# Landscape Lighting



## Killbuzz

Has anyone ever installed there own landscape lighting before? If so, do you have any pointers?


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## gatormac2112

Good topic. I'm interested in this as well.


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## Ware

+1


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## cnet24

+2


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## kds

Do the solar-powered spotlights count?


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## Killbuzz

kds said:


> Do the solar-powered spotlights count?


Negative.


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## dfw_pilot

I just bought a low-voltage transformer, a bunch of cable, and a handful of LED fixtures. I plan on using them for house up-lights and a well light for a tree. It doesn't look hard at all, but finding the time to put it in will be another story.

The only advice I can give would be: _"Less is more."_


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## Fishnugget

I didn't know a whole lot about outdoor landscape lighting but this website was very helpful.

I plan to buy all my lighting through them, they have very good customer service and their stuff screams quality.

Check it out, and no I am not a their sales rep....

https://www.voltlighting.com


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## mmacejko

I did both my up lighting on front of house and path lights and up lighting in backyard and both sides of house. Pretty easy to do with low voltage kits from Home Depot or Lowe's. Gets expensive depending on type of fixtures and how much low voltage wire you'll need. My advice would be to definitely measure the distance you plan to run wire and get the correct thickness of wire for your application. Also buy a bigger transformer than you think you'll need. That way you can add lights at a later date if you decide to. Other than that it's pretty much plug and play. Oh, and if you need to splice wires - DO NOT use regular wire nuts. Either use nuts acceptable for ground and moisture contact - or even better solder and heat shrink.


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## chrismar

I installed my own landscape lighting over the last two summers, and will do more next summer.

The summer of 2016 I did the back yard:

* Path lighting from the front driveway to the back yard.
* Lights on the risers of each stair leading up to the deck.
* Lights under the top row of the sitting wall around the fire pit.

The summer of 2017 I did the front yard:

* Path lights on the walkway from the driveway to the front door.
* Spot lights up lighting each column and corner of the house.
* Spot lights up lighting the bigger trees of the front beds.

Plans for the summer of 2018:

* Put spot lights on the corners of the house in the back.
* Put spot lights on the major landscape elements of the back (bigger trees, interesting bushes, etc).
* Wrap the deck railing, swing set and large, mature trees with solar fairy lights.

I used all Volt Lighting (linked above) equipment, transformers and fixtures. I got the wire and bulbs from amazon for significantly less than what Volt wanted for essentially the same thing. I used standard blue/red DryConn connectors that can be found at any big box store for the splices. (Also: get something like this, it made my stripping life way more manageable.)

This is easily a DIY project. Volt has several good tutorials. Watch them and any others on YouTube. The biggest hurdle for me was tunneling under my front walkway in two spots. The builder of my house and walkway put down a 16" base, which was an absolute bear to get under.

I'll try to get some pictures of at all this evening when it's darker.

Good luck!


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## SGrabs33

So many cool projects, so little time!


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## Cavan806

I Just installed some landscape lighting this past weekend. I cant stress how easy it really is. I too used https://www.voltlighting.com as well as a few other websites during my research. 
I ended up going with a 300w transformer from https://www.bestprolighting.com/tra...-tap-stainless-steel-transformer-12v-15v-p-20
The transformer already had a timer and photocell built in I am very happy with the transformer. Its bigger than what I need and that was done with purpose. I am sure I will want to add some more lighting in the future and this transformer should be all I will need.
As far a as lights go...well I played around with a few LED lights until I found some that were able to really do what I was looking for. Im no expert but choosing the right wattage and "throw" pattern can make a huge difference.

I don't really have any before pics, but I took some on the night I installed them. The existing flood lighting that I had really left the front of my house dark. I am pretty happy with these results though. I'm not done playing around with different styles of lights.





Cheers!
PS yes I know I still have leaves in my yard. I swear I had them all cleaned up just a few days earlier..


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## dfw_pilot

Good lookin'!


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## Fishnugget

Looks good Cavan!

I agree with your statement about the angle beam and wattage. I ended up ordering about 15 more bully lights from volt lighting because they were 50% off a few days ago. I just got them today and installed five along my side yard. I ordered 3W,5W, 6W and 7W to play around with intensities all at a 60 degree angle.


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## Cavan806

Fish,
VOLT has some really nice gear. You will really like those lights.


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## Killbuzz

Almost done with my project. I'm going to wait for my perennials to recover from the winter before adding a few path lights to highlight them. I ended up going with Volt and very pleased with their products. Their waterproof connectors are a must buy.

Sorry for the crappy pic.


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## Ware

Nice! Thanks for the follow-up!


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## chrismar

Looks great!


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## mmacejko

That's a beute Clark!


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## kevreh

Voltlighting.com!

They have good quality lights for the prices. Some lights are quite a bit more so look around on their site. Spending more is worth it because they last a lot longer than those cheapy ones from HD and Lowe's.

