Outdoor Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

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Outdoor Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

• Low voltage landscape lighting is a safe, easy
  and effective way to enhance your home and
  landscaping investment.  Whether you have a small
  patio, apartment terrace, pool courtyard or
  extensive landscaping around your home, low
  voltage outdoor landscape lighting can transform
  a normally dark space into a nighttime
  showplace.  Lets talk about some of the tools
  that professional landscape lighting designers
  use when doing a low voltage lighting system. 
  Here are some fixture types

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• Up Lights
• Up lights, the workhorse of any design, are used
  to illuminate trees, shrubs sculptures or the
  façade of your home from the ground pointing up. 
  Up lights come in stake mount models, rock
  lights, as well as grade level models for
  highlighting items where it would be difficult to
  hide the fixture.  Up lights produce spectacular
  effects, showcase trees and shadow which are
  critical to an artistic design.  In fact, the
  shadows can be just as important as the lighting
  itself.  So pay attention to where you place the
  low voltage landscape lights and where the
  shadows will be cast on the house or wall.

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• Path Lights
• Path lights are a wonderful lighting toll for
  blending light at ground level for aesthetics and
  safety.  Path lights concealed in the planting
  areas produce a glare free light source that adds
  balance and charm to any space.  They are
  particularly useful for illuminating trip hazards
  such as steps, pavers, stepping stones and around
  fountains.  When locating path lights, its a
  good idea to stagger the placement creating
  random pools of light and shadows.  It never
  looks good if all the lights are lined up in a
  row.  Set up a nighttime test and mark the
  locations before installing and burying the
  wire.  Path lights come in many finishes copper,
  aluminum, brass and shapes and sizes.  Take your
  time and pick one that compliments the space and
  does not stick out like a sore thumb.

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• Down Lights
• Low voltage down lighting fixtures, like there
  120 volt counterparts, can be installed above an
  area to simulate natural daylight.  Lighting
  coming from the top down is a very natural light
  form that is helpful in many capacities.  Down
  lights can be mounted on the house, arbor
  structures, trellises, pergolas, and trees.  Down
  lights can be used as floodlights for general
  lighting the space or as spots for accenting a
  tables, fountains or sculptures.  Just be careful
  when installing down lights, that you do not
  create objectionable glare or bright light levels
  that would take away from the overall design. 
  This can be achieved by using a dimmer control,
  internal fixture louvers or glare shields. 

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• Underwater Lights
• Underwater low voltage landscape lights are a
  fabulous way to enhance any pond, fountain or
  water fall.  The light passed through the water
  not only highlights the water feature, but
  creates a beautiful dancing effect from the water
  movement.  Underwater low voltage lights in
  copper should never be used in ponds with fish. 
  The reaction between the copper and the chemicals
  in the water are deadly to fish.  It is always
  best to use an underwater light made of solid
  brass or composite materials.  Keep in mind that
  using an underwater light with an aiming bracket
  gives you the most flexibility to adjust the
  light right where you want it.

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• Transformers or 12 volt power supplies are
  designed to convert the 120 volt house current to
  a safe operating 12 volts.  Used in conjunction
  with a GFCI receptacle, transformers are the
  heartbeat of any low voltage landscape lighting
  system.  For salt air environments you may want
  to consider a transformer that has a stainless
  steel enclosure or a composite or fiberglass
  enclosure.  Most transformers have a set output
  of 11.5 volts to extend lamp life and account for
  voltage spikes.  For larger systems, transformers
  also come in multi-tap models for manipulating
  the output voltage on longer runs.  This prevents
  voltage drop or wiring issues, which are the main
  case of dim lights.

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• Low voltage outdoor landscape lighting can be a
  very fun and reward project for any homeowner. 
  Why pay someone, when you can do it yourself? 
  Let the professional lighting designers at
  Residential Landscape Lighting Design help you
  design a system.  Send us a digital image of your
  space and we will build a low voltage landscape
  lighting package .