Flood lighting involves making use of light bulbs of high power to light up a big outdoor area. This type of lighting is put in place permanently and needs a lot of electric current. Flood lighting can broadly be classified into three: façade, general area and signage. Each kind involves its own unique subject and challenges which need to be addressed. Some examples would be supply, installation and maintenance.
Flood lighting is typically employed for highlighting the architectural texture of an impressive or historically significant building. By using flood lighting, you can augment the detailed structure of a building. An installation of this kind of lighting makes it essential to think over its positioning, power, plus maintenance.
The size of any building decides the size of the lighting unit that has to be installed. When you want to light up a very elevated building, you need to ensure that the lighting element is huge enough to throw out the light of the required intensity. Generally, you need to position the unit at least 75% of building’s height, away from its base.
Such kind of lighting needs a dedicated source of power. You are required to consult an electrical engineer to design the most practical circuit that ensures the adequate power. Remember that external lighting needs a connection with a generator in case of emergencies. Take into consideration your options for wiring, and come to a decision if flood lights should form a constituent of emergency lighting arrangement.
Any flood lighting arrangement needs repair and maintenance. Steps should be taken to ensure that the plan and design you choose make it feasible to undertake normal maintenance, and that it is adequately safe. These two aspects demand planning in advance to employ a realistic answer.
One piece of flood lighting is usually insufficient for sign lighting, and requires additional units. These units need to be installed at equal distance from one another, and need to be focused on the sign. The usual thumb rule is to place lights at less than half the distance from the base of the sign, separately from one another.
Sporting events and security require general area lighting. Generally, such lights are fixed on top of high poles for the lighting of large areas. The pole’s height is decided by the area needing illumination. The thumb rule is to keep the height equal to half of the width of the area.
Undoubtedly, the most preferred way of outdoor flood lighting comes to us by way of highly powerful, electrically driven quartz halogen lights. Such lights are capable of throwing out gleaming beams of light in hundreds or thousands of watts. Generally, they incorporate motion sensors which automatically turn on if any undesirable person gets into the restricted area. Quartz halogen bulbs make the best option for flood lights. These are helpful for domestic use, business premises, and also for lighting up tennis courts and playgrounds in parks.