LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting

Installing LED Landscape Lighitng

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Installing a LED Landscape Lighting system is much easier to do than the typical lighting system. You'll still have to run wire and do a little digging but the wiring diagram is very simple. With halogen systems you will have to balance the lights to prevent them from dimming at the end of the line. With LED, you can run up to 184 watts on on line (most led lights will be 3 watt - 8 watts each without voltage drop (dimming).

Halogens run at 12v or more based on distance from the transformer; the further out you go, the higher voltage you will need. LED will "self-balance" between 10v- 15v without dimming. In most installations a standard 12 volts transformer works just fine.

If you currently have a low voltage halogen lighting system and want to save up to 80% on your energy costs, consider upgrading to LED. You do not have to change your wiring, just remove the old fixture and put the new LED landscape lighting fixture in place. Check your transformer and be sure its set below 15v (if you have a multi-tap transformer).

You may also be interested in a snapshot of the costs of a led landscape lighting system compared to a halogen landscape lighting system.
Energy Costs

LaGina
Loves Butterflies

LED Landscape Lighitng Fixture Preview

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Not so with LED Landscape Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:50:00 +0000

In a previous post (Wow it's Getting Dark) , I talked about regular maintenance required for changing light bulbs. I explained the fact that voltage changes (see comments) can lead to a domino burnout effect. When one goes, the others will follow soon if that one is not replaced soon. Keep an annual schedule to help track the life of the bulbs.

All this this is a non-issue if you use LED landscape lights. First, they do not use bulbs (see facts), and they work between 10v - 15v, so they are not impacted the way halogen fixtures are. If burnout has been a problem for you, consider upgrading to LED landscape lights. No additional wiring is needed, they last up to 10 years (and are upgradeable), and you'll save up to 80% in energy costs.

Wow, It's getting dark....

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Daylight savings has ended and it is getting dark close to 5pm. When I started the heads up back in September it seemed far off but we all know time flies. So, for anyone left in the dark, you'll need to get working on your landscape lighting system maintenance. Safety is critical so keep walkways well lit.

-change all the bulbs at the same time each year. It's okay to wait for one to burn out (indication that others will follow). Changing at the same time will save you time and money. Time because you won't be out there every other night changing one bulb at time and money because you won't have to track which bulb was replaced when....

Just a quick tip but hopefully helpful...

LaGina

Landscape Lighting Safety & Security

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:42:00 +0000

There are many reasons to install a low voltage landscape lighting system. Because we are nearing Daylight savings and it's getting darker earlier in the evening, I think it's a great time to talk safety and security. The benefits of landscape lighting is that it is also energy saving and improves the look of your property at night.

An led lighting system goes a step beyond and produces an 80% energy reduction over typically lighting system. You can realistically power an entire led landscape lighting system for less than the cost of running just two security lights (about 300 watts of light).

If you are putting in new lights or maintaining what you have, be sure to stroll around in the yard right at dusk to get an idea of where you may have dark spots. For safety purposes you will want to be sure to have all steps, entryways, and walkways well lit. Especially during the upcoming events and holidays when more people will be visiting your home. Trips and falls are one the most common accidents occurring on your home premises.

For security purposes, you will want to have your lights on to deter any suspicious characters from lurking in the dark. It has been proven, a well lit home is less likely to be burglarized. Do not allow your home to be the darkest on the block.

Daylight Savings 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Let us pretend it is November 1, 2009 and the time is 1:59:59 a.m... In just one second we arrive at 1:00:00 a.m. That's right, we fall back one hour in time without a time machine!

So why am I telling you this in now? I'm telling you now because:

* I care about your safety and security

* It's better to plan ahead than be left in the dark

* It gives me time help you prepare

Each year during the "time change" LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting experiences a sense of urgency for keeping your homes and businesses well lit for safety & security purposes.

If you have a landscape lighting system we suggest:

# Get your replacement bulbs early
# Replace all bulbs at the same time
# Reset your light timers to turn on just before sunset
# Replace damaged fixtures

If you do not have a landscape lighting system, please consider the added safety, security, aesthetics and the extended outdoor living space you achieve with outdoor lighting.

Ever wonder about the history of Daylight Savings? Click here to learn more...

Thanks for visiting!

LaGina Glass

Waste...

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:39:00 +0000

I was challenging myself on what my exact ideas are about energy conservation. (1) Technology is allowing "us" to make better choices about the way we "use" our resources. (2) How does that relate to how I do business?

