Minimize Voltage Drop in Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting

One sure fire way to add value to your home is to enhance the curb appeal of your property. While there are several ways the average homeowner can improve the overall beauty of their property, a cost effective and simple way is to install low voltage outdoor lighting. This project provides several enhancements by putting into action one well thought out plan.

In addition to the added dramatic effect that will distinguish your home from others without lighting, low voltage lighting can light paths, steps and walkways which will help your visitors safely navigate these obstacles at night. In today's litigious society, anything you do to prevent an accident is worth the effort and money. This type landscape lighting also provides security for your property which will cause intruders to pass when it comes to thoughts of entering your home.

Intermatic LX10610T25 Malibu 10-Pack Low-Voltage Plastic Lights with 44-Watt Power Pack and 50-Foot Cable, Black

Many homeowners choose to install their low voltage outdoor lighting system themselves without the aid of a qualified electrician. This is definitely a doable DIY project for the homeowner as these systems are safe and easily installed. As long as there is access to a 110 volt receptacle near the area, you are good to go with the installation. However, some installations done by inexperienced homeowners can operate improperly due to voltage drop. The further away a fixture is from the transformer, the lower the voltage. This voltage drop can cause lights furthest from the transformer to appear dimmer than others. In order to minimize this voltage drop and ensure your achiever the look you desire, consider the following when installing your system.

Intermatic CL9 20-Watt Malibu Low Voltage Cast Metal Halogen Landscape Floodlight, Black

Determine the total wattage of all lamps powered by a single transformer, than install a transformer with a higher wattage output than the total wattage of all lamps.
Use multiple transformers if you are unable to provide a single transformer with sufficient wattage output.
Use heavier gauge cable. The lower the number on the wire, the higher the gauge. For example, 8 gauge cable is heavier than 10 gauge cable.
Install lower wattage bulbs in some fixtures. You may actually want different levels of brightness to enhance the look. The key is to control the effect yourself.
Consider shorter cable lengths. However, this may cause you to alter your plan and prevent you from achieving the overall goal of your plan.

Malibu ML88TL 88-Watt Low Voltage Power Pack with Timer and Ground Shield

When planning your low voltage lighting system, be sure the 110 volt receptacle you utilize is a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet. Also, the addition of a weatherproof cover will help keep out any moisture. A good plan and some basic understanding of low voltage outdoor lighting and wattage should allow you to install a landscape lighting system that will enhance the beauty of your property and provide enjoyment for many years to co

Landscape Lighting Shows off Those Plants

It's beyond dispute that today's residential architecture is a true beauty to behold. Considering this fact, it would be a disgrace to not show off that beauty once night falls. That's why many homeowners enhance the curb appeal of their property with well planned landscape lighting. In addition to the warm and welcoming atmosphere created by the lighting, it also makes your guests safer around unfamiliar landscape features such as pools, spas, decks and tiered walkways. Thus, providing you with peace of mind and in our litigious society, less liability.

There are many inexpensive ways to utilize landscape lighting that will add style and charm to to your property. Unfortunately, there are just as many ways for you to do a less than stellar job in the design phase of the project. If it starts bad, I assure you it will end bad. So, I suggest you consider a landscape designer for the overall development of your landscape or garden lighting plan. Once you have your plan, then you can decide if you would like to perform the installation yourself. DIY installation is definitely doable if you utilize a low voltage system. If you are using any regular high voltage lights in your design these will be best left to a professional to install.

While I recommend using a landscape designer, you should also familiarize yourself with the type lighting available and have some ideas of what you would like to see on your property when you have your initial meeting with the designer. The best way to start is to take a good flashlight and hit the yard after dark and try out some different effects. You won't achieve perfection with this method but you can see what some of the individual effect the lights will display.

There are some different types of basic lighting effects that you can achieve.

- Uplighting: Lights are aimed upward to accent trees, statues or wall textures.
- Downlighting: Fixtures are mounted high and aimed downward to cast broad illumination over wide areas for entertaining and also security.
- Spotlighting: Lights focus a narrow beam on small shrubs, statues, flowers or other focal points in your landscaping.
- Crosslighting: Utilizing two or more fixtures from different directions to reveal a three-dimensional form for a striking perspective.

If you are using high voltage electric fixtures as part of your landscape lighting, consider colored bulbs for the different holiday seasons. Pastel colors in the spring for Easter and reds and greens at Christmas time provide some fun, easy decorating ideas.

Finally, use lighting controls such as timers and photocells to turn your landscape lighting on and off automatically. Keep in mind that there is little advantage to having all the lights stay on all night. Few people will see your property in the wee hours of the morning. Have a few low level lights stay on all night for security. Any more is just a waste of energy and a source for higher utility bills.

Patio Lighting Prolongs your Outdoor Enjoyment

For many of you that are like our family, you have spent lots of time and money planning and building a nice patio that provides hours of enjoyment in the perfect outdoor space. However, when night falls that nice area you spent so much time designing can become useless. So what's the solution? Patio lighting that can turn that dark patio into a warm, inviting space for entertaining and relaxing. When planning your patio lighting be sure to remember that more is not always better. Lighting too much of the area can provide too much glare. For a comfortable patio, a few well-placed patio lamps provide enough lighting to see, but retain the alluring, relaxing mood.

