Before LED’s, selecting outdoor lights was fairly straightforward. You could assume that the bulbs were pretty much the same – cheap lights used the same bulbs as the higher quality lights. All you had to do was select the light that looked sturdy, was made by a reputable manufacturer, and had a good warranty. Of course, looks could be deceiving, and warranties are often misleading. Still, before LED’s the decision was easier. LED’s enter the stage. On the surface, they look great. They use about 1/3 the energy. They last up to 20 years. What could be better? The reality, however, is less rosy. The majority of these outdoor LED’s have failed to live up to their promises. The Dept. of Energy (DOE) launched a testing program (Caliper) that put these products on the block. The results were staggering; nearly every product failed to meet its claims. One LED manufacturer faces a lawsuit because their products were so abysmal. The LED problems are light, heat, moisture, color, and fixture body integrity – a lot of factors to consider. Lets not forget, LED circuits are sensitive bundles of electronics. Would you put your cell phone in a leaky box, plant it in your back yard and expect it to last 20 years? It’s not easy to manufacturer a sensitive piece of electronics that will survive the worst of Mother Nature. That’s why CAST Lighting spent four years developing its LED landscape lights. We hired some of the best engineers in the industry to custom-design our LED’s to withstand the outdoor environment and to perform optimally for up to 20 years. You would need a degree in semi-conductors to understand how they did it, but the following 7 points will (hopefully) hit the main points and help you decide.
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Heat is the number one enemy of LED chips. They function well up to about 150 degrees (F), but above that they start to fail. CAST LED’s transfer heat into solid bronze bodies – massive and effective heat sinks. Enclosed fixtures are like ovens and air is the worst heat conductor. Even short periods of overheating can diminish light output dramatically and reduce LED life by 50%. The thick-walled bronze is extremely effective in pulling heat away from LED’s.
Water is the number one enemy of electronics (just drop your cell phone in a puddle and see what happens). Water can not only short-circuit the electronics, it leads to corrosion that eats away the entire assembly. CAST LED’s are protected from water intrusion – through multiple methods. All CAST LED components use conformal coatings or epoxy potting to protect from water intrusion. Additional protection is provided with compression fittings, sealed glass lenses, and high-temp silicone gaskets.
CAST LED’s are the only fixtures designed to last longer than the LED’s. Aluminum, copper, and brass fixtures may claim long warranties, but these metals corrode, bend, and break long before the LED fails. CAST bronze fixtures are the only ones that will never end up in a landfill.
CAST LED’s have a wide voltage range (8 to 18) and are protected from spikes and surges. Most other LED fixtures have narrower ranges and may not perform well throughout the range. A wide voltage range gives installers a lot of flexibility and allows them to connect many more fixtures on a single wire. The protection from voltage spikes and surges is especially important since such events are more common than you might think. A single spike can take out every LED in your yard unless your LED’s are protected.
The driver is the circuitry that supplies and conditions power to the LED chip. The driver design is what separates the men from the boys in the LED world. A poorly designed driver with cheap components can greatly reduce the life of an LED. CAST LED’s have extremely high quality driver components rated for extreme conditions. One common component, the electrolytic capacitor, is very susceptible to heat damage, and often leads to failure. Nearly all LED fixture manufacturers use them – CAST does not. Our driver components are extremely robust and are selected to withstand extreme time and temperatures.
CAST LED’s have tight control over color temperature & rendering to match incandescent. Most so-called “warm white” LED’s have color temps that range between 2,800K and 3,000K – noticeably cooler than incandescents. All CAST LED’s are rated at 2,700K – indistinguishable from halogen lights. Another common color problem among cheap LED’s is maintenance. A phosphor layer coats the LED chip, this layer transforms the blue light coming from the LED into a mixture of colors that combine to make white light. This phosphor layer is heat sensitive and deteriorates in time. That’s why cheap LED’s may initially have a nice white light, then gradually become bluer. We do two things to prevent deterioration: 1. We only use the highest quality Cree and Nichia chips that have superior phosphor coatings, and 2. We effectively pull heat away from the chip so it never overheats.