I am not an engineer and I'm not technical to the point that I can answer all the questions around energy conservation. But what I do know is that I really dislike the idea of waste. Even more so, the idea of marketing services or products by convincing people they need more than the do.

Of course I'm chosing my words carefully because I've had clients who were "suspicious" about my suggestions in the past. Sadly due to having experienced the savvy salesperson who went for the ultimate sale! Not my game and I'll admit to taking classes to learn how to do just that. I "wasted" my money because my personality would never allow me to go there.

This is my personality - I love to learn. I'm the one my friends call for information because they know I'll know. Not because I actually know, but they know - I either know someone who does or I will find out. In addition to learning, I love sharing with people what I know.

I don't brag, I just think not sharing the information is another form of "waste." If I have info that will help someone else, prepare yourself to be schooled and if you actually apply what I share - even better. If you find my info unable to meet you needs, that's okay. No harm no foul.

How does this relate to business?

I don't have any goals to push my products on anyone. But I have made the effort to cut out the waste and offer a high quality product at affordable prices. No heavy sales pitch and I'm available to answer questions about your project because I enjoy sharing what I know.

I will never sell you something you don't need and if I believe there is something better for you, I will point you in the right direction. It's about the right product for the right job. Simple.

That completes my challlenge for today.

LaGina

Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

PRESS RELEASE

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:27:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

September 21, 2009

For Immediate Release

Contact:

LaGina Glass

619-822-2055

LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting

Feed the Children of Malawi

$10 Donation from each Purchase

San Diego, Ca - September 21, 2009

Feed
the Children is desperately trying to move 11 million pounds of rice
(donated by the Taiwanese government) into the country of Malawi. That's enough
rice for over 100 MILLION MEALS to starving children.

LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting will donate $10 of each purchase
made online to Feed the Children. $10 will feed one meal to 500 children. For additional
donations, please visit the website which also gives you the option to forward
to friends and family.

Click
on the America's Charities logo to the left and check out the workplace video explaining
the incredible work this organization does for the U.S. and countries
all over the world. I was inspired to reach out in a way I never have
before; understanding that one person (plus one, plus one..) can make a
difference!

LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting specializes
in Architectural and
Landscape Lighting Distribution and Design of Landscape Lighting
Systems. Mission: To bring quality products to every home with a focus
on sustainable products and energy conservation. Featuring a high
quality, high efficiency LED landscape lighting product line with an
80% savings in energy consumption versus typical landscape lighting
systems.

# # #

$10 Donation to Feed the Children of Malawi

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Special Broadcast Message

Feed the Children is desperately trying to move 11 million pounds of rice (donated by the Taiwanese government) into the country of Malawi. That’s enough rice for over 100 MILLION MEALS.

LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting will donate $10 of each purchase made online to Feed the Children. $10 will feed 500 children. For additional donations, please visit the website which also give you the option to forward to friends and family.

New product - New look at LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:17:00 +0000

We moved our website and made many change; like easier navigation around the pages. We had good success with our 10pc landscape lighting set so we added more combination available in halogen and led. We also added new well-lights with led mr16s and soon to come, more specialty wall and hanging fixtures.

We've also been working with T5 and T8 led retrofits and we may offer that on our site in the near future. I'm really excited about the direction we're going and the possibilities are endless.

Our philosophy to only offer high quality products at really great prices will remain no matter what we add to our product line. Hopefully you'll stop by our new site for a quick look around.

Have a blessed day.

Light Emitting Diode - L.E.D. High Efficiency Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:04:00 +0000

In the August issue of LEDs Magazine, there is an article about a gentleman in Arizona who converted his entire home to LED lighting. He started with the outdoor lighting and was able to reap an immediate savings of $20 a month off his electric bill. If you have an existing lighting system, please consider changing your MR16 20 and 25 watt halogens to 3 or 5 watt MR16 LED.

He then went indoors and changed under cabinet lighting, track lights, recessed ceiling lights and so on. He is making a huge impact in his community with these changes; simple and powerful. There are many options out there to retrofit your existing fixtures, even your recessed lights can be retrofitted with a Cree LED retrofit kit.

He started this project over two years ago and hasn't had to change any LEDs; they will last at least 10 years before he ever will. The upfront costs are a little higher but the retrofit usually pays for itself within 2-3 years. However, consider the fact of the ongoing savings. LED pays for itself over and over again!

