The Key to Effective Pond Lighting is in the Details

By Jodie Carter, LCN

 

The 5150RG underwater light, by Bronzelite, perfectly illuminates a pond waterfall located in a private development in Inner Harbor, Baltimore.

Choosing the right fixture for the right application is a landscape contractor’s most critical task in creating safe, pond-enhancing lighting that will endure all the rigors water can dish out.

Many manufacturers make pond lights that are safe for underwater locations. But don’t try to use those same submersion rated fixtures on semi-dry pond areas like adjacent walkways or in a rocky border wall, advises Gerry De La Vega, president and owner of TerraDek Lighting. “Because submersion-rated fixtures are sealed, they can’t dissipate heat unless they’re placed underwater; when they’re dry, they tend to overheat.”

Safety

De La Vega also recommends landscape contractors always use a pool and spa rated transformer when converting line voltage (120 volts) down to 12 volts. “Many manufacturers make standard transformers that are good for most landscape lighting,” says De La Vega, “but these basic transformers are not designed for use with submersible fixtures.”

This underwater pond accent light, by Kichler, stands on its own, with no mounting stake required. The lamp is shielded with a heat-resistant lens that is fully sealed for watertight outdoor and underwater usage.

Standard transformers offer no secondary protection–if the transformer coil fails it can allow 120 volts to come through to the secondary side. In a pool or pond feature, that can be like dropping a hairdryer in a bathtub. “Essentially, you could have 120 volts coming into an underwater fixture,” cautions De La Vega. The pool and spa rated transformers are made with an internal faraday shield that protects the transformer from failing and pushing 120 volts instead of 12 volts.

Another safety detail landscape contractors need to anticipate? “The fixture’s electrical connections should always be made in a dry location,” advises De La Vega. “People that order pond lighting kits get stuck with standard lengths of wire. Instead, contractors should custom order their fixtures prewired in lengths that allow them to make their connections out of the water–or else they could expose themselves and others to a deadly electrical shock.”

Aesthetics

There’s a plethora of low-voltage fixtures made to suit your individual pond lighting application. When lighting a waterfall, pond lights can be installed underwater to light from below; but with a very turbulent waterfall, the robust wash of water can cloud the effect of the light. Instead, fixtures can be installed and aimed to shine down from trees or adjacent structures onto the pond, illuminating the brilliant ripples and bubbles, rather than trying to compete with them.

The Underwater SL-33/AB submersible light, by Focus Industries, is great for pond “up-lighting”. Features solid cast brass housing. Operates on a 12-volt system using one 20 to 50 watt, MR-16 lamp.

Lighting manufacturers offer fixtures that float and light down into the water, spotlights that can be directed to shine in a specific place in the pond and different beam spreads and filters that can color and diffuse the light, spreading it over a broad area rather that creating a hot spot. Landscape contractors should “look at these choices and options rather than buying standard light kits,” advises De La Vega. Always order lights individually based on the design of the water feature, the effect the designer is trying to create, and the environment in which the lights need to perform.