Landscape Architect Articles

LCN April 2006 PMBR03-29-06 | News

Solar Lighting For Landscapes

By Mark Hain, President, Northern Lights Company

The solar light has tabs on the bottom of the light that slip under the pavers on either side; it also has angled lugs on each of the sides to lock the light into the paver system. Once the paver system is in place, the light is almost impossible to extract.

Landscape lighting has been around for?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ok, you know what your clients wants in ground lighting. Which type do you choose? How difficult are they to install? Do you need a special license to install them? Can the lighting product handle heavy traffic?

Solar lighting may be a better choice for landscape contractors with little experience in low voltage lighting installations since there is no wiring involved in the installation process.

Which type of light should I choose?

This is not a test and there is not a right or wrong choice. The beauty of this dilemma is that you have a choice between two great products. A few factors to consider: Who will install the lights? If it is a contractor with little or no experience with low voltage installations, or the electrical runs are extremely long, solar may be the way to go. Already installing low voltage lights in the landscape? Then you may want to continue with low voltage right into the hardscape. You can also combine both solar and low voltage to strike a perfect combination.

Homeowners are spending more money and time to improve their landscapes. As a result, the need and desire to light things up has increased dramatically.

How difficult are the lights to install?

The solar lights win this with ease. Basically, you just set it and forget it. The size of the light is the same as a standard 4?EUR??,,????'?????<

The hardest part of installing the solar paver light is determining how far to space the lights apart. A good rule of thumb is to space the lights about 8 to 15-feet apart. The smaller the project, the closer the spacing.

The hardest part of installing the solar paver light is determining how far to space the lights apart. A good rule of thumb is to space the lights about 8 to 15-feet apart.

The low voltage in-ground lights have the same shape as the solar lights and the spacing should be the same. The installation is very different. Each low voltage light usually carries a standard 7 watt light bulb. The quantity of lights must be multiplied by 7 watts. If the lights are a higher wattage, multiply using that wattage. The total wattage is the minimum required for the transformer. You must also consider voltage drop in the wire if you have long runs. Make sure the wire is listed SPT-3, underground low energy circuit cable. Route the cable to the desired fixture locations making sure you leave plenty of slack in the cable to allow for ease in connecting the fixtures. After the entire installation is complete, hide cable as desired. It is recommended that the wire be run underneath the pavers in the sand.

Do you need a special license to install in ground lights?

This is becoming a trickier question each new season. Check with your State Contractors Board or licensing agency as they are requiring more specialized licenses each year.

Solar lights can be installed with any size paver by cutting some of the larger pavers to fit. Solar lights can also be installed in pool decks without the fear of electrical shock.

Can the lights handle heavy vehicle traffic?

Most of the light manufacturer?EUR??,,????'?????<

Low voltage or solar? Safety, security, or just icing on the cake?

In-ground lighting is fast becoming the mainstay in paver and hardscape applications. As the hardscape industry offers more varieties of products, consumers will want to show off their newest hardscape project. Day and night.

About the author: Mark Hain has been a landscape and paver contractor for over 25 years. As a result, he developed the Northern Lights Company which manufactures solar in ground paver lights. Check him out at www.NorthernLightsCompany.com

Building Blocks

300,000: Square yards. The amount of turf reinforcement mats used on a project at Atlanta?EUR??,,????'?????<Source: Western Excelsior

100: Psi, the amount of material, loaded in three cycles each, which is used as the ASTM Standard Test Method for Measuring the Resiliency of TurfReinforcement Mats (TRMs). Source: IECA