LaGina

Fall Back w/ True Daylight $avings!

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Use your imagination:

It's November 1, 2009 and the time is 1:59:59 a.m. and then what? In just one second we arrive at 1:00:00 a.m. That's right, we fall back one hour in time without a time machine!

Why am we telling you this in September? We're telling you now because:

* We care about your safety and security
* Better to plan ahead than be left in the dark
* Gives is time help you prepare
* Extended special $avings on products through November 1st

There was a time in my career where I was the manager of a big box retail store and we were pressed to keep the store stocked with all the items we promised our clients we'd have. Year after year, no matter how attentive i was to our levels of supply, I could not keep enough light bulbs in stock. Come October, the bulbs were flying off the shelf faster than we could bring them in.

LaGina Glass Landscape Lighting has been experiencing the same sense of urgency for keeping your homes and businesses well lit for safety and security (and because we want them to look nice). Plan early and be ahead of the game.

Tips:

* Get your replacement bulbs early
* Replace all bulbs at the same time
* Reset your light timers to turn on just before sunset
* Replace damaged fixtures

How we can help?

* Special $avings on replacement bulbs
* Special savings on replacement fixtures
* Special savings on our new LED 10 Light Set
* Special savings on our new LED MR16 Replacement Bulbs

Now through November 1st, I will continue to provide tips and specials every couple of weeks to get you ready for the dark. Specials will not stay the same so if you see something you need, take advantage as the updates come in!

Please forward to your friends and neighbors!

Best wishes,

LaGina Glass

Landscape Lighting Troubleshoot

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:03:00 +0000

This week I was called out to a job site to help troubleshoot an LED landscape lighting system where the LED was flashing. My initial thought was the installer did not have enough voltage going to the lights (voltage drop). Arriving on site i realized the fixture was only 25 feet away from the transformer so voltage drop was unlikely.

Tip: When you troubleshoot a job be patient and start by turning on the system and noting anything that isn't usual. For example, the flashing LED and half of the system off. Helps you get closer to the source of the problem.

So, what wasn't told to me prior is the second half of the yard wasn't working at all. Hmmm.... So here's the deal.

I started at the source of the first flashing led to test the voltage (need 12-13v for efficiency) and we were at 6 volts. I pulled up the wiring and discovered lots of heat...bad bad.

I cut out the overheating connectors and discovered crossed wires - sparking when they were touching which tells me the circuit is closed instead of open. So, the problem wasn't at that particular fixture.

Going back to the first fixture in the line - incorrectly wired; the connections and the wiring had melted all the way down. Now the installer has to re-pull wire under tile and concrete to make the correction.

How to avoid this: Take your time. Low voltage wiring is fairly simple if you go one step at a time. Most low voltage wire is marked with one rigid wire and one smooth (or one with writing on it and one without. In this case, the installer actually wired both wires of a line together.

I'll discuss this more in another post, perhaps in a video.

LaGina

Going Green

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:49:00 +0000

I have a client in the process of going green from led lighting, organic edible landscapes to rain barrels and more. I just wanted to commend her on her efforts and look forward to hearing more about what she's doing to conserve!

Happy Savings!

Home Garden Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Home garden lighting may seem complicated during the initial search so we really have been working to keep it simple. As needs or questions about how to buy garden lights or how to install outdoor lighting we are available to help out. Because the market for landscape lighting is so broad, we designed our site with a very simple selection of high quality step lights, path lights, deck lights and path lights.

We have a line of garden led lights made of the same high quality copper and brass as the halogen lights; however LEDs are 80% more efficient. One thing that is overwhelming when searching for landscape lights is the never-ending selection. Plastic, aluminum, brass, or copper, up lights, well lights, wall lights, etc. and on and on.

If you really want a quality system to highlight your landscape and beautify your architectural features (and add safety), you can do a great job with just a few simple tips.

1. Select copper or brass fixtures - non-corrosive and usually has a lifetime warranty
2. Most designs require three types of fixtures: path lights, spot lights and step or deck lights
3. Know your desired effect - select the best type for the job (decorative garden lighting may not always give you the light you desire)

Happy Lighting!!!

Installing LED MR 16 Bulbs

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:08:00 +0000

I'm having great success with my new MR16 LED Bulbs. My happy customers are taking out their old 20 watt, 35 watt and 50 watt halogen and putting in my new 5 watt LED.

