Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting Components: Materials you need to get started

If you ever thought about lighting your yard at night, I’m sure you have heard of low voltage outdoor lighting. It can be the perfect solution for many of your landscape lighting needs. Since installation is simple and straight-forward, you can install your new lighting system over the weekend. And there is a variety of lighting fixture styles to suit your design needs.

If you tried older versions of low voltage outdoor lights and were disappointed, you will be surprised at the light output, durability, and features of new low voltage lighting systems. It is also costs less than the older versions. You no longer have to worry deal with expensive, flimsy lighting systems that are incredibly difficult to install and break at after a short period of time.

Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting Components

Before you head to the hardware store, let’s go over the basic components of your low voltage lighting system:

1. Transformer – The transformer supplies the electricity for the lighting system. It plugs into a standard home outlet and reduces the regular house electrical current (120 volts) to safe 12 volts. Most transformers have an automatic timer that turns the lights on and off at predetermined times.

2. Low Voltage Lamp – This is the light source. The lamp houses the light bulb and the cable from the transformer powers it.

3. Low Voltage Cable – The cable transmits the electricity from the transformer to the low voltage lamp. The cable is sealed, weather resistant, and insulated copper wire available in various lengths (100 to 200 ft.). The gauge for your cable comes in 12-, 14-, and 16-gauge sizes. The required gauge for your lighting is determined by the wattage of your system:
- 150 watts is carried by a 16-gauge cable
- 200 watts is carried by a 14-gauge cable
- 300 watts is carried by a 12-gauge cable

Reference Sites:
Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Guide

Solar Yard Lights? Do those things even work!?!?

Solar yard lights?!?! I thought those were for tree hugging, green-peace members. No? I can use them. I heard they don’t work well at all. The solar panel isn’t efficient and can’t even fully charge the battery. Don’t even get me started on the light bulbs. If you depended on them to light your driveway, landscaping, and entryways you’ll be feeling your way around in the dark to get into your house.

Does that sound familiar? The statements you read in the paragraph above are all true about solar yard lights… about 6 years ago! There have been huge advances in the solar lighting industry that have enabled solar yard lights to be a real alternative to electrical landscape lights. Solar panels are more efficient, transfer more sun powered electricity to the battery, and these batteries are able to light bright LED lights for an entire nigh easily.

Furthermore, you can use solar yard lights in more areas than traditional electric lights. The only requirement is that they must be in as much direct sunlight as possible. Being in a good amount of direct sunlight allows your solar panel to collect enough energy and fully charge the unit’s battery. This is extremely important if you want your lights to stay on for the entire night.

In addition to more efficient and high-powered solar panels and batteries, the unit now has charge regulators to prevent the battery from being overcharged. This will increase the life of your battery significantly. There is also an internal sensor that identifies whether the sun is out or not. When the sun is out, the solar panel is activated and begins charging the battery. As soon as the sun sets, the sensor will recognize it, and the battery will begin to power the led light and turn off when the sun rises.

External Resources:
Solar Landscape Lights work?
Solar Yard Light Guide
Solar Garden Light: Environmental Choice