One of the best investments you can make for your landscaping today is to install outdoor lighting.
This addition provides safety features, beautiful aesthetics, and numerous customization options to maximize your property’s curb appeal.
If you want to enjoy a quick update, all it takes is a few solar lights along your paths or around your beds to create an improved first impression.
When you want something more permanent, you’ll want to know how to install landscape lighting correctly.
How to Install Outdoor Landscape Lighting
The easiest way to install new outdoor landscape lighting is to spend time researching and purchasing the equipment you’ll need for a successful outcome. Several different manufacturers produce wiring, lights, and transformers that can create a desirable effect for your property.
You’ll want to select the items that look the best for your home and appeal to your personal preferences.
After you have everything ready to install, the next step is to arrange the lights in your landscaping. Even if you have a general idea for your layout, it helps to place each item where it will go to ensure it’ll perform as expected in that location.
Next, you’ll attach the wire to your landscape lighting transformers. You’ll need to strip the insulation from the end before connecting the lines to your transformer. There is no polarity with a low voltage installation, which means you don’t need to worry about positive or negative wires.
You’ll hang the transformers on the house with siding clips to keep everything off the ground. If you have a porch or deck, you can always hide the equipment behind a planter.
The outdoor lights are run from a wire, which means they’ll be in a single row. Use connectors to attach them, press the stakes into the ground, and turn on the system to test it. You should have outdoor landscape lighting to use!
How to Install 120v Landscape Lighting
If you don’t want to use low voltage landscape lighting, a 120v option is still a possibility. Since it is the standard line voltage for properties in the United States, all you need to do is transfer the power from your home’s connection to the outdoor lighting.
Since wiring for a 120v light source would be dangerous if exposed, you must take the appropriate steps to keep the wiring underground for the outdoor line voltage system.
Most homeowners will need to contact a qualified electrician for this work. It often needs PVC conduit installed after trenches get dug to run the lines, solvent-welding with straight connectors, and all of this happens at least 30 inches below a flowerbed or lawn.
Building permits are often needed to run line voltage to an external cable. Since local codes can vary, you’ll want the approval of your plans before starting the work. The application should include the materials you’re using, how many fixtures are involved, and how deep the installation will be when completed.
If you hire an experienced contractor for this work, they will usually get all the paperwork filed on your behalf to ensure the project gets completed legally.
How to Splice Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Wire
Most low voltage systems use a transformer that plugs into an outdoor-rated GFCI electrical outlet. This design steps down the 120v household current to 12v for your lighting installation.
The average transformer for low voltage landscape lighting can handle a load between 100w to 300w. If you have a higher rating, that means you can have a longer cable and more fixtures connected to the system.
It also means you’ll need to make a low voltage lighting branch by splicing the wire. You can accomplish that task by following these steps.
- A splice kit is your best option for low-voltage outdoor wiring. The first step is to disconnect the power.
- You can then strip one inch of insulation from each wire, placing them into the connector supplied with your kit.
- Close or twist the connectors according to the product instructions.
- Insert the connected wires into the protective tube and seal it according to the manufacturer’s requirements.
- Bury the connection in your yard at an appropriate location.
If you have any questions about how to install landscape lighting for your residential or commercial needs, give our team a call today at (425) 549-5147! We can provide you with a free quote to let you know how affordable this improvement can be. You can also visit us at www.bearcreeklandscaping.com and stay connected with us via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bclandscaping1.
Thanks for share this Landscape install all information
Its helpful when you said that a splice kit is your best option for low-voltage outdoor wiring. I want to put some lighting on my backyard and I am still looking for some nice designs. Thanks for the information on installing landscape lighting and I hope I can get some too for my house!