Their prices on led bulbs aren't that great, so get those somewhere else.

It used to be you needed to know how many lights you wanted then get a properly sized transformer. With leds using a lot less power you can get by with a smaller transformer.

I installed a couple flood lights up lighting trees, and path/area lights for landscape beds.


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## Fishnugget

kevreh said:


> Voltlighting.com!
> 
> They have good quality lights for the prices. Some lights are quite a bit more so look around on their site. Spending more is worth it because they last a lot longer than those cheapy ones from HD and Lowe's.
> 
> Their prices on led bulbs aren't that great, so get those somewhere else.
> 
> It used to be you needed to know how many lights you wanted then get a properly sized transformer. With leds using a lot less power you can get by with a smaller transformer.
> 
> I installed a couple flood lights up lighting trees, and path/area lights for landscape beds.


Post some pics!


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## PHXCobra

This is probably one of the few yard projects my wife would be excited for me to do. We had the cheapo Solar LED stand-alone ones that barely worked brand new. I'll have to show her some of these pics and put some ideas in her head


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## Ware

Which weatherproof connectors does everyone prefer?


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## chrismar

Ware said:


> Which weatherproof connectors does everyone prefer?


I use(d) the blue dryconn connectors you can find at HD. Been holding up for 2ish years now.


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## kevreh

Volt has waterproof hubs where the lines from each light are connected. So you have your power leading to the hub, then lines to each light. Very easy to use and means you don't have connecters buried for each light. Kind of like a router. This is what I used. They also sell waterproof connectors intended for burying.

I don't mean to keep on praising Volt, its just that when I did my lighting it made it easier to go to one place for all the components.

https://www.voltlighting.com/landscape-lighting-accessories-wire-connectors-hubs/c/37


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## Ware

kevreh said:


> Volt has waterproof hubs where the lines from each light are connected. So you have your power leading to the hub, then lines to each light. Very easy to use and means you don't have connecters buried for each light. Kind of like a router. This is what I used. They also sell waterproof connectors intended for burying.
> 
> I don't mean to keep on praising Volt, its just that when I did my lighting it made it easier to go to one place for all the components.
> 
> https://www.voltlighting.com/landscape-lighting-accessories-wire-connectors-hubs/c/37


So did you pay extra for the 25' lead wires in order to wire everything up in a true hub configuration? Or did you use a mix of hub and daisy chain?


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## kevreh

I have a ~20' wire going from my transformer to the hub. Then all the light wires from there. The longest light wire from there is ~15', with others being closer. I could have daisy chained to save a few feet, but the risk of compromised connections isn't worth it for me. There's a lot of ways to lay out your wiring. With the lower wattages that LEDs pull wiring is easier.


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## TigerinFL

just had a 9' palm tree installed in our front yard. for those of you that don't know (just like me) palm trees are sold by the foot! so they can be pricey!!! I wanted the tree to be lit at night and ended going with https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kichler-5-Watt-40-W-Equivalent-Olde-Bronze-Low-Voltage-LED-Landscape-Flood-Light/1000191859 and added a Kichler 200 watt transformer. It was an easy install.

I used these connectors since the sprinkler system would be running daily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar0QkpJJ-A0

I got them from Ewing but found the same thing at Home Depot in the sprinkler aisle and they were cheaper.


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## TigerinFL

here is what those lights came out looking like I haven't decided if I want to add a 3rd light or not. sorry for the crappy cell phone pics.

check out the way they cut the trunk of the tree.


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## Fishnugget

These are the best wire connectors in my opinion. I used them throughout my install when I daisy chained my lights. I still have not had any wiring problems since installing my lights back in Nov/Dec 2017.

I was able to buy the Jug on ebay for $60. I had to remove that gray sleeve on one end of the connector because 14 gauge wire did not fit (holes too small). I had to figure that out. I removed it by pulling it with the pliers. Once, removed the thicker gauge wire easily fits.

https://www.pondliner.com/moisture-guard-wire-connectors?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkpSAycao2gIVA45pCh2mQQ3mEAQYAiABEgJvkPD_BwE


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## marshtj

Mine has been in for several years now without a single failure. I used the HD brand of led lights and transformers. The only thing I was not happy with at the time was their connectors, so I gave each connector a good coating of liquid electrical tape.

Used a manual edger to bury the wires. I dug out an expansion joint in our driveway to pass the cable through to the opposite side of our yard. Super easy and they look fantastic.

And, I should add, they were substantially less expensive than the Volt products.


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## BXMurphy

AWESOME thread! Low-voltage lighting is the BOMB! You will SO love the look.

Thank you for the heads up on LEDs and VOLT products. Time to get back into a new lighting project.


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## luderiffic

I bought cheap Westinghouse low voltage lights from WalMart 2 years ago and they have held up flawlessly somehow. They apparently don't make them or sell them any longer so I'm SOL when they go. The lights connect directly to the the transformer wire with little metal spikes that puncture directly into it. I don't know how water doesn't make them short out, but they work.

