How to Install Low Volt Landscaping Lights
Low-voltage landscape lighting accents the features of your yard and house. Low-voltage lighting consists of lights that secure to the ground on posts and a transformer that reduces the voltage coming from the house. Before installing low-voltage landscape lighting, you need to develop a hand-drawn plan that shows the location of each light and the location of the low-voltage transformer. The lighting plan will tell you the number of lights required for you landscaping and the general amount of wire needed to install the low-voltage lighting system. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 100-foot tape measure
- Low-voltage landscape lights
- Low-voltage cable
- Wire cutters
- Transformer
- Flat shovel
- Trench shovel
- Large screwdriver
Instructions
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1
Stretch the 100-foot tape measure along the first area of your landscaping plan where you need to install the landscape lighting. Let it lie flat on top of your grass.
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2
Place one landscape light every 8 to 10 feet using the 100-foot tape measure as a guide.
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3
Run the low-voltage cable along the lights you placed in your yard and back to the area where you will install the transformer. Cut the low-voltage cable to length with the wire cutters.
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4
Use a flat shovel to loosen the sod in an 8-inch wide path for the cable. Fold the grass over so that you have a path free of grass leading from the transformer to the landscaping lights.
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5
Dig a trench 3 inches deep in the path you cleared of grass with the trench shovel.
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6
Lay the low-voltage cable into the trench. Pull the loose ground over the cable, leaving the cable even with the ground at each light location.
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7
Mount the transformer to the house and connect the low-voltage cable to the transformer per the manufacturer's installation instructions.
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8
Stick the sharp end of the large screwdriver into the ground. Push the steel mounting stake of the low-voltage light into the screwdriver hole.
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9
Place one half of the electrical connector on either side of the low-voltage cable and push the two halves of the connector together until you hear a snap. The snap signifies that the electrical connector has penetrated the sheathing of the low-voltage cable.
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10
Screw the top half of the low-voltage light into the steel mounting stake to install the light.
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11
Move to the next low-voltage light location and repeat the installation steps until all the lights are connected to the cable.
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12
Plug the transformer into your home's electrical system to power the low-voltage lighting system.
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13
Lay the sod over the buried low-voltage cable to complete the installation of your new low-voltage lighting system.
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References
- Photo Credit outdoor lighting - copy space image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
