Pond lighting

[prestongohlke]

Just curious as to how many of you all actually have submersible lights in your pond. I found a set that looks pretty good to me. Its a three pack of 20w lights that are built to mimic the look of a natural rock. What I really like about the set is that it comes with a small solar panel so you don't have to worry about getting power to them.

Any of you have any experience with any solar pond lights?

Thanks! P

[PondJoy]

Hi...I have all wired underwater lights...they look terrific.  I have them tucked away in each corner under a shelf and 2 in the waterfall.  I was actually thinking of trying to add a few more since I have some dark areas. But my only experience with solar lights has been in the yard.  I didn't like them at all.  Not much power.  Went with the wired ones.  Hopefully someone on here has tried the solar ones in their pond and can give you more info.  Sounds like a neat idea.  It gets tricky sometimes trying to get the wires to the right spots and keep them all hidden.

[prestongohlke]

How long are the wires between your lights? I can imagine it would be tough to get them where you want them because the sets I've seen only have 2-3ft between each light! That's not much at all!

Thanks, P

[PondJoy]

Well, my pond is not that big really.  I should post a picture with the light on.....that would be cool.  The electric box is right on the side of the pond (the side that faces away from the patio) so we didn't have to add any length between lights or from lights to box.  I guess it would be a problem if you had a big pond....Actually I guess there a lot of things that I haven't considered that "big" ponders go through....What size if your pond?

[prestongohlke]

Well I don't really consider my pond big, but it is about 8-9sih by 15ish. So if i wanted a light in each corner the wires between them would have to be pretty long.

I originally wanted my pond to be about 20x25ish but after i really started to sit down and figure the cost i decided to go a little smaller. At first being a Noob i thought the only additional cost for a bigger pond would be in the liner but then i realized that everything has to be larger, pump, skimmer, im sure you know what im talking about! But hey I'm happy with what i have being my first pond!

P

[Julles]

Do you keep the lights on all the time, or turn them on just when you want to sit out by the pond at night?

If so, does it effect the fish in any way if it's dark, and then you pop on the lights all of a sudden?

Preston, at least your pond looks like a POND.  Mine is also 15' long.  But, due to space constraints, it's only 3' wide.  My pond looks more like a BOWLING ALLEY!

[prestongohlke]

i dont have any lights right now i want to get some and found some that are made to look like rocks and they are solar powered so i wanted to see if anyone has ever used any solar pond lights before.

Its not a bowling alley, Its a natural spring flowing up from the bed rock!

P

[crazyfishlady]

We have 7 20W low voltage underwater lights in the pond and streams. They came with 12 foot cords that are all spliced together above water level with regular heavy gauge low voltage wire. They go around the pond and around to the side of the house to the transformer. I know we used over 150' of the low voltage wire. The farthest light is just as bright as the closest one. We were told that oversizing the transformer for the load and using heavy gauge wire will produce the most consistent light levels.

I thought they were just trying to oversell us at Lowes but it has always worked. We have 50w spots and 35W floods all around the yard and I try to keep the transformer ratings at least double for what we need. All the lights are Malibu Pro Series metal from Lowes or Menards.

We have the underwater lights on a switch instead of the timer; because algae growing on the lenses is a real problem. I had to get in the pond at night this summer to find some of them because of the algae. We only have the lights on when we're out by the pond.

Couple of other tips: Make extra coils of wire by the light so you can lift it above water level to change the bulb. Don't run the wire under your deck or the bunnies will eat it in the winter.

[prestongohlke]

Hey thanks for the tips!

[miguynmkoi]

Its a natural spring flowing up from the bed rock!

That's it?!?  I want to hear more!!!  I would have to dig way deep for something like that or hit a water main 

Great tips Dianne!

Has anyone ever used rope lighting in the pond?  I have an overhanging stone cap around my pond and thought it would be a cool idea to have rope light edge under it.  Water may possibly submerge it during rains.

[crazyfishlady]

Speaking of water-mains when they dug our pond it was apparently centered over some major artery branch of our sprinkler system.  We had to reroute 5 different lines at various depths. What a mess!

[prestongohlke]

Its a natural spring flowing up from the bed rock!

That's it?!?  I want to hear more!!!  I would have to dig way deep for something like that or hit a water main 

Great tips Dianne!

Has anyone ever used rope lighting in the pond?  I have an overhanging stone cap around my pond and thought it would be a cool idea to have rope light edge under it.  Water may possibly submerge it during rains.

I think the rope lights your talking about would work great! And just in case they are not water tight you could buy some clear 1/2in pvc hosing in the plumbing section at HD or Lowes for about .50c a foot and slide the lights in that!

P