Pond Lighting

Here are some really basic ideas you might focus on with your pond.

When installing pond lights in the water itself, make the wires much longer than you think you'll require. The bulbs do burn out and you do have to replace them.

With long wires (wrapped up and hidden under rocks) the entire light can be lifted out of the water and worked on while high and dry. I note that changing lightbulbs underwater is not recommended by any safety code in the world. So you either make long wires or you get to lower the water level to do the same job.

Make sure there's a GFI switch on your electrical circuitry. This automatically kills the power to the line if it senses moisture in the line. This is a good thing in case some animal does a little gnawing and you wind up with a short.

The better alternative is to wire the transformer to the pond lighting (all pond lights are 12 volts) and only run 12 volt wire outdoors. Keep all the serious voltage and amperage indoors and safe.

You will have to run 120 volt power out to your pond. Ensure this is to code. Rodent proof casings or surface covered in concrete - whatever the local power code entails is necessary to reduce the danger of electricution.

If you are only running two or three lights in the pond, set the first up against the far wall from the water falls area and aim it directly at the waterfalls. This will highlight the moving water.

The second light goes to the side of the waterfalls and points back towards the other end of the pond. This lights up the central area of the pond quite nicely.

The best recommendation is to use a qualified electrician and install all the electricity services before you start landscaping and installing pumps and lighting. It makes things so much easier to do it in the right order.

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