Installing Landscape Lighting
How easy is installing landscape lighting for the do it yourself person? You have probably been wondering this since you began considering landscape lighting. The truth is that it is not as difficult as some would have you believe.
Digging the trenches for the electric cables is probably the hardest part, and even that is mostly just hard work not technically difficult. Apart from that determination all you need is the system and about 10-12 hours of time.
The first step is planning out where you want your lighting to go. Lay the lights and voltage cables out where you want them so that you know you have enough materials. Just a tip, the lights will look the best 8-10 feet apart, and place the first one at least ten feet from the transformer.
Now you need to move those lights aside and turn over the sod. Be sure to keep it as in tact as you can so that you can put it back in place around the lighting fixtures. After the sod if out of the way, use the shovel to create a small trench where you will put the cable. About 3 inches deep should suffice.
Now you need to bury the cable. Lay is in the trench and be sure to leave a little slack where each of the fixtures will go. Smooth the soil back over the cable and be sure to pull it through so the cable shows for each fixture point.
If the transformer isn’t already plugged in you should do so now. Each transformer will vary on the procedure so check the instructions. Now its time to put the fixtures back in place, using a stake to make holes in the ground at appropriate intervals.
Connect the fixtures to the cable according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Push all wiring back under the soil and replace the sod and you are finished with installing landscape lighting.
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