October
2009
Installing Pathway Lighting
A lot of people turn to pathway lighting to improve the aesthetic appeal of their out-of-door spaces. Well the good news is that most outdoor lighting is quite effortless to install and very safe. Even if you’re new to setting up lighting fixtures you should be able to put in most garden lighting without much effort. In the following article I will show you some easy steps you can take to install your new lights.
To install your lights properly you need 3 different parts: the light fixtures, a transformer, and some low voltage electrical cable. If you take a trip to the local hardware store you should be able to find them. Also you can visit online shops like Amazon. First, you must verify the areas that you wish to illuminate and the effect you would like to achieve. It is a good idea to find out the specifications of each light before planning out Your design.
The 1st thing you have to do is to lay out all your components. Arrange the path lights along the walkway you are lighting. Go around any tree or shrubs that are in the way when you string out the wire up to the transformer. Leave the cable loose as we will be encircling each fixture with a small loop of wire before burying it. The lights are typically around six to ten feet apart and your first light should be at least 10 feet from the transformer.
The second step is to dig your trench. Move your garden light fixtures out of the way and, using a shovel, fold back a part of grass all along the path about twelve inches wide. Use the edge of the flat-blade shovel to make a ditch about 3 inches deep where the cabling will rest. You may need to set something heavy on the turf to keep it from moving back into the ditch you are trying to produce.
The 3rd step is to sink the cable. Place the correct gauge of low-voltage wire into the newly dug trench and remember to leave it some slack. Also make sure that you create a hole in the grass to stick the wire up into.
Making holes for the fixtures is the fourth step. Make sure that you set your lights into the right spot so that they are equally spread out. Don’t use a hammer to drive the light fixtures in, instead use stakes to drive them in.
The 5th step is to wire The lights. Each brand name of fixtures is different so refer to the instructions enclosed with the brand of fixtures. Yet with most, you take the connector at the base of each light and slip it around the electrical wire until you hear a click. This indicates that the fast connect component has made a firm connection and has pierced through the low-voltage wire. In order to make a stronger connection you can also bypass this connection altogether, splitting the wire and wiring it with cable nuts as you would a traditional light fixture. After wiring all the fixtures, push the fixture and its attached stake, firmly into the holes that you made earlier for them. Tuck the connector and wire at least 2 ins into the ground and make sure the stake is flush with the grass. Your sixth step is to plug in the transformer. Peel the wires from the ends of the electrical cable you have placed near the transformer. The transformer needs to either be mounted to a post or directly to the house. Turn it on and, if you have done everything correctly, you should see the fixtures light up. Once all the lights are working properly, tuck the grass around the fixtures, pressing it down firmly all along the trench. Water the trench well.
And finally it’s time to enjoy your hard work. Anyone can enhance their night-time curb appeal with attractive, functional landscape lighting with a little hard work and advance preparation. low voltage lighting requires very little maintenance. Just remember to change the light bulbs shortly after they go out or you will shorten the life of the remainder of bulbs. Other than that, just sit back and enjoy a job well done!