How to Buy Fiber Optic Landscape Lighting

The concept of controlling light with fiber optics was first developed by Daniel Colladon and Jaques Babinet in the 1840s. Fiber optic lights control the pathway through which light particles can travel, revealing the light at a place predetermined by the user. For landscape lighting, the user has the ability to pinpoint where the light will shine to create stunning visual landscape effects. Many people buy fiber optic landscape lighting because it does not carry an electrical signal and is very safe to have around plants, pets and children.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Measuring tape

1. Create a diagram of the landscape area you plan to light with fiber optics. Even a simple drawing will make it easier to buy the right materials.
2. Envision the types of lighting effects you want to create with the fiber optics. You may want to illuminate a pathway, driveway or edge of a flower bed or create a starry patch or other effects. Add your desired effects to your diagram.
3. Find a central location to place the illuminator, which is responsible for delivering the light to the fiber optics. The illuminator should be in a wide open area to properly dispense heat. Fiber optic cable lines should be less than 40 feet from the illuminator for consistent lighting.
4. Measure the distance from the planned illuminator location to the various light points to figure how much fiber optic cable to purchase.
5. Compare the cost of buying longer fiber optic cables to the cost of buying shorter cables and more illuminators.
6. Buy the fiber optic cables and fixtures to create your desired effects. Purchase enough cable to leave an 18-inch service loop at the end of each cable line to make sure you have enough cable.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy fiber optic lighting with color-changing abilities and use it in a pool, waterfall, fountain or birdbath for an eye-catching display.
• Keep in mind that shorter lines of fiber optic cable seem to create brighter lights than longer lines. When designing the diagram, use cables of equal length to keep brightness the same, or vary the length to create different levels of light.
• Like LED lights, the more strands you use, the more light you provide to an area. Control brightness by adding or subtracting the number of strands used to light the area.
• Keep illuminators at least 2 feet apart from one another.
• Don't skip the design phase before you buy fiber optic cable, or you could spend significantly more on your project than is necessary.

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