While patio lighting comes in a variety of styles and shapes, there are basically two types. Those powered by electricity, or those that burn lamp oil. I personally think that it takes a mixture of both types to obtain the perfect lighting scheme for a patio. For overhead lighting when your patio is covered, the obvious choice is electrical lights. You could also use hanging solar lights in this situation, which for the purpose of this discussion, I'll put in the class with electrical lights even though they will actually not be connected to the power grid. I would suggest that any overhead lighting you use, be installed on dimmers. With dimmers you can alter the amount of light at different levels in order to obtain the atmosphere you want at different times. If your patio is not covered and you have some tables with umbrellas, you can get LED patio umbrella lights that attach to the ribs of the umbrella and can make the area take on an almost magical feel.

Okay, now that you have taken care of your overhead lighting needs, it's time to look at some of the more subtle forms of patio lighting. The oil burning lamps are ideal for this need. The lamps are portable so they can be placed in different areas of your patio depending on the activities taking place at any given time. Keeping in mind that these oil burning lamps have an exposed flame, try to place these lamps in a place where they will not be bumped and possibly knocked over. Hot burning oil on the floor of a patio can quickly alter the mood of even the most lively party. Since you are going to be burning oil anyway, you might as well make the lamps serve a dual purpose and burn a citronella oil that will repel insects. Citronella oil is a safe, effective pesticide that emits a lemony fragrance that helps drive mosquitoes away. If you live in an area where mosquitoes are a problem you know why I suggest citronella oil.

When planning your patio lighting project, keep in mind that there is no reason that you cannot enjoy the same touches outside of your home that you enjoy inside. With all the choices available to you today, you should be able to develop a lighting scheme that can be used as an accent to the natural beauty of your surrounding landscape. By taking the time to discover the correct placement, your lighting will add that extra bit of allure and ambiance that will set just the right mood you are looking for.

Save with Solar Outdoor Lighting

Solar outdoor lighting is an inexpensive way to add charm and style to your property. I know what you are thinking. These solar powered things just do not do the job. They put out dim light that lasts little time, and they last very little time before needing replacement. Well, that used to be true. However, today's solar outdoor lighting systems use LED (light-emitting diode) light bulbs and utilize nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal-hydride batteries for energy storage. The LED light bulbs last much longer (sometimes for the life of the fixture) and burn brighter than there incandescent counterparts. Also, the nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries provide more power for longer periods of time.

The solar outdoor lighting in use today will generally store enough energy to burn for 8 to 12 hours depending on their location and the time of the year. Obviously, the key factor for any solar application is that the solar cell used to charge the battery be in a place where it will receive sunlight.
If the lights are placed in shaded areas or other places where they do not receive full sun, the burning time will be reduced proportionately. However, when properly placed, solar lights provide ease of installation and portability that their wired cousins just can't provide.

Some other advantages of solar outdoor lighting are that they can be installed without disturbing your present landscape; provide security even in remote areas of your property; reduce liability by illuminating a walkway or stairs, thus helping to prevent trips and falls in the dark; and one nice additional benefit is they save money because outdoor solar lighting costs nothing to operate.

When planning the purchase of solar outdoor lighting, keep the following things in mind. Ensure that replacement batteries and bulbs are available in case of failure. Some cheaper models can't be replaced, and must be disposed of when a problem occurs. If your yard has many trees or does not receive a lot of sunlight because of surrounding buildings, solar lights may not be right for you. For best results, replace batteries periodically and clean the solar cell of occasional dust and debris. Some manufacturers of these lights allow for the change of light bulbs so you can coordinate them with decorative colored bulbs for Christmas or other special events.

Don't be afraid to experiment with the placement of these lights. If you do not like the effect, they can easily be moved to another area. By doing a little early research and being attentive to the proper placement for the most available sunlight, you will have a solar outdoor lighting system that will last for many years to come, as well as, enhancing the beauty and enjoyment of your property.

Security with Outdoor Lighting

Don't you wish that all that time and money you spent enhancing the curb appeal of your home did not go to waste after dark. Well worry no longer, you can solve this problem utilizing outdoor lighting that can enhance the overall look and appeal of the architecture of your home and your property as a whole. In addition to creating an elegant and beautiful effect, carefully placed outdoor lighting can increase the property value of your home as well.

But before buying any lighting it is best to develop a plan that will best create the effect that you desire. Things to consider when planning include, but are not limited to, areas such as walkways that assist people in finding the entrances to your home, stairways to eliminate any tripping hazards or outdoor lighting that creates a dramatic effect by lighting that truly amazing specimen tree. You may also consider lights for the security of your property. While some people utilize security lighting that comes on automatically when someone comes on the property, some police departments suggest that a better outside security light plan is constant low-level lighting when it comes to deterring crime.

Another place people seem to overlook is their garden. Perfect outdoor lighting in a garden can transform what would otherwise be just another dark area on your lawn into something that is a true eye catcher. Also consider lighting driveways, pathways and of course properly placed lighting on a porch or patio can transform those spaces into a truly magical spot for parties or that special romantic dinner you've been planning.

Always keep in mind that you can have too much of a good thing also. As you see the dramatic change that outdoor lighting brings to your property it is easy to keep adding lights and to overdo it. Excessive outdoor lighting can have a number of harmful consequences. Glare from unnecessary lighting can be hazardous and could actually take away from the effect you are trying to create. Also, too much artificial light just serves to be a waste of natural resources. Lastly, install timers that turn your lights on at dusk and off at dawn. As previously stated, there's no use in wasting energy because you forget to turn off the lights in the morning.

There are software programs available that allow you to simulate how your outdoor lighting plan will look. With the wealth of styles and types of lighting available today, and the availability of computer software simulators, I know that you will create the perfect outdoor lighting plan. After all is said and done, you will be overjoyed that you have turned a seemingly normal looking landscape into one that looks totally amazing when night falls.

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