A dark lawn is a gloomy place of missed opportunities. Your flower beds, structures, trees, as well as the garden fountain deserve a spotlight. If you are prepared to show off even after the sun has gone down, then a few DIY landscape lighting is in your future. Although you can make a system of lighting which runs on regular 120 voltage from your house, to get a DIY installation it's strongly suggested that you utilize a non 12-volt system for safety and price. Here are the vital elements, tips, and a few ideas on how best to become the best-lit house on the block. NOTE: Before you dig, or even intend to dig, telephone the amount 811. This will alert the utility companies of your aim to dig in order that they can come out and mark the approximate position of the underground utility lines. Lines are occasionally buried only a few inches from the ground. A locator should come out within 2-3 working days to indicate your premises or the place you wish to dig.
Whether you choose to use a low voltage lighting kit or purchase your pieces separately, you are going to want a strategy of action. Ask yourself how you would like to light your lawn. You are able to use lighting to highlight your favorite plants and attributes like trees, figurines, or flag poles. Your emphasis could be on safety and use lights to illuminate paths, driveways, and steps. Make sure you also consider yard maintenance like the chemicals from compost can corrode your fixtures and what happens if you shovel that 5-foot snow drift. Also there's nothing more disheartening than taking a ground fixture using a weed whacker or cutting through your wiring with your lawnmower. Lighting Tip: Prevent over lighting a room. Outdoor lights should accent your lawn. As opposed to illuminate everything such as a sports stadium, consider in terms of pools of light and permit features to stand out. Be selective. Once you choose your demands and your rampaging mower into consideration, you can choose on more practical matters like the number of fixtures you require and the path the wiring must follow. Here are some types of landscape lighting you can use:
Pathway Lights
Flood Fixtures (for general uplighting or wall lighting impacts )
Underwater Lighting (for fountains and ponds )
Post Top Lamp Posts
12-Volt LED driver
In addition, you need a transformer or 2 to measure the 120 Volts coming from your home to 12 Volts for your outdoor fixtures, 100 feet or more of landscape cable , and a square-blade shovel. When choosing a transformer, it is important to select one that can handle the whole wattage of your fittings. By way of instance, if you add up the wattages of all your fittings to get a total of 200 Watts then you need a transformer having a maximum output of 200 Watts. If you think you might add more lights in the future then opt for a transformer with a max wattage that's 100 to 200 Watts higher than the current overall wattage of your fixtures. While LEDs are getting to be a more popular choice for this kind of project, if you choose to go with traditional halogen lighting then you will to need buy a transformer with a maximum wattage of 20% more than your overall wattage. That usually means the transformer shouldn't be loaded with more than 80% power of its rated maximum wattage. This is called derating and helps you to account for inefficiencies from the transformers. Low voltage landscape wiring or electrical cable comes in many numerical indicators or dimensions. A lower number means thicker cable and increased capacity to carry the electricity present for longer distances. Frequent cables for landscape light are 10-, 12-, 14-, or 16-gauge wires. We advocate 12-gauge or 10-gauge wire for extended distances. This is to avoid voltage drop. The farther you get from the transformer as well as its power source, the more resistance happens in the circuit that causes the voltage to decrease. Lighting Tip: you are able to run 12-gauge approximately 100 feet without any voltage drop issues provided that the entire wattage of the fittings on the wire is 100 Watts or less.
Total Nominal Wattage of Transformer:150W with 16 Gauge Cable200W using 14 Gauge Cable300W using 12 Gauge CableMax. Cable Length (FT)Max. Also check your cable and connectors are listed for direct burial that helps prevent corrosion and other weather-related problems over time. There are other supplies you might need based on your layout or tastes. Optional materials include:
A timer or photocell (if it is not already built into the transformer)
Weatherproof wire nuts (with sealant in them) Weatherproof cover for your GFCI outlet (in case your transformer is a plug model) Aluminum tent stakes Wire clips and stainless steel screws (for mounting cables to trees) Weather-treated wood post for your transformer Voltmeter
PVC pipes, couplers, and caps (to weatherproof connections to path lights) Last but not least, here are a few more hints to help you at the planning phase: The first fixture should be at least 10 feet from your transformer to block it from getting too much voltage and burning out prematurely. To prevent voltage drop, think about running several straight runs in a number of directions, a tee connection run, or a looped run (more concerning forms of wiring designs in Part 2). Try to center the transformer in your own design. It makes it simpler to cable the system in cases where you have to split between two or more runs.
Path lights should be spaced about 8 to 10 feet apart. Landscape fittings are also available in LED, which will use far less electricity than conventional halogen or incandescent lighting.
|