08 Sep The False Economy of the Landscape Lighting Do-It-Yourselfer pt. 2
By Mark Carlson,
Safety- This is probably the most important issue because it can have the most adverse impact on the consumer. Let’s look at this seriously and in a way that is real for the consumer. There is a safety concern with low voltage landscape lighting, even though many believe that there is not. I used to have this belief too, but after being in the field performing this work as Mike has, there is much to be concerned with.
First, let’s discuss the potential for harm or even death. We are dealing with electricity and because it is electricity, it is governed by scientific laws. There are correct and safe ways to work with it and there are not. I don’t want to bore you with the technical side to this trade, but I do want you to understand the importance of what can happen with current flow. Each low voltage landscape lighting cable (wiring) has established safety limits or rating requirements for its intended use. Should something happen to the integrity of this wiring, such as short-circuit scenario, then this will create a severe increase in the amperage flow (current) through this cable. All cable is rated to accept a maximum limit for current flow, which includes wattage and voltage parameters and this is because of its construction. A serious safety issue can occur if one allows any of these parameters to be compromised or above their rated values. So, in a nut shell and when a “short” occurs, your cable will have its amperage value spike up so high that it will actually melt the cable sheathing off of the copper wires and ignite any combustible materials around it—that could be your home, plant materials, debris, etc. This is very dangerous and it could be deadly, especially if a family is asleep and the lighting system is on without any protective measures built into the system. Could this happen….sure it could! And the likeliness of it happening is becoming larger and larger with all of the DIY market and unlicensed activities occurring around us.
Now, on to the question of who is liable. Should this previous scenario occur, what would one do and who would be at fault? If the homeowner/ DIY’er/ consumer bought the products and they performed their own installation, then wouldn’t it be their fault? Let’s say that the consumer decided to work with an unlicensed or illegal laborer to install these products bought on line, what recourse does one have? So, is all of this grief or devastation worth it, only to save a few bucks?
Trade Specialty and Art-form- Both Mike and I have been doing this for many years, and there is one thing that has to be said. This trade specialty is an art form. It is not intended to be something that everyone can achieve through their own performance and for little to no money. Whether we like it or not, this is something special that should not be taken as a DIY project. Not only is there a technical side to this work, but there is an extremely challenging art to this that many will never aspire to.
As mentioned earlier, over 95% of those performing this trade is doing so as an add-on service. This majority offers little to no respect for what it really is and its ability to evoke emotion and to heal the soul. Those of us who are passionate about this take great pride in what we can offer. There really is much more than meets the eye when performing this ability.
Let’s understand the reality of all of this—it is highly unlikely that most all consumers and the majority of contractors performing this work will ever give this discipline justice. I’m sure that many of you have seen the beautiful photographs of night lighting that are available in some of the profession portfolios of those that specialize in this, but you have to understand that this cannot be achieved by those with little to no training. If this were that easy, then why isn’t everyone doing it? Think about this for a moment. Take a look around your own neighborhood–what do you see? Take a look around areas which you consider to be special or of the upper affluent–what do you see? I would be willing to bet that the majority of what you found is that of very poor lighting applications. I would be even willing to bet that you would have found the big box store kits on display!! So, ask yourself…..why is this? There are two primary reasons for this: 1) a lack of understanding what is considered to be good and functional landscape lighting, and 2) there are relatively very few who can perform this function well.
The landscape lighting profession and I am describing those true landscape lighting professionals, are no different than the interior designer, architect, landscape architect, or the lighting designer. We are professionals in a specialized craft and it is still quite unknown within this industry. There needs to be a broader respect for what we do, but this will require a defined separation between those that pretend and those that are artists. What is surprising is that of the above mentioned professionals, the lighting designer has the best opportunity of achieving recognition in what we specialize in. The others really don’t have much of any background to be considered in the same league. Please understand that this statement I made is not to diminish the roles these professionals provide, but it’s to show that you cannot be an expert at everything. If this was so simple or easy to perform, then why aren’t these others doing a very good job at it?
In conclusion, do you really think the consumer can perform this ability and be truly successful? The idea of the DIY person performing this ability might sound good, but there are far too many obstacles to prevent success and I hope fully consider this. This is a serious business, and the actions taken by some consumers or DIY’s is only adding to the problems that exist.
Mark Carlson of Avalon Lighting Design
Roseville, CA, USA
This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .
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