What exactly is a flood light, and what sets it apart from a different kind of light? Well, for starters, a flood light is known technically as a “high-intensity discharge lamp” and is a type of arc light. Unlike common bulbs, HID lamps use a tube filled with gas and metal salts. When the light is turned on, heat is naturally generated and the salts evaporate to form a plasma, which vastly increases the light output while reducing energy consumption.

My neighbors have a motion sensor flood light and the sensitivity in the detector must be wayyyy up because that thing turns on and off alllll night! If a leaf blows down the sidewalk, that flood light pops on and literally “floods” their driveway and street with light. It’s like the sun; you can’t look directly at it.