US Federal Law requires any flag flown at night to be illuminated. Flagpole lighting fixtures are therefore a mandatory purchase for any business, municipal entity, or residential association that plans to fly a flag at night.
However, Federal codes only stipulate that flags have to be lit-they do not dictate terms on type or wattage of fixture. There are local dark sky codes that may apply, however, so a lighting designer should always be consulted before purchasing any equipment.
Inground flagpole lighting fixtures, as their name indicates, are buried in the ground. The advantage this gives you is a less obtrusive light source which, due to its location underground, produces minimal glare. Inground lights have lamps that can be aimed 15 degrees in any direction. Lamps can also rotate 360 degrees within the housing.
Inground lights are most often equipped with halogen lamps that range from 90 watts to 150 watts in intensity. There are also LED and HID lamps available. This proves ideal for lighting flagpoles ranging between 20-40 feet in height.
The most popular application for inground fixtures is lighting flags in areas with minimal ambient light, such as public parks, small office parks, and entrances to subdivisions.
Aboveground flagpole lighting fixtures mount at the ground level. In effect, they represent a type of floodlight that shines directly up the side of the pole. The can be mounted directly to conduits or junction boxes and are adjustable.
Aboveground fixtures are only available with HID lamps ranging up to 400 watts in strength.
This is because they are designed to be used specifically in applications where taller poles and larger flags are being lit. Generally, there is a great deal of ambient light surrounding the area, and a higher intensity lamp is needed to distinguish the flag in relationship to its surroundings.
We see these flagpole lighting fixtures most commonly in places like car dealerships, which are super bright throughout the night, and large retail centers where parking lot lighting produces a tremendous amount of ambient light. Large corporate headquarters may also have a high level of ambient light due to landscape lights and security lights.
In many parts of the United States, flagpole downlighting has lately become the only option for illuminating flags. This is due to the fact that dark sky laws are changing the nature of outdoor lighting all over the country.
Uplighting of all kinds is being banned by many communities due to the unwanted light pollution it causes. This effectively prohibits the use of any inground and aboveground flagpole lighting fixture. In these areas, downlighting fixtures that mount to the top of the flagpole have to be used.
These luminaires have a decorative top and mount on top of the flagpole mast. Each light has one or two lamps that extend downward to shine light over the flag. Many of the latest models are solar powered LED lamps with an expected life span of 10 years.
These flagpole lighting fixtures have superb color rendering and will bring out the rich colors in any flag.
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