Paver Lighting Brings “Coolness” to Landscape Projects

Gregory Harris, assistant editor

The two path lights located adjacent to the steps are seven watts each. These two lights, combined with the tread lights provide a safe walking environment without being too bright on the eyes. Photo: Tahoe Lighting

 

The tagline in commercials for a famous company said ''we don't make (random product), we make it better.''

The same can be said for paver lighting. Paver projects cannot be considered failures if they do not have paver lights, but those driveways and walkways that incorporate paver lighting often look cooler.

Paver lights have several functions in the landscape. First, they provide a unique ambience to the overall landscape with their soft glow. They also provide light to nearby features such as plants. Second, paver lighting makes for a safer environment for residence inhabitants and their visitors when walking from the front door of the house to the driveway and vice versa. Paver lights can also add to the security of a property, as intruders will be less likely to walk around yards if there are lights everywhere.

This type of lighting is durable as it is able to withstand a variety of climates and in many cases, strong enough to uphold under vehicle traffic. In addition, paver lighting is safe, operating on most 12-volt system that can be applied to residential and commercial applications in new or existing interlock installations.

Paver lighting for commercial use is usually manufactured to suit the particular site where the lighting will be implemented. So if it is a high traffic area, the paver lights are manufactured with extra thick lenses and stronger ribbing. These lights are typically produced in higher quantities, and each contains special holding tabs, this makes for a greater holding mechanism.

The recommended spacing for these these step lights is 36 inches to 72 inches. These lights are designed for the cables to be placed in the crevices of the bottom layer of rock, with the top layer (in the case, the step) resting on top of the cables. Photos: Integral Lighting

Paver lighting is also widely used for residential applications. Paver lights can be applied to the driveway, on patios, balconies, fountains, stairways, walkways and even around the pool area.

Solar paver lights power light at night through energy that has been conducted during the day. These lights use their internal solar cells to store the electricity from the suns rays during the day. Then when the sun goes down, they turn on automatically, using their stored energy.

Paver lighting is strong enough to sustain pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Wiring that connects the power unit to the luminaries should be listed SPT-3, underground low energy circuit cable. When installing the cable, plenty of slack should be left to allow for ease in connecting the fixture.
Remaining photos: Tahoe Lighting

The correct transformer for paver lighting systems is chosen by multiplying the number of lights by the wattage of the lamp being used. In this case, there are 11 lights, each using 7-watt bulbs - ideal for low-voltage systems. An 88-watt transformer would be sufficient in this case.

Highlights of solar-powered paver lights include:

The choice of 12-volt vs. solar is typically left to the client, but landscape contractors appear to be poised to include paver lighting installations in their projects as the popularity of these lighting features increase.

The dimension of this light is 5 7/8" x 5 7/8" and is installed at a depth of 2-1/4''. When installing these lights on traveled surfaces, special care is necessary to keep the light even with the pavement.

Illuminating Info

4 to 7: Watts, the typical size for bulbs used in paver lighting.

Source: Florida Pavers