Equipment Focus: Feb. 1997, Lighting Basics Key To Bright Future

"It makes perfect sense since the contractors already have the client base and they’ve done the installation job," noted Mike Hersman, president of Night-Hawk Lighting Products Inc., Miami, Fla. "No one else is as prepared to work on the same project."

But installing landscape lighting is a tricky craft, and inexperienced contractors can make mistakes that ultimately cost them business.

STEP ONE. Hersman emphasized the importance of committing a sketch of a potential lighting project to paper before doing anything else. Creating the sketch should include selecting areas where lights will be located as well as deciding what specific features of the landscape they will be illuminating.

"Once you get that down, you have to decide where the power source is going to be for the project and figure out the distances from that source to each of the objects that will be lit," Hersman continued. "This is important for selecting fixtures and bulbs because there’s going to be a voltage drop over the lines even with 120 volts."

Once this is determined it’s time to select the fixtures. "The biggest problem I see with lighting contractors is that they don’t get the right light for the application," noted Hersman. He attributed this to a lack of job planning and not understanding what is necessary to handle each part of the job.

"Contractors have to know the height, width and depth of each object they want to light, because there’s no point in putting the wrong size light bulb in the wrong lamp," Hersman said. "This won’t make anyone happy."

Hersman recommended contractors think about the differences between landscape lighting and more common lighting applications before making product decisions. "A good portion of landscape lighting is directional - it’s a focused beam of light," he said. "The lighting most people are familiar with is general lighting that is designed to spread light over 360 degrees."

MATERIALS MATTER. When it comes time for selecting fixtures, contractors also must decide what type of materials they need for each fixture. "Contractors need to consider all of the elements that these fixtures will be exposed to and how they can affect each material over time," commented Brian Day, marketing manager for Century Rain Aid, Madison Heights, Mich. "This is particularly important for coastal areas where the fixtures are constantly exposed to salt and sea air, which can corrode anything over time."

Day warned against thinking that a painted finish is guaranteed protection against rust. "Everything installed should really be cast aluminum or better," he said. "Even steel is susceptible to rust. And decisions on when to use copper or brass can be made when the homeowner is willing to pay a premium for aesthetics."

Hersman added that most lighting fixtures won’t ever be seen if the job is designed properly. "The fixtures should be selected based on how they will be used, how they will project the light, where they will be located and what the desired effect is," he said. "The fixture’s appearance shouldn’t be that important."

Hersman also recommended contractors deciding between various types of fixtures select the type which is easiest to service. "Lighting fixtures, once installed, are generally ignored until they no longer light up the object," he said. The light emanating from the fixture is most important factor to the home-owner, not the fixture itself.