ground.

UpLighting: Lights aimed upwards (sometimes buried in the ground) create a highly dramatic effect akin to the theater Use it with interesting trees, a statue or textured wall surfaces. Autumn leaves or swirling snow provide spectacular views.

Moonlighting :Like down lighting, but using soft light sources positioned very high up, this technique simulates the lovely effect of moonlight filtering through branches, casting attractive shadow patterns.

Diffused Lighting: Where you require circular patterns of light on flowerbeds, larger shrubbery or ground cover, spread light cover a wider area with low-level illumination. Some units, such as these bollards, cast softly diffused lighting for patios, decks, driveways and pathways. Wall brackets provide a similar lighting function.

Accent or Spot Lighting: These lights focus a controlled intense beam to highlight the focal points in your garden: flowers, small shrubs and statuary. This creates sparkling islands of interest in your landscape lighting plan.

Shadowing: Light the object from the front and below to project intriguing shadows on the wall or other vertical surfaces.

Grazing: Positioning the light close to an interesting surface can bring out the texture of tree bark, a masonry wall, wood shingles or an attractive door.

Silhouetting: When you conceal lights behind and below a tree or bush, you achieve that same wondrous effect as seeing it on a ridge silhouetted against the sky at dusk.

Cross Lighting: Illuminating a tree or statue from two or more sides reveals the three-dimensional form in a striking perspective.

Pool and Fountain Lighting: Underwater lighting creates dramatic effects in pools and at fountains. Install a dimmer for turning lights up to add excitement. Water may also be used as a mirror by lighting the area behind the reflecting surface.

Cylinder, Box Shape and Bullet Shape: These designs help focus and direct the light beams. Some also cut off glare and protect the lamp and socket from debris and moisture.

Spread and Diffused : These low level units are designed to cast illumination in a broader pattern for: flower beds, perimeter plantings, driveways, steps and paths.

In-ground or Well Light: Burying these fixtures flush with the ground conceals the light source. Use for upLighting trees and shrubs, and grazing textured walls.

Spot or Accent: Versatile/adjustable fixtures used for uplighting, cross lighting, accenting and grazing. When mounted high up provide focused downlighting and moonlighting.

Wall Bracket, Ceiling Close-up, Chain hung Lantern: Mounted at entry doors, over garages and on porches, these stylish units cast light outward either direct or diffused.

Bollard and Post Lights: These standing fixtures light pathways, steps, garden walks, deck and pool areas. They also provide attractive light patterns for driveways.

Swimming Pool and Fountain Lighting: These fixtures are installed in sides and at ends of swimming pools and bottoms of fountains. Wet niche fixtures can be removed for lamp changes, while dry niche fixtures require access to the back of the pool shell. Colored lighting is popular for this application.

In planning and design your landscape lighting, the purpose of the lighting would be a major driving force is your design. Other things to consider would be size of area to be illuminated, the ideal amount of light, the colour of light and desired beam spread

Low voltage Landscape lighting : If safety and security is a major concern. Including a motion sensor makes a lot of sense.

High voltage landscape lighting: for aesthetics, requires professional electricians..

Solar Landscape lighting systems: Evening parties and social events during summer.

Plot a light plan of your lawn to help determine the number and style of fixtures you need. Walk the breath and length of your landscape, making note of the areas you would like to illuminate and how you want to illuminate them. Use a flashlight to mimic different lighting effects . This would greatly help in planning location of lighting fixtures. On your plan, note features such as trees, shrubbery, paths, decks and patios.

Successful outdoor lighting plan requires selecting the right fixtures. Use waterproof pond lights for illuminating pools, fountains and other water features; offset path lights for lighting walkways; cone lights for highlighting both walkways and the surrounding plants; tree-mounted spotlights for simulating moonlight; and flood lights for illuminating trees, buildings and other large elements.

· The luminance of a light source is dependent on the distance from the transformer and the number of lights in between. Do not have more than 100 watts of lighting on one line. Use a thicker gauge wire to minimize voltage.

· Always leave a little extra wire as you hook up the lights. This will give you the freedom to move a light after you've hooked it up for testing or after you've installed it.

· Burying the wires should be your last step. Lay everything out, hook up your lights, test your voltage, and look at your results at night before burying the lines.

