Building & Home Articles Garden & Landscaping Articles How To Install Low Voltage Garden Lighting
| How To Install Low Voltage Garden Lighting |
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Contemporary low voltage garden lighting requires just three parts: a 12v transformer to provide a safe low voltage power supply; a cable to distribute the power supply to where it's needed; and the garden light fittings.
Contemporary low voltage garden lighting requires just three parts: a 12v transformer to provide a safe low voltage power supply; a cable to distribute the power supply to where it's needed; and the garden light fittings. The most important things to decide on initially are the type of lighting (LED or conventional incandescent) and the size of the transformer, since this determines the amount of lighting (a combination of the number of fittings and their brightness) that can be run. We will cover the differences between the two types of system (and how to combine them) later, but both otherwise follow exactly the same basic principles. To assess the size of transformer needed, calculate the number of watts in total for all the individual light fixtures and buy a transformer that states it can handle that amount of power (for example, a pair of 20w spotlights plus 4 10w path markers produce a total load of 80w). The transformer input is connected to a mains outlet and must therefore be placed inside. The transformer output is then connected to the cable which then leads outdoors. The cable itself applies a load to the system, in addition to the load created by the light fittings, which you should allow for when calculating the correct transformer size. This is typically stated on the packaging and increases in line with the cable length, which imposes an effective limit on the length of cable. If your lights seem dimmer than expected and particularly so towards the far end of the cable then the cable is almost certainly over long. This is easily addressed by looping the cable back (if necessary attaching an extra section) and joining it close to the transformer. However, be certain that the two wires inside the cable are not cross connected - if you look carefully you should see a marking on one strand only which is used to help determine the correct polarity. Once the cable is laid out and connected, simply attach individual low voltage garden lights by cutting and reconnecting the cable to incorporate the short cable length running to the light. As already noted above, LED and regular incandescent garden light system are now both readily available, which can tend to confuse things when deciding which to purchase or how best to incorporate both types. LED lights consume an awful lot less energy and produce negligible heat. LED light is also brighter and more defined in comparison to regular incandescent light, which may be considered either a benefit or a bit hard on the eyes depending on what types of effect you want to obtain. As a rule you can't connect LED light fixtures to a standard low voltage garden lighting system, and vice versa. Either your LED light(s) will quickly degrade and die within a few weeks, or in the reverse case your LED driver (as LED transformers are called) will equally rapidly fail. There are a few exceptions -some types of LED light are suitable for use on a conventional low voltage system, but these will state this on their packaging. Otherwise, to mix LED and incandescent low voltage garden lights you will need to lay out two separate cables - one connected to a regular 12v transformer and one to a constant voltage LED driver - and match the correct sorts of light fitting to the appropriate cable. There are many benefits in running both types of garden lights; LED lighting has particular properties that enhance the range of possible lighting effects, and when used in tandem both types of lighting can be made to either contrast with or complement each other and so create effects that would simply not be achievable with just one or the other. About the Author: |
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