CAST has the only LED Fixtures that will last longer than the LED’s themselves. (I said that before, but it bears repeating!) Despite long warranty claims of other manufacturers, CAST is the only true lifetime product. Even if the LED modules are damaged due to lightning, they are replaceable. Our fixtures will never be found in a landfill.
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Outdoor lighting placed strategically enhances the nighttime appeal of your property by showcasing its unique features while also boosting security and altering your outdoor spaces.
You've come to the right place if you're not sure where to begin with landscaping lights. The following is our helpful outdoor lighting guide, where we'll go over the advantages of landscape lighting, where to put them, what sorts of lights to use, and how to use light to achieve the best results.
We're here to assist you in enjoying your landscapes and hardscapes with the help of expert lighting pros. Learn more about the main advantages of outdoor lighting for your home or business.
Enhanced Appearance and Curb Appeal: The most popular reason for homeowners to invest in outdoor lighting is for its aesthetically attractive beauty. Light improves a home's evening curb appeal when professionally installed.
Maybe you've seen it when driving through a neighborhood late at night. You can't see a home's features or landscape if there isn't enough light. In the dark, it vanishes. While perfectly illuminated houses stand out, you may notice how lighting subtly enhances architectural and landscaping aspects.
Most homeowners first invest in outdoor lighting because of the aesthetic value it provides. They quickly appreciate the added security that comes with a properly equipped system.
The most important thing you can do to improve your home's security and deter unwanted attackers is light its exterior. To be effective, security lighting does not have to be harsh or frightening.
If you entertain or spend time outside after dark, lighting your walkways, trails, steps, and stairs reduces the risk of you, a family member, or a guest tripping and falling.
Many homeowners like relaxing on their deck or patio, grilling outside, or swimming late at night in their pool. Outdoor lighting is necessary if you want to use your outdoor living space after the sun has set. You'll spend more time outside, and you'll feel safer knowing that you can see what you're doing.
As the seasons change, the lighting aspect remains consistent, resulting in distinct lighting effects with each season. When the light beams up upon fresh snowfall on evergreens in the winter, it's an entirely different feeling than when everything is blooming in the spring.
A contractor can set your professionally installed system to automatically switch on and off, so you don't have to worry about it. In addition, most dedicated landscape lighting firms have a service team or offer continuing service programs to guarantee that your system performs well year after year, making it simple for you, the homeowner.
Lighting your surrounding landscapes and hardscapes is crucial for safety, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons. Although you may feel tempted to illuminate your entire yard for maximum visibility, this technique is both costly and wasteful.
Illuminating specific features such as walls, ponds, and trees will help create a welcoming environment for entertaining. Landscape path lighting and other tactics will make your yard simpler to navigate and welcome guests to your house, so outdoor lights also have a practical component.
When you highlight pathways, it makes it easier for you and your guests to navigate the landscape, especially when there are barriers such as stairs. Path lighting is often staggered to illuminate the entire path and can add a romantic touch to your home's walks.
Patio lights give light for entertaining and create a pleasant environment in the space. It is beneficial during the summer months when the sun sets early, allowing you to barbecue and entertain visitors late into the evening.
It is vital to illuminate decks and steps to the outside of the house. Strategic placement can comfortably define the entertainment area and increase the amount of time spent outdoors.
Garden lighting produces a pleasing ambiance while also enhancing the attractiveness of the plants and surrounding area. It allows you to spend more time in nature and enjoy your beautiful garden whenever you want. LED lights also have the added benefit of stimulating plant growth.
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With the correct lighting, hardscapes such as retaining walls, boulders, and wooden arbors come alive at night. The most extraordinary hardscape lighting can accentuate the natural beauty of your surroundings and provide a dimension that isn't visible during the day.
Proper lighting of your front and back yards will make them look appealing to visitors while also deterring burglars due to greater visibility. Lights strategically placed about your home will draw attention to the landscaping and boost curb appeal.
Ponds are a terrific focal point that you may highlight with the proper lighting. Adding ponds and other water features to your landscape adds drama and interest.
There are various forms of outdoor lighting to use in your yard, in addition to deciding what objects to light. When determining which low-voltage lighting solution is appropriate for your needs, take into account their specific qualities. For complete illumination of outdoor locations, you can blend some light sources.
