Installing aquatic and landscape lighting is more of an art than a science.
I always love adding that finishing touch on our landscaping and water feature projects, the lighting. It brings our features to life and allows our clients to enjoy their landscapes and waterfalls anytime of the day or night.
We only use high quality LED low voltage lighting systems for our features in Asheville.
Installing a lighting system in a landscape or water feature can be very mathematical in some ways, measuring voltage drop and calculating wattage. But the end result is more of an artistic endeavor.
In water features specifically, lighting placement can dramatically enhance the experience for your clients. It can also take away from the feature if the lighting is improperly placed.
In the landscape, fixture choices can be a feature in themselves. When installing pathway lighting, the fixture will become a part of the landscape. So choice of fixture and placement is important.
In waterfalls, we like to install our aquatic lights under the falls, as apposed to spot lighting the fall from a distance. This allows the water to flow over the light and create a glowing, sparkling effect.
We always use LED bulbs for our aquatic lighting. I’ve learned this from experience, halogen bulbs need replacement nearly once a year. This is difficult if your fixture is 3 ft deep in a pond.
Here are a couple things to look for when having your lighting professionally installed, or if you choose to install yourself:
–Quality brands:
Vista, Unique and Kitchler are a few of the brands we like to install.
–Quality Transformers:
Using a quality transformer for your system may be more expensive in the beginning, but will possibly save you money in the long run. A lesser quality transformer will not last as long and will cost more in the future for service calls from your installer.
–Correct Wiring
Having your wiring done correctly the first time will save you hours of troubleshooting and fixture replacement. Using the common ‘box store’ connectors are not recommended. We recommend either silicone wire nuts or heat-shrinking connections if possible.
Here’s a good video on the simplicity of heat shrinking connections:
Feel free to give us a call for any new or existing landscape or aquatic lighting projects. We also do landscape lighting design for ponds, waterfalls and gardens in Asheville, NC.
Jacob
Living Waters Landscaping
828-301-8017
Living Waters Landscaping LLC 