The Flag Company Inc And Flagpole Lightings

By Nick Donalds


As the US flag code proclaims, "It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness," the thought of exposing a flag's symbolic figure even at night gave birth to the invention of flag pole lightings.

United States law requires that anyone who flies a flag at night must use flagpole lighting. This is a simple law to abide by because the government puts no stipulations on the type of fixtures or lamps used for this purpose. Nor does it regulate foot candles or wattage.

It can be above ground, in ground, solar up or solar down.The positioning of light fixtures may also vary depending on the handiness of the device. Some may be directly attached to the flagpole while others that are bigger or heavier require a proper installation on the ground.

While up lighting is being systematically phased out in many parts of the country, there are many places that still permit it. In these areas, flagpole lighting is still being done with either inground fixtures or above ground fixtures that shine light up the pole onto the flag. Either type is highly effective, depending on the size of the flag, the location of the pole, and the amount of luminance in the general environment as well.

However, flagpole lighting is becoming increasingly complicated with the passage of dark sky laws that prohibit all forms of up lighting. In these areas, a lighting designer will have to do a systematic photometrical analysis of the grounds and devise a method of down lighting the flag so it will comply with both Federal law and local ordinances.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior flagpoles and their lightings being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported stuff is cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flagpole lightings made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flags and flagpole lightings offered a special edition of flagpole lightings to provide innovative solutions for individual projects.




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