Fiber Optic Landscape Lighting
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The focus here is on using fiber optic landscape lighting for domestic applications. For commercial applications, fiber optic lighting is an increasingly popular alternative to neon lighting.
Fiber optic landscape lights provide a very different approach to landscape lighting compared with traditional outdoor lights, such as low voltage lights or solar landscape lights.
As the “fiber optic” name suggests, light itself travels down the cables rather than electricity. The benefits include:
- Electrical safety - these lights are ideal for pools, spas and water features because there is no electricity reaching the light fixtures and so no danger of shock.
- The light source can be installed in an indoor environment protected from the weather.
Fiber optic lights are also excellent for changing and colored light effects, because there is only one light source to control. The light from this source is then routed to a number of lights (and potentially this can be a large number of lights).
For really spectactular effects, you can use multiple light sources supplying a range of lights with shifting colors and effects.
Fiber Optic Landscape Light Fixtures
The light fixtures themselves can be very simple - in some cases they are just a simple acrylic stick as shown.
They can also be at the opposit eend of the spectrum and complex or intricate.
Some creative fixtures include paver lights, which can add an elegant touch to any landscape lighting plan. Paver lights can be used in path design, walkways, decks and to illuminate walls. Most paver lights accept 25 strand fiber optic cable and are constructed of a poly carbonate top with an ABS base.
Design and Installation Considerations
Fiber optic landscape lighting offers unique flexibility compared to conventional lighting, but it also has limitations. In particular, fiber optic lights are in general not as bright as conventional electric outdoor lights.
For this reason, areas with a high ambient light level (from other light sources) should be avoided as they tend to “wash out” the color.
On the other hand, a major benefit is that fiber optic lighting can be installed in areas not accessible to conventional lighting.
Fiber Optic Light Cables
As well as fiber optic light fixtures, you can also get fiber optic cables that emit light themselves. These cables ar eoften encased in a water clear PVC jacket for use in water features, underwater lighting for swimming pools, patios, facades, landscaping decks etc (see photo above).
Light is displayed in a so-called lineal fashion. This produces a brilliant light simulating a neon effect. The light emitting cable is flexible, easily installed, UV resistant and can provide vibrant color changes.
Outdoor Lighting Fixtures
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There is a huge range of brands for outdoor lighting fixtures, and a list is provided below. This list isn’t exclusive and if one of your preferred light makers is left out, don’t worry it’s not significant.
Buying Outdoor Lighting Fixtures
Which light fixture is “better” or “best” is a difficult question and depends on what you are looking for and of course how much you want to pay.
One thing to remember is that outdoor lights are exposed to the full effects of weather and need to be built for durability. This means that outdoor lighting fixtures may look great in the shop or catalog, but if they aren’t made of quality, weather resistant materials they won’t look good for very long.
So if a light doesn’t look and feel solid, it probably won’t last well. Check what materials it’s made of - look for materials such as stainless steel, bronze, copper, glass and so on.
As an example, you can buy a pack of 4 or 6 solar powered path lights for only 20-30 dollars or so, but the ones I have tried at thaty price point have all broken within a year or so.
Outdoor Lighting Fixture Brands
- Access Lighting
- Alliance
- Ambience
- Artistic Lighting & Designs
- Corbett
- Crystorama
- CSL Lighting
- ELK Lighting
- ELK Outdoor
- ET2
- Fine Art Lamps
- Flos
- Fontana Arte
- Forecast
- George Kovacs
- Hampton Bay
- Hinkley
- Hinkley Outdoor
- House of Troy
- Hudson Valley
- Kichler Lighting
- Kichler Landscape
- Kichler Tiffany Classics
- Kichler Westwood
- Juno Lighting
- Lutron Dimmers
- Maxim Lighting
- Maxim Outdoor
- Metropolitan
- Minka Lavery Lighting
- Minka Energy Star
- Minka Great Outdoors
- Murray Feiss
- Murray Feiss Lamps
- Murray Feiss Outdoor
- Quoizel Lighting
- Savoy House Lighting
- Savoy House Outdoor
- Sea Gull Lighting
- Sea Gull Outdoors
- Sonneman
- Triarch International
- Triarch Outdoor
- Troy Lighting
- Troy Outdoor
- Westinghouse Lighting
- Westinghouse Outdoor
- Zaneen
Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Discounts
Similarly there are many vendors that offer discount outdoor lighting fixtures. As you would expect many merchants will offer lighting fixtures at a discount from time to time. Here are a few.
- Amazon
- Arcadian lighting
- Home Depot
- Lampsplus
- Lamp USA
- Lighting Showplace
- Lighting Universe
- Soho lighting
Two of the most popular fixture types are:
- Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Wall Mounted
- Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Posts
The first type is typically used to highlight an aspect of a home or building, whereas the second is popular for path lighting.
Both types are also usually available as low voltage outdoor lights or solar outdoor lights. As we cover in how to install landscape lighting solar lights and low voltage lights are often simpler and cheaper to install.
Mains powered lights are simple to install if you are mounting them on the side of your home and access to mains power is simple. When running power around your property for lights, low voltage is easier than mains to install.