Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting: A quick installation guide

Low voltage outdoor lighting is a practical and dependable lighting alternative for your landscaping needs. Utilizing a household electric outlet, a transformer, cables, and a lighting fixture the result is a lighting system that burns bright, long, inexpensively, and safely.

Low voltage lighting can be placed almost anywhere. The one caveat is that you must plan your landscape design before getting started. Since you will be digging shallow trenches for your low voltage cables, you will not have second and third chances to get your design right. This will allow you to place your lighting fixtures exactly where you want them.

In addition to burying the low voltage cables, you will need to place your transformer in a convenient location. It needs to be protected from the elements but still close to your landscaping. The garage is generally a good area, since it is protected from the weather and has an electrical outlet for the transformer. Make sure you have the right gauge (link to other blogger post) for your lighting fixtures and you are good to go.

Quick Installation Guide

1. Decide on what style of lighting fixtures you want to use and where to use them. When you buy your lighting kit, make sure the transformer has enough wattage so you can add more lights to your landscaping in the future.

2. Start with a simple diagram of your landscaping design. It’s a good way to see how everything comes together. Go outside and walk around with a piece of paper and start mapping out your lighting layout. Another good idea is to take a flashlight with you and highlight the areas and features you intend to place your light fixtures to get a better idea of what your design will look like.

3. After you have bought your lighting system, position the lights in the areas you mapped out on your design diagram. Most lights come with a stake, so you can easily place your lights to get a good idea of what your lighting will look like before you install the wiring.

4. At the GFCI receptacle (this should be outside), you will start laying our your cable so it runs by all of your lighting fixtures. You want to leave some slack (a little extra cable) at each light and the transformer. This will allow you to adjust your lighting fixtures in the future.

5. Connecting your lights is easy and straight-forward. Most lights come with two wires and each has a tab with a metal tip. Put one tab on each side of the cable and snap them together. This will create your electrical connection. If your lighting fixture does not torn on, check if the tabs are firmly snapped together.

6. Separate the wires on the end of the cable and take off half an inch of insulation. Loosen the two screws on the transformer and place the wires under the right terminals and retighten the screws. If your transformer has different connections, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

7. Now plug in your transformer. Check and see if all of your lights are on. During the daytime, it is a little hard to see the lights to get close and see if they are lit. Do any last minute adjusting at this time.

8. Carefully dig a five inch deep trench next to your cables. Put the cable in the trench and back-fill the dirt that was removed. Compact the dirt lightly with your foot as you go.

9. Set your timer for the period of time you want your lights on. The majority of transformers have a minimum of two on/off cycle settings that can be adjusted. You determine when you want your lights on or off.

*Always follow your manufacturers installation instructions.

External Resources:
Low Voltage Lighting Guide
Low Voltage Lighting Installation

How long will my solar lights stay on at night?

This depends on the quality and type of your system. It also greatly depends on the geography and climate of your neighborhood. A normal, medium quality solar lighting system would work great in San Diego, CA year round since it receives plenty of sunshine for a large part of the year. You would not have to worry about the solar panels in your lights receiving enough sunlight to fully charge your batteries. However, for locations that receive a lot of rain or just have overcast for the majority of the year, that particular lighting system would not be ideal. It would likely dim lightly and cut off during the night. You would need to purchase a model that is appropriate for overcast areas and areas that do not receive optimal amounts of sunlight. The solar panel and batteries would be more efficient and powerful to power the light through the entire night. So, if you select the right lighting system for your area, your lights should burn brightly for 9 – 12 hours.

Furthermore, you want to make sure you place your solar lights in areas that will receive the maximum amount of sunlight. You really do not want to limit their exposure to the sun by placing them in extremely shaded areas, like under incredibly large trees or buildings. Most medium quality systems require 10 hours of sunlight in order to fully charge the battery. If you it does not receive that much sunlight, it may only run at about 40% of its full capacity. Remember that you can purchase special systems if you live in an area that does not receive that much sunlight.

For most areas, a medium to high quality solar lighting model should be perfect. Keep your specific geography and climate in mind when choosing your solar lighting fixtures. Your lights will only work well if they receive the right amount of sunlight.

External Resources:
Solar Landscape Lights Durability