The Preston 7.5W LED Coping Light in solid brass is a low-profile outdoor fitting made to disappear into a wall. It is bedded on top of a retaining wall, fence or garden wall and the coping tile is then set over it, so the fitting itself is hidden and only the light washing down the face of the wall is visible. This is the longest of the three in the Preston range, at 420 lm at 3000K, 440 lm at 4000K and 430 lm at 5500K.

The decision that actually matters: this is a 12V fitting

Preston runs on 12V DC constant voltage and it will not work and will not survive on mains. Havit’s own installation sheet is blunt about it: use an appropriate 12V DC constant-voltage LED driver, do not connect the light fitting directly to 240V. That driver is a separate purchase, and it has to cover the total load of every fitting on the run, not just this one. A single 7.5W light is not the number to size the driver on. Havit voids the warranty if the voltage at the fitting falls outside 5% of what it needs, or if the fitting sits more than 25 metres from the driver, so plan the cable run and the driver together before anything goes in the wall.

Choosing the colour temperature you wire it, you don’t switch it

Preston is a TRI Colour fitting, but there is no switch on the body. The colour temperature is chosen at installation, by which cable you connect. The neutral cables are marked: connect the 3000K lead for warm white, the 5500K lead for cool white, or join both the 3000K and 5500K leads to the neutral from the driver to get 4000K. Whichever you pick, the unused lead has to be terminated so it stays IP-rated an open lead inside a wall cavity is how water gets to the cable. It is worth deciding the colour temperature before the coping tile is bedded down, because changing it afterwards means lifting the tile.

Where it works

Coping lights are for the top of a wall, and Preston is built for that one job: a solid brass body, an IP65 seal against rain and hose-down, an IK10 impact rating for a fitting that sits at ankle and knee height, and a frosted polycarbonate diffuser that spreads a 100 wash rather than a hot spot. Retaining walls, pool surrounds, planter edges, stepped garden walls and driveway boundary walls are the natural homes for it. Solid brass is chosen here for a reason it is the finish that ages rather than fails outdoors. It will naturally tarnish, which Havit states plainly on this product’s own data sheet; that patina is the point of the material, not a fault. Wear gloves when you handle it during installation, as the oils from bare hands mark brass.

Specifying it

The LED is built in, so there is no globe to buy now and none to replace later, and lamp expectancy is rated at >30,000hrs. Colour rendering is CRI >80. Protection class is 3 low voltage, no earth required and multiple fittings are wired in parallel. The fitting dims, but the dimming is done at the driver rather than on the fitting, so specify a dimmable constant-voltage driver if you want that. Two things void the warranty and both happen at connection time: every join must be soldered and then sealed watertight with adhesive-lined heat shrink or a gel cap, and all o-rings and seals must be seated correctly. Leave a little slack in the cable so a fitting can be swapped later without disturbing the coping. Installation is licensed-electrician work under AS/NZS 3000. Warranty is 3 years replacement. Talk to Lights For You about the whole coping run rather than the single fitting the driver has to cover all of it, and we size that for you.

Questions about the Preston 7.5W coping light

Do I need a driver, or can it be wired straight into the circuit?

A driver is required. Preston is a 12V DC constant-voltage fitting and Havit’s installation sheet states directly that it must not be connected to 240V. You need a 12V DC constant-voltage LED driver rated for the combined load of every fitting on the run, and the fitting must sit within 25 metres of it.

How do I get 4000K out of it?

By joining both marked neutral leads. The 3000K lead on its own gives warm white and the 5500K lead on its own gives cool white; connecting the 3000K and 5500K leads together to the neutral from the driver gives 4000K. Any lead you do not use must be terminated so the connection stays watertight.

Will the brass go dull?

Yes, and that is expected. Havit’s data sheet for this finish says solid brass fittings will naturally tarnish outdoors. Uncoated solid brass develops a patina rather than corroding through, which is why it is specified for exposed positions. If you want the finish to stay bright it needs periodic polishing, not a different fitting.

Can I dim it?

Yes, but at the driver. There is no dimming control on the fitting itself, so the driver you pair with the run has to be a dimmable constant-voltage type. Choose that driver at the same time as you size it for the load.

What is the difference between the 7.5W version and the others in the range?

Body length and output. The range runs 2.5W, 5W and 7.5W, giving roughly 140150 lm, 280300 lm and 420440 lm respectively, on progressively longer bodies. Everything else IP65, IK10, 12V DC, 100 beam, brass, tri-colour wiring is identical across the three, so the choice is about how long a section of wall you are washing.

Does the LED get replaced when it fails?

No. The LED is built in and is not a serviceable part, so the fitting is replaced rather than re-lamped. It is rated at >30,000hrs and carries a 3-year replacement warranty, and leaving slack in the cable at installation makes that swap straightforward when the day comes.