LED Pond Lighting

Pond lighting extends the enjoyment of water features into all hours of the evening and night. Since landscapers are paying increasing attention to the importance of ponds themselves, it has become increasingly important in turn for those of us in the lighting industry to pay special attention to the proper and efficient lighting of these ponds. Most pond lighting has been traditionally done with a variety of low-voltage halogen lights that can be mounted in concealed locations above the water, near the water, and even under the water. When installed correctly, these pond lights add ambience and reflectivity to the pond, making the water appear like light itself.

At times, however, underwater lights fail, and the magic diminishes accordingly. At best, halogen lights last only for 5,000 lamp hours. When they fail, they have to be fished out of the water, or the pond has to be drained. It is never safe to go into the water to retrieve a burnt out pond light, because even if the fixture is dead, the wire may still be very much alive and capable of shocking a person. Along similar lines, it is unadvisable to leave a failed outdoor garden light in the water for very long, either. Electrified water can shock pets and wildlife, and also presents a safety hazard to children who may be playing near the water. Professionals who service landscape lighting and water feature lighting should be contacted as soon as possible to schedule a replacement of the failed fixture(s). Also, some consideration should be given at this time to the option of upgrading to superior LED technology. In certain outdoor lighting plans, LED underwater lights provide a far more viable and cost effective alternative to halogen. Whereas halogen provides ideal spotlighting on ponds from tree mounted lights, LED underwater fixtures can emanate a literal rainbow of colors from under the surface-making everything from the shoreline to central fountains and sculpted waterfalls glow with any number of color combinations, including white.

LED pond lighting has taken color back to the laws of Nature itself. By simply altering the amount of red, blue, and green in a pond lighting system, designers can now create up to 16 million different color combinations-including white light. In ponds where heavy emphasis is paid to koi and "feng shui" principles of harmony and balance, this unlimited diversity of color options frees the landscape lighting designer from technical constraints and affords exclusive focus on accenting individual features such as rocks, sculptures, carefully sculpted waterfalls, and various levels of the water itself. They can be hidden under rocks to make the rock itself look illuminated by a subterranean source of mystery. They can cause a waterfall to begin with all the colors of the rainbow and converge in a stream of light, or they can cause a fountain to sparkle with an equivalent brilliance that mimics moonlight and starlight dancing on the water.

LED lights are also the most economical fixtures to operate for residential landscape lighting. Once the initial investment is made in the installation of the equipment by a landscape lighting team, the fixtures will last 40,000 lamp hours on the average-which means that they are approximately reliable for a good 20 years. The investment one makes in the cost of an LED pond lighting retrofit is easily recovered in a relatively short period of time. Because these fixtures use only 20% the power of incandescent-based lights, they literally will pay for themselves.

When placed within the context of a larger landscape lighting system carefully planned and installed by Illuminations Lighting and Design, the pond can function as a hub for tranquility, harmony, aesthetics, and a curious, almost mystical blend of expansion and grounded simplicity. Effectively lighting a pond-even with safe and efficient LED technology-is not a job for the do-it-yourselfer. Even though LED fixtures are typically a lot smaller than halogen flood lights and incandescent lamps, they can still be seen underwater if not installed by a trained designer who knows how to mount them in concealed locations. It is also important to consult with such a professional who can properly bury the low-voltage transform that will power the pond lights and ensure that it too remains unseen and undisturbed.