It's so easy to do and the energy savings is instant. The light output is just as bright and the warm white color is doing wonders for the landscape and architecture.

In the case you install the LED and it flashes, it just means you need to bump up the voltage at the transformer. The bulbs work best at 12v - 13 volts. If you have a question or comment, please post and I'm happy to share my knowledge with you.

I'm just excited to have so many people taking the step to conserve. Take a look around your home for other applications to use these bulb. Like your halogen track lights...I have six and went from 300 watts in my track lights down to 30 watts!

Thanks!

LaGina

Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

LED is the Way to Go!

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:09:00 +0000

I have a client in serious need of an energy make over. In one small section of the yard, he had over 300 watts of light. We are able to reduce his wattage to 36 total watts!!! LED is the New Fluorescent!

For an easy make over - visit www.lglandscapelighting.com/ledlights.html

Happy savings!

LaGina
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

MR16 LED Bulb

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:28:00 +0000

In a previous post, I mention my 5 watt-led landscape lighting kit; however I forgot to mention my new MR 16 LED bulb.

Many of you have a system already and may not want to change all of your fixtures. Here's what I have so far: a new MR 16 LED - 5 watt bulb that fits your typical up,down light.

Take out that halogen 20 watt or 35 watt and put in the 5 watt. The bulb is good for 10,000 hours and save 75-85 percent in energy.

Go to www.lglandscapelighting.com/bulbs.html.

Oh yes, these bulbs are also great indoors for track lighting fixtures that use MR16.

Hope you enjoy the info...

LaGina
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

New Item-LED Landscape Lighting Kit

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Folks have been asking for help putting together a small LED lighting system so, I put together a LED landscape lighting kit. The landscape lighting kit has (6) up/down lights, (4) path lights and (1) 150 watt transformer.

LED:
No bulbs to change
Last 50,000 hours (10 years +)
Environmentally friendly - no gases

The 6/4 combination of lights is typical of a basic front or backyard design. It will allow you to create a simple, safe and beautiful design. The best part is this - the kit only uses 50 LED watts but includes a 150 watt transformer. That leaves room to add up to 20 (5watt) lights.

Take a look for yourself by visiting www.lglandscapelighting.com/ledlights.html

Have a blessed day,

LaGina
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Water Conservation - High Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:43:00 +0000

Message from the mayor (news release June 1, 2009):

Our City's water supplies are currently in crisis. There are unprecedented challenges facing our water system including the prolonged and continuing drought conditions across the west and mounting legal restrictions on deliveries of imported water for our region. Our water wholesalers have already informed us that water deliveries will be reduced. Learn more....http://bit.ly/JycN9

Just in case you missed it!

Landscape Lighting Safety

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:59:00 +0000

It has been hot this month and I thought it necessary to send out a quick reminder for all of you using low voltage halogen lights to take a walk around your property and make sure to clear out all the debris that tends to settle around your fixtures. Halogen lights get really hot and to prevent any fires, you'll want to be sure you have no dry brush sitting on the fixture.

This is especially important if you have well lights with exposed bulbs like in the picture above. Be safe, stay cool and we'll chat later.

LaGina

Do-It-Yourself Landscape Lighting Tips

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Check out this new mini-site. Built for the do it yourselfer who needs a little help getting the job done. The site is as non-technical and easy to follow. If it gets too messy you can always call in a professional to get it done. If you are looking to put in 20 or fewer lights this is for you!

Hope it helps!

LaGina

Installing Landscape Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:07:00 +0000

I found this video on you tube and wanted to share it because I thought it was a good start for anyone installing a low voltage landscape lighting system. Keep in mind a few things while you are viewing this: (1) the fixtures in the video are being discontinued by the manufacturer, (2) the video does not address issues with voltage drop or dim lights, (3) it doesn't highlight the value of selecting quality fixtures and (4) it doesn't explain the importance of multi-tap transformers.

Again, it is a great video for visualizing some of the steps you'll need to consider when planning the project. For more details, I set up a mini-site to help with other details I'm sure you will find helpful. You may also visit us to purchase quality lighting fixtures and/or learn more about us.

Hope you find the video helpful.

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:47:00 +0000

viu3597emf.

Quality Landscape Lighting Fixture - LG-110

noreply@blogger.com (LaGina Glass) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Hope this is helpful: it can be difficult to visualize all the great features when you're looking at a still shot - so I thought this brief video would help. If you like, I'm happy to add a few more...

LaGina