Make Your Fountain the Focal Point with Exterior Lighting

Make Your Fountain the Focal Point with Exterior Lighting

It’s no secret that a water fountain adds to a high-end look of the lawn, garden, or outdoor space in any San Diego area home. The fountain’s water glimmers in the sunlight making quite a grand statement.
However, how do you keep the spotlight on your fountain at night?
Here are some great tips for exterior lighting to keep the focus on your water fountain from dusk to dawn.

 

Underwater Fountain Lighting

Many outdoor fountains that have light often have them placed in the water. This creates a shadowing effect and makes the water fountain lights more visually appealing.

Many homeowners also add a bit of color to the water through the use of LED colored bulbs. These bulbs come in many different colors and can enhance the spectacle of your fountain. Your fountain can display your team’s favorite colors or help ring in the new year by simply changing out the color of light bulb for the occasion.

Underwater submersible LED lighting fixtures can be difficult to place correctly in fountains, and require someone with patience and expertise. However, it’s not always necessary to install underwater lighting to get a beautiful result. Take a look at some of these other ideas.

Consider the Space

Take a look at the space surrounding your landscape water fountains. There could be a unique way that can add drama to your fountain using your surroundings.

For example, you can use downlighting from a larger tree or pole nearby to give your fountain a spotlighted look. These downlights shine downward on your lawn focusing on one single feature, your outdoor fountain.

Another technique would involve using multiple lights to create depth. Incorporating multiple lighting techniques with multiple lights make your outdoor fountain unique and more intriguing.

Keep the Focus on the Fountain

One mistake we often see is when the focus of the lighting isn’t on the fountain. Often if lights are not set in the correct place, the focus of the lighting can be on cords, wires, or the hardware of the outdoor fountain.

One of the difficult things to keep in mind is that water fountains are meant to be viewed from different angles. A water fountain with lights should not reveal cords.

Keep the lighting fixtures as hidden as possible or risk making the fountain appear cheap and distract from the fountain’s beauty.

It’s always recommended to install the lighting at the same time you install the fountain. This helps to properly hide the cords inside the interior of the fountain. If your fountain is already installed, it may require disassembly.

Each fountain is unique in design, but usually some disassembly is required to hide water fixture cords on a previously installed fountain.

Waterproof Fountain Fixtures

Your water feature lights need to be made specifically for use in a fountain or water feature. That means all the connections, wires, and other components must be properly sealed and watertight.

This is especially true if you are using submersible lighting in your fountain. Submersible water fixtures are entirely underwater, so be sure your fixture is made to be underwater at all times.

Waterproof tape light has an IP68 rating (full, permanent submersion underwater up to 13 feet) that allows it to be used in fountains. To maintain this rating, the waterproof tape light should never be cut. Cutting the light will void the protection.

All connector cables must be waterproof as well when working with submersible lighting fixtures.

Use Bright LED Lights

Lights that are submerged under the water in a fountain lose some of their light output. You may need to up the wattage to get the desired brightness. This will depend on the depth of your fountain, and of course the clarity of the water. Using a mixture of wattages creates a unique look for your garden or lawn.

Find the Right Position

It may also take some time to create a proper lighting design for your fountain because you must consider the glare of the light as well. A proper lighting display will minimize any glare from the fixture placement.

The last thing you want to do is go through the laborious process of installing new lighting and then later discover it created a hazardous glare for cars or pedestrians that pass by.

Your fountains light should not be glaring. If it is, you probably have too high of a wattage bulb inside the fixture. The water fountain light outdoor should enhance a feeling of serenity and luxurious style.

Consider the  Fixture’s Material

Before you purchase any lighting fixtures for your outdoor fountain, take the material it is made from into consideration. The fixture could be underwater or be constantly getting wet for years to come. It will also need to stand up to the outdoor elements when it gets hot or cold.

There are lots of high-quality fixtures on the market. We recommend going with a fixture made from brass or copper for extra durability.

Select an Aerator with Underwater Lights

If you have a large pond as part of your landscaping, consider turning it into an outdoor fountain by installing an aerator and some tasteful lighting. The aerator fountains add a dramatic effect to your garden or landscaping.

This lighted fountain is often the focal point of a garden or community. Transform your lake or pond into a beautifully functioning lake cleaning tool and an after-dark centerpiece for your home, with an aerator fountain with underwater lighting.

Create Your Dream Fountains  with Lighting

With the right outdoor lighting for your fountain or water feature, your home or garden can look like a storybook. LED colored bulbs placed correctly and at the correct wattage, give a unique look to your landscaping and make your fountain the focal point of your property.

If you are thinking about installing outdoor fountain lighting give us a call today. We have the resources and the experience to illuminate your fountain and make it the highlight of your property.

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