I'd was planning on a better system, but my current ones haven't died out yet. Best $100 I have ever spent.


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## dwells97

I added some more landscape lights while I was renovating the yard. Former owner had some lights illumating the lights and some shrubs. I decided while I had yard torn up, it was perfect time to run additional wire and add some path lights and spot lights to some trees. I both my light and bulbs from Voltlighting.com. I will say they are definitely higher quality than the HD or Lowes fixtures.


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## kolbasz

when burying glow voltage are you supposed to use conduit? How deep do you bury it if not?


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## dwells97

I did not use conduit. I ran it across my graded yard and it was covered with sod. Now in areas where it went from under the sod and crossed into a bed, I did bury the line about 6 inches in the ground. I did lay a small broken piece of landscape paver over top of the wire so when I edge that area of the bed it would hit the paver before the wire. Plus I don't think my edger should be going down 6 inches but better safe than sorry.


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## Ware

@dwells97 your photos are not visible.

@kolbasz most landscape lighting cable you see is rated for "direct burial".


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## dwells97

Seems link is broken. Will get it corrected.


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## kolbasz

Ware said:


> @kolbasz most landscape lighting cable you see is rated for "direct burial".


does this mean under the mulch close to the house is adequate? Enough to hide the wire.


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## Ware

kolbasz said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> @kolbasz most landscape lighting cable you see is rated for "direct burial".
> 
> 
> 
> does this mean under the mulch close to the house is adequate? Enough to hide the wire.
Click to expand...

Yes. Most of mine is on top of the ground, under the mulch. Where I crossed the lawn, I went about 6" deep - to try to stay below any future aeration, etc.


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## kolbasz

thanks @Ware


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## dwells97

Finally got the picture to work.


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## Ware

dwells97 said:


> Finally got the picture to work.


Looks good!


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## dwells97

Thanks Ware.
Still fine tuning lights but happy so far. Now need to turn attention to deciding plants to complete the beds


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## Zoysiaguy

Got a timer off Amazon and a bunch of cool white led spot lights and basically set it up like xmas lights but I was happy with the end result.


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## ALAN B

I just found this thread. First, thank you for the kind support of my company VOLT Lighting.

A note on our LED lamps-- you can definitely find cheaper/less expensive LED lamps out there but VOLT's have some unique features that make them stand out:
1. Unlike LED mr16's found on Amazon and ebay, VOLT's are specifically designed for landscape lighting-- for outdoor use in a wet environment. We put a conformal coating on the entire LED board (a thin liquid plastic layer) that weather protects the LED components. 
2. We designed them for use in an enclosed fixture. Most mr16's are not they are designed for open fixtures, indoors. The enclosed fixture of a landscape light creates extra heat. We used components that are capable of lasting under these higher heat ranges.
3. We only use Cree LEDs in our MR16 lamps. Higher quality chips.
4. We select a higher binning than most companies for a color temp that is more accurate and color renderings that show more accurate colors of the landscape.
5. we have a lifetime warranty on all of our LED lamps.

In the end the reason for installing landscape lighting is the light that comes out of the fixture-- after all that work and expense, its worth a few dollars to get the best result.

Thank you again for the awesome accolades of our company VOLT-- they were unsolicited and they make me and our team proud.

Sincerely,

Alan Brynjolfsson
CEO/Founder
VOLT Lighting www.voltlighting.com
AMP Lighting www.amplighting.com


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## SCGrassMan

ALAN B said:


> I just found this thread. First, thank you for the kind support of my company VOLT Lighting.
> 
> A note on our LED lamps-- you can definitely find cheaper/less expensive LED lamps out there but VOLT's have some unique features that make them stand out:
> 1. Unlike LED mr16's found on Amazon and ebay, VOLT's are specifically designed for landscape lighting-- for outdoor use in a wet environment. We put a conformal coating on the entire LED board (a thin liquid plastic layer) that weather protects the LED components.
> 2. We designed them for use in an enclosed fixture. Most mr16's are not they are designed for open fixtures, indoors. The enclosed fixture of a landscape light creates extra heat. We used components that are capable of lasting under these higher heat ranges.
> 3. We only use Cree LEDs in our MR16 lamps. Higher quality chips.
> 4. We select a higher binning than most companies for a color temp that is more accurate and color renderings that show more accurate colors of the landscape.
> 5. we have a lifetime warranty on all of our LED lamps.
> 
> In the end the reason for installing landscape lighting is the light that comes out of the fixture-- after all that work and expense, its worth a few dollars to get the best result.
> 
> Thank you again for the awesome accolades of our company VOLT-- they were unsolicited and they make me and our team proud.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Alan Brynjolfsson
> CEO/Founder
> VOLT Lighting www.voltlighting.com
> AMP Lighting www.amplighting.com


Would you be interested in us doing a group buy of your products?


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