Installing outdoor lighting or landscape Lighting as it is usually referred to, is not as hard as you might think, and you can easily complete the project in a single weekend. Outdoor lighting will provide you with safety and security, while at the same time increasing the appeal of your entire house.
Rules before Embarking On Landscape Lighting Installation
1. Have a look at the local codes in regard to outdoor lighting, and adhere to these codes.
2. You need to use UF cables for any installations that require underground wiring. This means that there should be a fuse in the house before underground wiring begins.
3. Always use weatherproof equipment for instance, receptacles, and boxes.
4. Turn off the main switch before you start any underground wiring.
Steps in Landscape Lighting
a. Set out the fixtures where they’ll be installed. This should be about eight to ten feet from each other. The first fixture should be more than 10 feet from the transformer. Lay the cable along these fixtures, and ensure that you are using the right low voltage cable depending on the capacity of your lighting systems.
b. Assemble the lights according to the instructions provided in the kit. Most kits come with fixtures that can only be assembled in such a way that they will be connected to the socket the right way.
c. Now it’s time to remove the sod, so that you can place the low voltage cable. You should have moved the fixtures out of the way for this to be done, using a shovel dig a trench where the underground wire will be placed.
d. The fourth step in installing outdoor lighting is to bury the wire in the trench, but keep in mind to leave some slacked cable at each fixture point. Do not bury the cable too deep, or else it will be difficult to connect fixtures to the cable. Ensure the cable runs up to the outdoor outlet for connection with the transformer.
e. Wire the transformer by connecting the wires of the cable to the terminals at the back of the transformer. Please ensure that you do not plug in the transformer to an outlet, until all installation is complete. Mount the transformer in a hidden place on the wall, where there is easy access to an outlet that is specifically designed for outdoor lighting.
f. Place holes for the fixtures in the positions that you had set out for them, before digging the trench. Use a big screwdriver or a steel punch to do this, but never use a hammer.
g. Connect the cable to the connector halves of each of the lighting fixtures, where the wires of the cable are protruding from the sod. Once you complete the connections, you can plug in the transformer to see if the electrical connections have worked. The lighting fixtures should light up.
h. Now you can insert the lighting fixtures in their respective holes, ensuring that none of the fixtures is tilted. Both the cable and the connector should be under the soil at this point.
The last step in installing outdoor lighting is replacing the sod and smoothing over the sod around the lighting fixtures.
Rules before Embarking On Landscape Lighting Installation
1. Have a look at the local codes in regard to outdoor lighting, and adhere to these codes.
2. You need to use UF cables for any installations that require underground wiring. This means that there should be a fuse in the house before underground wiring begins.
3. Always use weatherproof equipment for instance, receptacles, and boxes.
4. Turn off the main switch before you start any underground wiring.
Steps in Landscape Lighting
a. Set out the fixtures where they’ll be installed. This should be about eight to ten feet from each other. The first fixture should be more than 10 feet from the transformer. Lay the cable along these fixtures, and ensure that you are using the right low voltage cable depending on the capacity of your lighting systems.
b. Assemble the lights according to the instructions provided in the kit. Most kits come with fixtures that can only be assembled in such a way that they will be connected to the socket the right way.
c. Now it’s time to remove the sod, so that you can place the low voltage cable. You should have moved the fixtures out of the way for this to be done, using a shovel dig a trench where the underground wire will be placed.
d. The fourth step in installing outdoor lighting is to bury the wire in the trench, but keep in mind to leave some slacked cable at each fixture point. Do not bury the cable too deep, or else it will be difficult to connect fixtures to the cable. Ensure the cable runs up to the outdoor outlet for connection with the transformer.
e. Wire the transformer by connecting the wires of the cable to the terminals at the back of the transformer. Please ensure that you do not plug in the transformer to an outlet, until all installation is complete. Mount the transformer in a hidden place on the wall, where there is easy access to an outlet that is specifically designed for outdoor lighting.
f. Place holes for the fixtures in the positions that you had set out for them, before digging the trench. Use a big screwdriver or a steel punch to do this, but never use a hammer.
g. Connect the cable to the connector halves of each of the lighting fixtures, where the wires of the cable are protruding from the sod. Once you complete the connections, you can plug in the transformer to see if the electrical connections have worked. The lighting fixtures should light up.
h. Now you can insert the lighting fixtures in their respective holes, ensuring that none of the fixtures is tilted. Both the cable and the connector should be under the soil at this point.
The last step in installing outdoor lighting is replacing the sod and smoothing over the sod around the lighting fixtures.
This post first appeared on Outdoor & Garden Lighting - Lumalighting.co., please read the originial post: here
