If you are planning to invest in outdoor lighting for your home or business, you’ll want to ensure that your money and time aren’t wasted on substandard garden lights and security lights. Creating a reliable lighting solution that optimally showcases the features you desire is often more complicated than expected. We have compiled a list of mistakes that are often made when creating exterior lighting solutions.
Poor Planning
One of the most common mistakes made by residents of Marietta when installing an outdoor lighting system is poor planning, or simply not planning altogether. If you are not experienced in exterior lighting, you might not have considered transformer specification, light voltages, optimal placement for lights, or the ideal lights to buy. Making a mistake in one or more of these areas often leads to exterior lighting not working or not giving the effect you had hoped.
Another mistake people often make when it comes to planning is using too few lights, leaving key areas in darkness, or too many lights close together resulting in hazardous light pollution for you and your neighbors. Also, without careful consideration, there can be a tendency to rush to a hardware store and buy dozens of the same lighting fixtures. Careful consideration of each area and feature is necessary as each requires their own type of light to show it off optimally.
Take the time to go around your property and note which features you want to stand out at night; research which light fitting will best illuminate these areas, and the transformer and cables that best suit your needs.
Choosing incandescent bulbs over LED lights
There are a few reasons why people still want to use incandescent bulbs instead of LED lights. Normal bulbs with a filament are cheaper and believed to emit a less harsh color light than LED lights.
Incandescent bulbs are extremely inefficient, most of the energy gets transformed into heat rather than light compared to LED lights that use less than a quarter the amount of energy, and a LED lighting installation can last ten times longer than a system that uses the traditional incandescent bulbs. There is also no need to be concerned with the color of LED lights as they now come in various hues including warm white.
Focusing on the Fixture, Not the Feature
Using the incorrect lights and placement can result in a pointless and quite frankly boring light display. If a light isn’t powerful enough, is the wrong design for that particular area, in the wrong position or at the wrong angle then the focus ends up being on the fixture itself instead of the feature you wanted to showcase. Light falls on the object or only around the bulb, leaving what you wanted to showcase in darkness.
How to Install Outdoor Lighting Hassle Free
Google has some great tips for installing your own low voltage landscape lighting design. With so many potential pitfalls though, it is definitely worth your while to consult an expert outdoor lighting installation contractor.
Whether you just want the landscape lighting design completed for you, or installation too, you can find reputable contractors online. If this is your first time creating a night-time masterpiece of your property in Marietta, consider letting the professionals find the most energy-efficient and cost-effective solution that perfectly suits your needs.
Contact Southern Landscape Lighting Systems in Marietta, GA for a free consultation. They will even setup up a demonstration after dark so you can see for yourself how the system would light up your home or work.
The following article was originally published on Four of the Biggest Landscape Lighting Mistakes Made by Homeowners in Marietta, GA and is republished from Southern Landscape Lighting Systems. Read more on:} Southern Landscape Lighting Systems's website
Safety is always an important consideration so make sure you check your lights, whether they have come straight from the store or out of the basement, for any broken bulbs or split cords. Also ensure any lights you are using outside have been manufactured specifically for outdoor use and have a high waterproof rating. If you are buying lights new, avoid cheap low-quality options.
The cables and cords from the lights can themselves become a safety risk. Try to avoid running cables along walkways so as not to be a potential tripping hazard. Make sure that cables aren’t run through doors and windows where they might be squashed or damaged and never run cables through pools or water features. All outdoor connection points must be waterproofed or sheltered.