A customer has a building with 14-foot exterior walls and wants to know if he can install wall packs on one side to light a baseball field. While this seems like a quick and cost-effective solution, Access Fixtures lighting specialists definitely do not recommend using wall packs for baseball or sports lighting.
With all of the light coming from only one side, there will be large unwanted shadows on the field. When the players face away from the building their shadows will cause them to be playing in the dark. Throwing a baseball is basically firing a projectile at 30 to 100 mph. Having this take place in the dark is nothing less than dangerous.
If the players were facing the light, the light would be nearly on the same level as their eyes and rather blinding. Also, either the pitcher or home plate will be in a significantly darker area. It’s difficult to connect the bat to the ball without enough light.
More importantly, wall packs typically only go up to 400 watts. Even if a number of wall packs were installed on the building, they would not provide enough footcandles to safely play baseball. The level of light absolutely needs to be sufficient so people can see the ball coming towards them.
The best solution to light a baseball field requires poles on multiple sides that can shine light down onto the field. Otherwise, the field will be in shadows. Some sports, like soccer, do not require as many footcandles to safely play. However, it’s still not a good idea to use wall packs for this type of sports lighting. Wall packs are meant for commercial or sports lighting.
Have a lighting question of your own? Call Access Fixtures at 800-468-9925 or leave a comment below.