The Benefits of Lighting Towers

A light tower, or lighting tower, is a type of portable lighting solution whereby electric lamps are attached to a tall, sometimes extendable mast in order to provide sufficient lighting to a large area. Like floodlights, they’re often used in construction where natural light either isn’t available or isn’t good enough to provide safe working conditions. 

The term ‘light tower’ is sometimes also used to refer to lighthouses on the coasts, which can be thought of as a kind of ancestor of the technology covered in this article. Lighthouses serve a slightly different purpose, but they are tall sources of light all the same. As technology advanced, the objects we think of as light towers developed alongside traditional lighthouses. 

There are lots of things to consider when deciding which is the right type of lighting solution for your project. Things such as the geography, size, and layout of your location can determine how portable you need your equipment to be. Similarly, you might have to consider the technical expertise of the team setting the equipment up.

Lighting towers are an incredibly versatile solution to a wide range of lighting needs, whether you’re in construction, entertainment, or perhaps need to hire a lighting tower for domestic use. Here are just some of the advantages of choosing a light tower for your next project.

Tower lighting is one of the best options you can choose to illuminate a large area at night. Whether you’re organising a music festival or working in overnight construction, having enough light to see by is vital to reduce the risks of accidents and injuries. In a construction setting, it can also help to ensure there is no reduction in the quality of work done at night, as tower lights are designed to provide similar levels of illumination to natural daylight.

While you could use smaller lights to achieve a similar effect, high-up light towers will provide illumination in a much more effective way, ideal for allaying health and safety concerns. And lighting towers aren’t just for commercial enterprises. Safety is of the highest concern when organising commercial projects, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook it if you’re planning a domestic or unofficial event.

If you’re not an expert in lighting, you might be put off from using a lighting tower on the basis that you don’t know how to set it up properly. However, lighting towers are designed to be used by anyone, from a qualified electrician to an experienced lighting engineer to a total layperson. Light towers generally come with detailed step-by-step instructions which take the confusion out of setting up the equipment. 

Additionally, the speed at which light towers can be put together can be of added benefit to commercial ventures. Particularly in the case of construction, time is often of the essence, and the less time you need to spend setting up your equipment, the more you can spend getting the job done. 

As you might expect from a portable lighting solution, lighting towers are very easy to transport. Since they are regularly used on construction sites which can have rough terrain, some light towers have sturdy wheels. These allow you to move them from one side of your venue to the other without difficulty. Others are lightweight and can easily be carried before being set up in your location of choice. 

Many lighting towers have tripod legs which allow greater stability, especially on uneven terrain. These usually have locking points on the legs, so they don’t collapse once you’ve set them up. As such, they are a dependable source of light for construction and other uses.

Although lighting towers are ideal for use on a building site, they are also applicable to a variety of other locations too. These include, but are not limited to:

• Highway and roadside maintenance
• Construction, maintenance, and repair of the railways
• Sporting events such as matches, awards ceremonies, and team socials
• Music festivals and outdoor concerts
• Local events such as commemoration ceremonies, festivals, and late night street parties
• Outdoor training events - for example, for firefighters, police, and ambulance crews

If your project is due to be carried out near a residential area or public space, you might not have considered the impact of noise pollution. There are regulations relating to the levels of noise that are permitted in such areas, particularly at night. Even if your event is a music festival where loud noise is expected, you’ll want to make sure your lighting solutions aren’t drowning out the music. 

Lighting towers usually produce noise at between 60 and 70 decibels. This means they are quiet enough that anyone working nearby shouldn’t need to use ear protection. It also means they’re well-suited to use in city centres and other residential areas, even at night. However, you should consult your local council for advice specific to your area.