How Can You Illuminate Your Pond in Style?

Many gardens have benefitted from having a water feature added to it. Ponds, fountains, and pools, can all add character and function to a garden. Ponds provide a habitat for insects, fish, frogs, and birds.

Adding certain water features can even add value to your property above the obvious aesthetic appeal. A pond with flowers and plants around it will up the curb appeal of your home, and help to push the value up too.

Besides any potential financial benefits you may gain, ponds and fountains can give a lot of pleasure while relaxing in a garden. They attract birds and helpful insects and make the garden come to life.

They also look really good at night when they are lit up. 

Why would you want to light up your pond?

It might seem a strange thing to consider illuminating, after all, electricity and water don’t really mix.

However, adding lights to pools and ponds can add a certain ambiance. If you were hosting a small party in your backyard, then lighting would be essential. But not all lighting needs to be completely functional. Adding in color and light sometimes can be just to improve the atmosphere.

Interior designers use lighting tricks to create ambiance, and you can do this outside too. If you want to upgrade your patio with achievable ideas then you could add a pond, and then illuminate it.

Adding lighting to a pool or pond also achieves something very important; it makes them safer. A pond in a dark garden represents a hazard to any small child, so lighting them up is a good idea. 

What are the best ways to illuminate ponds?

As mentioned above, you don’t really want electricity being exposed to water, but lights run on it don’t they? Yes, and no.

You will obviously need lighting that is completely waterproof, not just because of the pond, but because they will be outdoors. This should make them safe regarding electricity, but what if there was some way to make them even safer?

The answer is sustainable energy. You can use solar pond lights in any water feature without any concern about getting a shock. The current supplied in solar-powered lights would never reach a dangerous level so they are far safer than electrical lights.

And because they convert the sun’s rays to electricity, they do not need the grid. Therefore they will cost nothing bar the initial purchase price. 

Why use solar energy in the garden?

Without trying to sound preachy, everyone should be looking at using solar power more often. The reserves of fossil fuels are very surely disappearing, and they are not good for the environment anyway.

Clean, sustainable energy is needed, and solar power is ideal. Many agree, and the Solar Energy Industries Association is trying to help the US achieve 30 percent electricity generation from solar power by 2030.

Also, there is no risk of electrocution using solar lights, as mentioned above. Plus, no extra charges on the utility bills and the lights themselves last a long time. 

How long do solar pond lights last?

Different specifications and production qualities will determine the life of any solar light. However, the LEDs themselves can last for a considerable time meaning that there is less waste and less need for replacements.

The technology website, How to Geek, asks whether LED lights really do last for ten years. While the jury is out still as LEDs haven’t been used widely for long enough, some things are clear.

LED lights last considerably longer than incandescent bulbs or other options. Some manufacturers even put the lifespan of LEDs at anything between 25,000 and 50,000 hours. 

What features do solar pond lights have?

You know now of the great benefits to the environment, and to your utility bills, but what about the lights themselves.

What features you have on solar pond lights will depend on which models you select. Nevertheless, they could possibly feature some of the following.

Being able to withstand all manner of weather is important if they are to be left on the surface, but proper waterproofing is also essential. This is because many of these lights can be placed inside the pond itself. This lets them light up the pond at night from under the water.

There are also floating solar pond lights that sit on the surface radiating different colors. Some lights are controlled remotely, but others don’t need any interaction at all.

Some lights are fitted with what is known as a dusk to dawn sensor. This means the lights automatically turn off to store energy during the day, and switch back on again at night. 

Summary

You are surely aware now that you can save money on energy bills with solar panels, but you may not have been aware that you can change the whole ambiance of your garden too.

Solar pond lights come with small panels that are discreet enough not to stand out. At night though, those panels won’t be noticed as your pond is lit up with white or colored light adding an attractive garden feature.

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