Line any hard-to-see sections in your yard, flowerbed, or sidewalk with them. They enhance the ambiance of the outdoors while also providing security. These lights also serve to improve your home's safety and curb attractiveness.
Well lights, also known as inground lights, are circular fixtures used to illuminate sidewalks, driveways, flowerbeds, and trees elegantly. They are buried in the ground so that the light effect, rather than the fixture, is the focal point.
Post cap lights are built into deck posts and provide a warm glow and ambiance to your recreational areas. They add to the aesthetic while also giving safety as people move throughout the venue.
You use floodlights and spotlights to highlight visual features in the yard, such as statues, bushes, and trees. The spread of light produced distinguishes them.
Floodlights have a broader beam to illuminate general regions, whereas spotlights have a narrower beam to highlight specific features. You determine the placement of landscape spotlights by the unique aspects you want to draw attention to in your yard.
You use deck lights to increase the safety of people walking up and down deck stairs at night. To enhance architectural details and light-up entertainment places, they are immediately embedded into the hardscape or on the deck itself.
Post lights, like path lights, help to enhance a pathway by lighting regions that you would otherwise miss in the dark. They're bigger and higher, and they provide a relaxing atmosphere without being overly bright.
There are several ways for highlighting specific regions, in addition to various types of yard lights. Landscape lighting design can help to create a particular atmosphere or environment in an area.
Highlighting is the process of using light to draw attention to the shape, color, and form of fascinating items. Floodlights or spotlights are placed at the base of the feature to generate this effect. You can change the beam's distance and angle until you attain the desired impact on the plant, statue, or distinctive architecture.
Spotlights or well-lights placed behind an object or plant can draw attention to dramatic forms that aren't visible during the day. As it shines towards the walkway or yard, the light source is hidden and creates a silhouette.
Accentuating individual features such as trees, statues, and other décor is another way to draw attention to them. You perform the technique by shining a narrow flashlight on the object from a hidden point, either down or high.
Shadowing, as the name implies, casts a shadow on the wall or hardscape behind the item to create a melancholy impression. Place a spotlight, well light, or floodlight between the vantage point and the object or plant to be lighted to accomplish this.
Moonlighting is a method that creates the impression of moonlight by placing spotlights high in trees and angling them downward. A soft light fixture casts delicate shadows from the tree's lowest branches and bathes the ground below in mellow light.
You create washing by shining light from an indirect angle on a massive wall or hedge. In an entertainment area, you utilize floodlights to cast an even, soothing light.
Downlighting is a technique for accentuating planting beds or garden elements from above by simulating natural light. It makes a garden more secure and safe while also giving it a lovely, natural glow. Fixing outdoor lights on a tall trellis, eave, or hardscape creates this appearance.
By positioning spotlights or well-lights close to the base of an item, uplighting can produce varied angles of illumination. This method adds drama to tall buildings like trees or monuments by displaying their form from below.
If you have flat surfaces, grazing can make stunning shadows by utilizing their texture. You can accomplish this by grazing the surface of various hardscape components with good lights or hardscape lights.
You don't need any electrical knowledge to install most outdoor lighting because it's low-voltage. The only equipment you'll need for a DIY landscape lighting installation is a wire remover. Here are some suggestions for being safe and secure:
Even though LED lights are becoming widespread, you don't have to get rid of your old halogen lighting. With retrofit bulbs, you may still reap the benefits of LEDs. Replace the halogen bulbs with the same base type and wattage as the old ones.
You should install underground wire after planting to avoid accidentally cutting it with a shovel. Be sure to eliminate factory-installed connectors because standard connectors will only work for a short time buried underground before corroding and failing. Splice connections with gel-filled wire connectors, which are designed specifically for outdoor use.
Avoid shining lights directly on a terrace. Indirect lighting, such as illuminating trees, stones, and other objects around the space, works nicely. Pools of light should not be overlapping. Make sure the fixtures aren't too close to one another.
Whether line or low voltage systems, your landscape lighting plan can use energy-efficient LEDs, and the most advanced technology landscape and lighting will illuminate your outdoor areas at night, making them both beautiful and safe. Also, don't forget to look at our outdoor lighting ideas.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of led lighting solution for Architecture&Landscape. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.