· When lighting a path, decide whether you want to light only the path or both the path and the features around it. As a rule, the broader the field you want to light, the higher the light pole you'll need. Path lights with a 20-watt halogen bulb at a 24-in. height should be spaced every 10 ft.

· Consider seasonal factors. Install lights where they will not be easily damaged by plows or shovels. And bear in mind that some plants, like hydrangea bushes, sumac and dogwoods with colorful stems, look cool lit up, even when they're leafless.

· Bugs love electrical lights. To drastically lower the density of insects, place landscape lighting to shine indirectly on leisure areas. Utilize inconspicuous locations for light placements e.g bushes, flowerbeds, or architectural niches. Add a bug zapper in between lights as an additional measure.

· Try coloured landscape lighting for aesthetic purposes, such as fiery red, soothing blue, or sunny yellow to enhance the mood of your garden.

· To create vertical accent lighting for shrubs or hedges, try using tier lights with their tops removed.

· Buy a larger transformer than you need initially so you can add lights later as your landscape (and imagination) expands.

· Purchase a transformer with a built-in photocell and timer. Orient the photocell with some western (sunset) orientation so it does not turn lights on too early.

Landscape lighting kits are cost-efficient and great for basic low-voltage setups. However, if you ever expand your landscape lighting, you might have problems. The transformer would need to be upgraded, and your new fixtures may not match the old ones. Landscape Lighting Kits are available from most lighting manufacturers and typically include:

· Deck mount or wall mount: Used where floodlights or safety/security lights need to be elevated. A deck mount coupled with an extender can also be used on horizontal or inclined surfaces.

· Riser or pole or extender: Used to extend height and the light spread of landscape lights. They are also attached to flanges or adapters to hold the landscape light fixtures in place.

· Stakes: ground stakes with receptor top for securing a landscape light fixture, slanted or staked bottom for mounting fixtures to the gound

Low-voltage landscape lighting systems require a transformer to step down voltage and distribute it to the lights. The transformer is the ‘power block’ or device that alters the line voltage from an outlet or circuit and changes it to another voltage – or in this case 12V ‘low voltage’. Most transformers will have a wire and plug that you can simply use with an exterior outlet located in an adjacent area.

Transformers reduce 120V to a safe 12V needed for low voltage lamps. The total lamp wattage of all fixtures connected to a transformer must be less than the capacity of transformer. To determine the size of transformer, add up wattage of all lamps and add 10% more for safety factor.

* Photocells which detect light and will automatically turn on lighting at dusk.

* Timers – either clock-based or shut off timers that work with the photocell.

* Thermal protection fuse to prevent overload.

(TRANSFORMER SIZE = TOTAL FIXTURES WATTAGE X 1.1)

Individual transformers offer different features, select a transformer that will accommodate how you intend to use the lighting system.

Multi-Tap is a transformer with 12, 13, and 14 volt outputs which provide additional electricity allowing for long runs.
Photocells allow a transformer to automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn.
Timers allow a transformer to be programmed to turn on and off whenever you set them for.

Low-voltage landscape lighting systems can use several different cable sizes. If the landscape lighting fixtures at the end of your cable run are significantly dimmer, this is known as voltage drop. If you're using halogen lamps, be aware that voltage drop will reduce their life. To avoid this, use shorter cable runs and heavier-gauge landscape lighting cable. A heavier gauge cable means a lower gauge number, not higher.

* use 16-gauge landscape lighting cable with a 150-watt transformer on cable runs of 100 feet

* use 14-gauge landscape lighting cable with a 200-watt transformer on cable runs of 150 feet

* use 12-gauge landscape lighting cable with a 250-watt transformer on cable runs of 200 feet

If you need more power than that, consider using multiple transformers with 10-gauge or 8-gauge lighting cable.

Determine the length of cable needed by measuring the distance from the outlet to the farthest fixture location. Include the length of cable that branches off the main line. Adding branches of cable is recommended for lights that are not located in a straight line from the transformer to the farthest fixture. And always allow for a couple of feet of extra cable for each fixture for repositioning.

Cable Gauge	100 Watts	150 Watts	200 Watts	250 Watts
12	150'	100'	75'	NAﾠ
10	240'	160'	120'	100'
8	380'	250'	190'	150'

ﾠCable Gauge	ﾠ12	ﾠ10	ﾠ8
ﾠMax Wattage	ﾠ240 W	ﾠ300 W	ﾠ480 W