Planning & Installation Tips
Purchase outdoor lighting transformers, fixtures, cable, bulbs to complete your outdoor lighting project. We recommend the following tools: volt-meter, wire cutters/strippers, pliers, screwdriver, flat shovel, and a drill and hardware to mount the transformer.
When you have the necessary equipment, assemble your outdoor light fixtures and place them where they will be installed. It is important to place the fixtures in the correct places where they will do the most good. Make separate cable "runs" from the transformer to the fixtures. Keep outdoor lighting fixtures that are of similar distance from the transformer grouped together in the same "run." This minimizes voltage drop and loss of brightness. Maintain less than 180 watts on any 12/2 wire run and 12v systems.
Using labels or a marker with tape mark all the home runs for example #1, 2, 3, that makes much easier to find any run in case of trouble-shooting. Also be sure to keep in mind that the cable is to be buried after installation, so make sure give yourself some extra cable to make it easier to bury.
Now connect the runs to the transformer and the fixtures to the cable. When wiring into the transformer, one wire from each run should connect to the common terminal, and the other wire to the 12 volt or a higher volt terminal. Use a direct burial splice on the landscape lighting fixtures to connect the wires to the cable.
Plug the transformer into a GFI outlet, and do not use extension cords with transformers. Turn on the outdoor lights, and examine them for any areas of voltage drop and make sure to check the amps at the transformer. If any zones appear dim, turn off the transformer, and move them from the 12V tap to the 13V tap.
Test each fixture individually and look for a voltage range between 10.8 and 12. Do not over-volt the outdoor light fixtures, or they could be damaged, will burn out quicker, and might cause fires.
Finally, mount the transformer and bury the cables.