Planning your water feature

Lighting a water feature can add drama and life to a night garden, or create a calm, serene atmosphere. This application guide takes you through the key issues you need to consider when planning your water feature and looks at the most important water feature lighting techniques:

• lighting still water,
• lighting plants and objects around still water,
• lighting smooth waterfalls and weirs,
• and lighting bubbling waterfalls and weirs.

Before you rush in and start installing light fittings, here are the key issues you should consider:

Will the water feature be the primary feature of the garden, or one of several? This question will determine the brightness of the light fittings you need to use to ensure balance with other garden elements.

Where are all the vantage points from which this feature could be viewed? Be aware of controlling glare as people move around your water feature.

Does this need lighting? Will it benefit? Sometimes, lighting is not necessary and it may be better to let water features fade into the darkness.

Is there a commitment to maintenance? Will the owner be bothered with changing underwater bulbs as they burn out? If the absence of one or more of your carefully placed light sources will ruin the composition and it's too difficult to replace bulbs, it may be better to consider a different approach.

Lighting still water surfaces

Still water ponds and pools can be lit effectively from above or below the water. The decision will depend on the nature of the water feature and the desired effect. As pools and ponds are generally quite large compared to other garden features and normally less interesting be restrained in your use of lighting and use low wattage lamps to avoid over emphasis.

Placing fixtures below the water surface is effective for highlighting interesting shapes and textures of the sides and bottom, but be careful if the pool or pond has a lot of floating sediment or an easily disturbed bottom.

Above water light fittings are generally more useful than internal lighting for lighting the surface of still water. Use multiple low wattage lamps for a gentle reflection without distracting bright spots.

Lighting objects around still water

Rather than lighting the water itself, the most effective approach to lighting pools and ponds can be to create reflections by lighting surrounding objects or plants. The light source for this effect can come from above the pond or internally.

If mounting light fittings underwater, make sure you allow for refraction. The angle of the light will bend towards the horizontal as the light passes through the water surface, so you will need to mount the light fitting aiming above the object you want to light. The light fitting can be recessed into the pond bottom, sitting on the bottom or mounted on the pond side.

 Above-water light sources should be at least ten feet high and aimed downwards at a steep enough angle to avoid glare on the water which will lessen the effect of the reflection. Nearby trees, posts and walls are ideal mounting points for these fittings.

« Example Lighting a water-side object from above for a dramatic effect. The light fitting will be at a high angle to avoid glare on the water.

« Example Reflections of interesting pool sides and vegetation also work well.

Lighting smooth waterfalls and weirs

Where water drops of a smooth edge, it falls with minimal bubbling and disturbance. Shining light at this weir creates a sparkling effect on the water surface. Unlike lighting turbulent water (see below) the light source for smooth falling water should be in front of the weir, with enough fittings and sufficient distance to to create a wash effect and avoid distinct light spots.

Lighting bubbling waterfalls and weirs

 Water which is agitated as it drops contains air bubbles, which will glow attractively with the correct lighting. Lighting from in front will not work with turbulent water; the light source should be situated underwater, shining up in to the weir.

It's important to work out how quickly the water will be travelling over the waterfall and making certain that the light sources are directly under the weir; don't be caught out with fast travelling water rushing over your carefully positioned fitting. This can be easiest to ensure with fittings positioned on the bottom of the pool which can be adjusted once the water is flowing—if you're planning to use recessed fittings you'll need to get your calculation right first time.

Example In this case the objective is to wash the wall behind the waterfall with light, rather than the waterfall itself, creating a stunning cascade of light.

Equipment considerations

Lighting Pacific offers a wide range of HUNZA-manufactured light fittings appropriate for lighting water features, including a choice of finishes and accessories such as tree mounts. When choosing fittings for use underwater, bear in mind that powder-coated finishes are best suited for fresh-water use only and should not be used in swimming pools or salt water. Likewise, copper finishes are not recommended for ponds containing fish.

Using colour

Coloured lenses are not particularly popular for water features in residential environments, but have many applications in commercial, hospitality and entertainment settings. Colour is most dramatic when lighting turbulent water from below or creating coloured reflections on a still surface. The deeper underwater a light is mounted the yellower it will appear, regardless of the lens colour, as other parts of the spectrum are filtered out. A range of coloured lenses is available from Lighting Pacific.

See also:
Water reflection
Underwater and marine lights

Back to outdoor lighting effects.