Not all Down Light Fixtures are Created Equal
Landscape Lighting Guru is known for creating a magical moonlighting effect which is created by placing multiple fixtures in trees 10 feet higher than anyone is willing to climb and angling those fixtures in a way that shines down through the branches and leaves below creating a moving, flowing piece of shadow and light. A big part in creating that effect is the quality of the downlight fixture that is used in the lighting design.
The fixture’s goal is to be a long-term lamp protector. Our fixtures allow ultimate flexibility. Because the lamp is really the source of the light and shadow you experience. We are able to choose a lamp that best suits our client’s desires in terms of color output, light intensity, and beam spread. This fixture does it all while protecting the lamp from moisture and pest, and protecting the tree from improper mounting techniques.
So what does a high-quality downlight fixture have? A downlight fixture should be waterproof so it does not allow water to infiltrate the fixture. The lighting fixture should be designed to dissipate heat from the LED lamp. The downlight should be configured to limit glare and should be the International Dark-Sky complaint. The fixture should allow the lamp to utilize all of its lumens and beam spread outside the fixture (you don’t want to waste light that gets lost by having the lamp buried in the fixture).
Another important part of the fixture is that the fixture is designed to eliminate the chance for vibration to knock loose the lamp connection at the socket. A downlight fixture should be camouflaged when placed in the tree by being small and dark-colored. Our wire is brown instead of black so that the wire is less visible going down the trunk of the tree. The fixture should limit the chance for ants and other critters to gain access to the fixture.
A high-quality well-designed downlight fixture is very important but it also must be mounted the correct way to have a long-lasting fixture and healthy trees. Lighting fixtures should never be surface mounted to a tree and it should never be strapped to a tree with a palm strap. We care about your trees and take pride in the installation process we use to take care of your tree and your fixture all while creating the intended effect in the lighting design. We use a special tree mount bracket instead of a junction box. Junction boxes turn into homes for ants and other pests that eat the wiring and the poorly done connections. Our connections are made inside the fixture, each connection is heat shrunk, and each fixture comes with 40 feet of brown wire. We place fixture 10 feet higher than anyone is willing to climb. The higher the fixture the more of a moonlight effect is possible. We are strategically placing and aiming each fixture to accomplish the proper contrast of light, shadows, and dark on the plants and ground below.
