How To Install Landscape Lighting
When you are looking for a simple way to prolong the time that you spend in your outdoor places, there’s great news. You can actually attain this with some simple outside lighting that will brighten and liven up your pathways, steps, shrubs, landscape features, architectural components, waterscapes, and decks. In this article we will talk about the most popular type of low voltage lighting which is garden lighting.
There are three main elements to landscape lighting: the light fixtures, a transformer, and some low voltage electrical wire. Each is important and you can buy most at a hardware store.
The first thing you have to do is to lay out all your components. Arrange the path lights along the walkway you are lighting. Go around any tree or shrubs that are in the way when you string out the wire up to the transformer. Leave the cable loose as we will be encircling each fixture with a small loop of cable before burying it.Use 14 guage cable for jobs totaling less than 200 watts, and twelve guage cable for systems that surpass 200 watts. Your 1st light should be at least 10 feet from your transformer.
Digging your ditch is the second step. You should use a flat bladed spade head to make the ditch. It should be at least three ” deep so you have room for the cables.
Sinking the cable is the 3rd step to installing landscape lighting. You have to use the correct gauge of low voltage wire in order to determine proper use. Always leave some slack in the wire before you place it into your newly dug ditch.
Your fourth step is to make holes for the fixtures. Set the outdoor lights in the grass in their proper position, checking to make sure they are evenly spaced. Using a long steel punch or a screw driver, make a hole in the ground to accommodate the fixtures stake.
Wiring the lights in is the final step. All light fixtures are different but with most you just take the connector at the base of each light and slip it around the electrical cable until you hear a click. There are other ways to do this of course so check your light’s manual if you’re not sure.
And that’s all there is to it. You can finally enjoy all your hard work and flip the lights on. Just remember that you still have to change the bulbs if the burn out or you can risk damage to the whole setup.
Melody writes articles about all different types of outside lighting on her site where she gives out useful tips and tricks that people can use for their landscape outdoor lighting.
