Water Features - Fountain Lighting
About Fountain Lighting
Introduction
There’s nothing like hearing the serene sounds of a waterfall and watching the water trickle down your gorgeous fountain in the backyard. What’s even better is if you can create this atmosphere, day and night. Picture yourself, after the sun is gone, sitting in your garden and winding down to the effects that a lit water fountain can have. Or, for those occasions when you’re hosting a dinner party or gathering of some sort, imagine your seating area with a well-lit water fountain sure to catch anyone’s eye. Fountain Lighting Effects
Fountain lights do a great job in enhancing the look of your water fountain, and consequently your landscape, especially at night. These lights can bring any fountain to life with just the switch of a button. When water and light are joined together, it is known that a pleasing combination is created with a calming effect. A cleverly and artistically designed lighting system can act as a therapeutic pleasure to be enjoyed by your family as well as your guests for many years. Besides the psychological effect, fountain lights also produce a stunning visual effect. The lights alone can be a beautiful feature making the show, or the lights can be hidden so that only their effect is experienced. Either way, fountain lights will illuminate your fountain structure and add that dramatic feeling needed to make an attractive focal point.
Fountain Lighting Considerations
First and foremost, if there are fish living in your water fountain this automatically rules out a few lighting options. Copper lights, for one, should be avoided since the metal reacts with the water to produce a chemical that could be toxic to the fish. The next considerations are based on an aesthetic point of view. The size of your fountain, the area you wish to illuminate, and the specific features you want to clarify all help determine the type of fountain lights to be chosen.
There are also three main conditions you need to consider when choosing your fountain lights that may alter your beam spread and light intensity: clarity, depth and movement. If the water is clean and translucent it will allow for maximum quantity of light. Dirty water will radically reduce the light and will require a source with more wattage or a tighter beam spread for a proper impact. As with depth, the deeper the water, the more the light will spread and greatly reduce the fountain light’s impact. Finally, water movement needs to be considered for it will distort the beam spread. If it’s still, the beam will remain true to its function. If there’s movement, there will be an increase in beam spread and constant light movement.
Fountain Lighting Choices
Fountain lighting fixtures can be found housed by brass, fiberglass or copper. Some can point straight up while others come with angle brackets that allow for unlimited adjustment. Below are some good options to choose from:
Floating lights: Floating on the water surface, these are cute little attractive fixtures designed to be seen. With a soft light, these fountain lights accent any water’s surface and their surrounding perimeter. Spotlights: To highlight certain structures and features, spotlights do the best job. They bring out a shining, luminous quality that shed a shimmering light on objects
Submerged lighting: Probably the most popular fountain lights because of their spectacular night effects and different colors. These lights are heavy duty and can last years and years.
It is recommended to use a timer for your lighting system. At sunset for example, fountain lights can be automatically switched on which adds security to your home and conserves power. Installing a motion sensor to activate your lighting system is also a good idea, so when people approach the fountain the lights are activated.
