Landscape Architect Articles

LCN February 2008 Landscape Lighting01-31-08 | News

Fiber Optics Offers Safe Illumination in Water

Gregory Harris, assistant editor

A key component of using fiber optic lighting for water features is that no heat or electricity travels through the fibers, making installation and illumination safe. Photos: IlluminFx

Thanks to the telecommunications industry, fiber optics has become a viable option for illuminating landscapes.

In addition to looking cool, fiber optic lighting is a water safe alternative to traditional low voltage landscape lighting. No electricity or heat is transmitted through the cable so fiber optic lighting is ideal where safety and fire protection is a concern. In general, fiber can be considered durable and flexible. Certain fibers can withstand substantial extremes in temperature. These attributes, combined with the fact that there is no electricity associated with the light being transmitted in a fiber, allow for some fibers to be mounted almost anywhere.

Fiber optic lighting is the only system that eliminates the need to disturb fixtures and reposition them when changing light bulbs. It also eliminates the need for electrical current running through the water to fixtures. There is only one bulb in the power source for many fixtures and it is easily accessible. In a fiber optic lighting scheme, individual strands of ultra-pure glass conduct light from remote sources. Buried plastic coated fiber optic cables surface wherever needed such as along walkways. Molded into concrete walkways or walls, fiber-optic fixtures can be placed wherever needed.

The fiber optic system works by installing a specialized, enclosed light source next to the pool or water feature. The halogen bulb is directed at a fiber end collection fitting which groups fibers together tightly.

The fiber optic system works by installing specialized light source away from the pool or water feature. The halogen bulb is directed at a fiber end collection fitting which groups fibers together tightly.

The cool factor with fiber optic lighting on the landscape comes two ways. First, fiber optic lighting is cool to the touch, since no electric current runs through the fiber optic cables. Second, fiber optics allow for a variety of color options.

To change colors, a color wheel (a pane of glass divided into sections of four to eight colors mounted on a motorized wheel) is placed between the halogen bulb and the fiber ends.

Installation of fiber optic outdoor lighting should be well thought out as placement near bright sunlight or ambient lighting from other sources can make the light appear washed out and nearly invisible. The color of the light selected can also help with its visibility and the length of different cables running from the same light source can affect the brightness of each strand.

A color wheel allows for a variety of colors to be lighted as part of the water feature, as evidenced by the green, pink and amber lights on display in the waterfall (right). Changing colors is as simple as choosing a preferred color. No bulbs need to be changed and color changes can be timed to offer a unique lighting spectacle on the landscape.