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Many homeowners today don't really know what it takes to produce a complete lighting
portrait. There are hundreds of manufacturers that build low voltage lighting equipment, the product may be good but no one
tells the homeowner how to paint a picture using light. They may give you some breif directions on how to wire everything
up, and chances are that's incorrect. Even some lighting contractors don't realize what it takes to design and install a good
lighting project.
A good rule of thumb is "more light is less light". The human eye is always drawn to
the brightest object. When lights are scattered through out the landscape it can cause "HOT SPOTS" which cause the
iris of the eye to expand or contract. Uneven lighting and black holes are the main culprit of this. By producing a uniform
layout of light this will create an easiness on the eye causing it not to tire as quickly. A soft, cohesive transition of
light is the key.
Drive through you neigborhood and you will find all types of outdoor lighting, I call it outdoor
lighting because that is just what it is. No visual transition. You'll see a tree up lit on one side of the property, 5 or
6 path lights all in a row on the sidewalk or driveway and maybe some lights shinning down from a tree or two. Now look and
see if you can see the source of the light. I'm referring to the light bulb. These are hot spots and draw the eye to them
causing discomfort. In a true lighting portrait there are no hot spots. You can't see the light source, just the illumination
the light source itself produces thus making it much more easy on the eye and creating a pleasant picture. A good design will
give you this.
Wiring a low voltage system is the next key. Low voltage means 12 volts. That's all it takes in
electricity to produce the same amount of light that a Line Voltage system produces. A line voltage system is 120 volts. Low
voltage has a quicker voltage loss the longer the wire run. Example of this is if you had a 50-watt low voltage light on a
200 foot wire run of 12-2 gauge wire by the time the electricty gets to the light fixture you'll only have 9.3 volts. This
will light the lamp but it will appear dim. You need at least 10.8 volts to the lamp to get the full affect. Also if the voltage
is too low the lamp will burn out faster and if the voltage is too high, say 13 volts, the lamp will burn out faster as well.
Another important bit of information to a low voltage system, when properly installed, it will use about 1/3 of the electricty
of a conventional line, or 120V system. Low voltage is also safer, no risk of electrical shock. Perfect for around pools,
docks, fountains, waterfalls and any other type of water feature.
We at Sunset Landscape Lighting Inc. take time
in our designs. We will come out to your property and set up a lighting demo, something you can actually see. We use the best
in lighting fixtures. These fixtures are made of brass, copper, stainless steel and or heavy durable composite materials.
We also use "multi-tap transformers". This means not only does the transformer have a 12V lead producing power but
also a 13V, 14V all the way up to 22 volts on some of our transformers. This means we can run 80-watts of light up to 1000
feet or more from the transformer and still produce the correct voltage to the lamps at the end of that run.
Another
feature we use is the "Equalizer Hub System". The wiring system uses less connections, because the more the connections
the more chances are you will have a problem down the road. The "Equalizer Hub System" along with a regular maintenance
schedule, will insure your system will not have any corrosion. Corrosion is like a cancer, once it is in the wiring system
the only way to eliminate is to replace it. This can cost $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. We warranty our wiring system for a LIFETIME. We
warranty our fixtures and transformers for a LIFETIME too. That's right, a LIFETIME! Now we offer LED lighting. The new LED lighting has the same illumination and brightness as a HALOGEN lamp
but uses 1/4 the power to produce the light. An 8.5-watt LED will put out about the same amount of light as a 50-watt HAOLGEN
lamp but is much more cost affective. Also the new LED's will last up to 40,000 hours. No need to change out a lamp anymore.
Savings and long lasting is now the key for a GREEN future. Call
me, Don Kirby, today at 843-290-0642 for a free information package. Or just email me at Getlitsunsetinc@aol.com.
TO A BRIGHTER NEW YEAR!
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