Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Reduces Threat Of Injury
When installing exterior lights, low voltage landscape lighting can provide the desired illumination, at a reduced cost as well as reducing the potential for injury to pets and curious children. Many homeowners do not believe that these types of lights can provide adequate illumination since they are typically 12-volt lamps, forgetting that their car's headlights are also operated on the same type of power. The brilliance of low voltage landscape lighting will be determined by the ones being installed and not the power source.
With most of the low voltage landscape lighting, a transformer is installed somewhere in the house, most times in the garage or an outbuilding near the home, which transforms the 110-volt alternating current to 12-volt direct current required by most of the low voltage landscape lighting. In order to save money on operating the lamps they usually have sensors that turn the lights on at night and off during the day. Some even have the sensors connected to the transformer that shuts down the transformer when it is not in use.
When installing low voltage landscape lighting it is important to only connect the number of lights to the system that it is designed for. Systems are made for up to 12 lights to be connected to one power transformer and if more than the maximum is connected, the ones furthest from the power source may not be as bright.
Keeping Underground Wiring Protected
When installing low voltage landscape lighting a power line will from the transformer and connect to every light in the chain. The cable has to be designed to be buried under the ground and in some communities, it will have to be encased in a waterproof conduit. Even though the power running through the wire is low, a short circuit by a faulty wire can cause electrical problems if installed incorrectly.
Safety is a minor concern when using low voltage landscape lighting as curious children and pets may end up exposed to wires incorrectly installed. If the wiring is not fully protected underground before it rises to light the light, lawn mowers or weed trimmers could mean additional work to reinstall new wiring. While the voltage is low, it could cause a momentary surprise if bare wires are touched.
How far from the transformer the low voltage landscape lighting can be installed will depend on the type of system being installed. Some of the systems can send the 12-vots several hundred yards while some of the less-expensive ones might have trouble lighting low voltage landscape lighting more than 50 or 60 feet away.
