Pond lighting installation in Boise, Idaho

People ask about pond lighting installation in Boise for a simple reason: "We sit outside every summer night, and once the sun goes down, the pond just disappears." Our summer evenings are long, warm and dry, which makes them the best time to be in the yard. A few well-placed lights let you keep enjoying the pond after dark.

I've been designing and building landscapes since 2012. I light ponds as part of a new build, and I add lights to ponds that are already in the ground. This page covers where lights go, what kind I use, and how I keep a lit pond from looking like a parking lot. My full list of pond services is on the pond contractor page.

What good pond lighting looks like

Good pond lighting shows off the water, not the fixtures. You should notice the waterfall glowing, the ripples moving across the surface, and the shapes of the plants and rocks. You shouldn't see a bright dot staring back at you from under the water. The goal is a soft scene you can see from the patio and from the kitchen window.

Where I put pond lights

Under the waterfall

One small light tucked under each spill stone makes the falling water glow from inside. If you only add one thing, make it this.

In the pond

Lights set on a shelf and aimed across the pond light up the water and the fish. I point them away from where you sit, so you see lit water, not the bulb.

Behind plants and boulders

A light set behind a clump of rushes or the side of a boulder throws shadows and texture across the rock. A light grazing a tall rock face adds depth.

Along the stream

A few small lights along a stream pick out the riffles and turns, so you can follow the water from the top of the falls down to the pond.

Fewer lights placed well look better than a lot of lights. I'd rather start lean and add one later than flood the pond.

Low-voltage LED lights

I use low-voltage LED lights made to sit underwater. Low voltage means a transformer near the outlet steps household power down to a much safer level for use around water. It also lets me run thin cable under rock and gravel. LEDs use little power and last a long time.

The transformer can switch the lights on at dusk with a photocell (a small light sensor) and off later with a timer. I lean toward warm white for a natural look, but color-changing lights are an option if you want them.

Lights and your fish

Fish need a normal day and night. I set the lights on a timer so they shut off later in the evening rather than running until morning. Lights make it easier to spot a raccoon working the edge of the pond at night, but they won't keep raccoons or herons away on their own.

Planning for Boise weather

• Ice. Shallow shelves can freeze solid in winter. A light locked in ice can crack, so I set lights where ice won't grip them, or show you which ones to pull in fall.
• Algae and minerals. Summer algae and our hard, alkaline water leave a film on lenses. A quick wipe when you clean the skimmer keeps them bright.
• Freeze-thaw. Cable runs under rock and through conduit where it crosses beds or lawn, so shifting soil and shovels don't damage it.
• Wind. Our wind blows leaves and dust into the pond, and they settle on fixtures near the edge. I keep those lights where you can reach them.

Adding lights to an existing pond

Lighting is easiest during the build, when cable gets hidden under rock as it's placed. A finished pond can still be lit, though. I move a few stones, run the cable up and over the liner edge (never through the liner), and hide it under rock. The transformer mounts near an outdoor GFCI outlet.

Lighting the pond and the yard together

Pond lights look best when they match the rest of the yard. If you're also lighting paths, trees or a patio, I plan it as one system so the brightness and color match. See my landscape lighting page for that side of it. A bubbling rock or spray in the pond looks great with a light under it, which I cover under pond fountain installation. If the falls are the part you want to show off, waterfall installation covers building them so the lights have something to work with.

What drives the cost

Pond lighting installation costs depend on the number of lights, the length of cable runs, the distance to an outlet, the size of the transformer, whether you want color or phone controls, and how much rock has to move on an existing pond.

Cities I serve

I do pond lighting installation in Boise, Eagle, Meridian, Garden City, Star, Kuna, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton and Hidden Springs, plus Sun Valley and Ketchum. I'm on every job myself, and I'm licensed (Idaho #6871843), bonded and insured.

If you'd like to enjoy your pond after dark, schedule a consultation for pond lighting installation in Boise. Come out one evening and I'll show you where a few lights will make the biggest difference.