Fountain Lighting Options Explored

It's worth taking a few minutes to explore some of the lighting options that are commonly available when you are making a fountain purchase. Lighting acts as a way to accentuate the water feature, so knowing what you are looking at is ever helpful. Three common options are LED lighting, fluorescent lighting, and halogen (aka incandescent) lighting. 

Let's start with LED lighting. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. These lights work by ending an electrical current through a semiconductor. Their advantages are their efficiency, durability, high light output and low power consumption. The drawbacks to utilizing LED lighting mainly include their high purchase price. However you get what you pay for.  The lighting will last quite a long time. 

Fluorescent lighting uses an electronic current like LED lighting, but the current is used to stimulate a low pressure mercury gas-discharge lamp. By stimulating the mercury vapor inside the lamp, ultraviolet (UV) light is created. This UV light causes the material on the outside of the lamp (phosphorus) to glow. The upsides to using this type of lighting include their efficiency, long life span, and low power consumption. Some negatives include that they are not environmentally friendly, that they emit UV radiation, and that they may flicker. 

Halogen, or incandescent lighting, is the lighting we typically think of. Created in the early 1800's (popularized by Thomas Edison), this light is created by heating a filament wire through which an electrical current flows. This is the most common form of lighting for everyday use. Pluses are that it doesn't take much money to produce them, they are available in a wide range of sizes, voltage and output, and they are inexpensive to purchase and replace. Drawbacks include their sensitivity (when jarred, they often burn out and need to be replaced), they are less efficient, and they have a shorter life span than the other two options of LED or fluorescent lighting. 

Please feel free to call or email us with any questions you might have about your fountain lighting options.