Low voltage lights allow you to highlight special features in your landscape.
Installing
low-voltage landscape lights provides an economical way to add dramatic
impact and function to your home and outdoor space with minimal effort.
Low-voltage landscape lighting is safe and easy to work with, and
requires no previous electrical experience. You can showcase particular
features in your yard with landscape lights -- light up pathways,
outline garden beds or bring ambiance and charm to your yard. Kits
provide all the necessary ingredients -- lights, cable, connectors and
controls -- for a successful landscape light project.
1
Go outside when it is dark and shine a flashlight on areas that you may want to light up. This will help you visualize how the lights will affect the landscape. Sketch a plan that you can use as an installation guide so that you know where to place the lights. Note where you wish to install the lights and what landscape or other features you wish to illuminate. Select your light styles based on your lighting plan.2
Calculate the total voltage of your landscape project based on the number and type of lights you wish to install. Select a power pack that will support this voltage. Each power pack has a rating. The wattage of your light project should be 70 percent to 100 percent of the rating.3
Drive a 24-inch wooden stake close to an outdoor GFCI outlet and secure the control box to the stake using wood screws. If you do not have a ground-fault circuit interrupter outlet, contact a licensed electrician to install one for you.4
Take the light fixtures out of the kit box and assemble them according to the enclosed directions. Be sure to screw the bulb in tightly and secure the light cover.5
Lay out the lights and the electrical cable. Position the lights and drive the light stakes halfway into the ground.6
Connect each light to the cable using a connector cap. Position the cap so that it pierces the cable and makes direct contact with the wire inside. Tighten the connector caps so that they will not work lose.7
Wait until dark and turn the lights on. Check that all the lights are working properly. Assess the light positioning from several angles in your yard. Make sure that none of the lights creates a harsh glare. Once you are happy with your design, drive the light stakes the rest of the way into the ground.8
Cut a 6-inch deep trench, using a flat-blade shovel or edger, along the path of the cable, starting at the control box. Make a perpendicular trench from each light fixture to the main cable. Push the cable into the trench with a wooden or plastic ruler. Replace the soil on top of the cable and tamp it down gently with the back of a spade.9
Set the control box to turn the lights on and off.Things You Will Need
- Flashlight
- Landscape light kit
- Power pack (transformer)
- Wooden stake, 24 inch
- Hammer
- Wood screws
- Screwdriver
- Flat-blade shovel or edger
- Wooden or plastic ruler
Warning
- Avoid using too many lights; a few well-placed lights have a greater impact than too many lights.
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