In-grade/In-ground Landscape Lighting

Occasionally, I work on outdoor landscape lighting and have designed and installed a few low voltage systems in my time. Though I have never designed a system with in-ground/in-grade lights, in every case that I've worked on a system where they are installed, there is always at least one unit that is filled with water. The unfortunate issue in most cases is that they are installed in concrete driveways. Unless the original in-ground driveway lights were installed in a way to allow the fixture to be replaced, usually cutting into concrete or some other creative solution is involved.

Recently, I worked on a low voltage system that also had in-ground lights, but in this case, the lights were installed under trees in the dirt. As usual, the seals were compromised and the lights were full of water. Once this happens, usually the light bulb socket rust away and the fixture becomes unusable. The good part is that since these units are in dirt, they can be easily dugout and replaced. After a brief conversation with the homeowner, the decision was made to replace them with above ground spotlights.

When designing and installing landscape lighting, keep in mind serviceability. With our temperature fluctuations, weather, animals, insects, snow shovels, etc. it is almost certainly guaranteed that landscape lights will need to be replaced more often than other outdoor lighting. Think about how you would go about replacing a failed fixture, especially if it is anchored in a hardscape setting. This little bit of forethought will save you time and money if a light fixture fails in the future.    

Here is one example of an in-grade light that was designed with serviceability in mind: https://youtu.be/l-dg3_tE1ic?si=ybcVrvpPsw1qvUeK