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Guide for low voltage landscape lighting

Landscape lighting is gaining popularity because it not only adds to the beauty of the surroundings of a home, but also adds to its safety and security. The total effect of low voltage landscape lighting is so attractive that is can even be compared to painting with light. It can be used to highlight the most beautiful features and hide the unwanted features. The pathways to the house and the stairways can be illuminated and thus increase safety and security. At night it can accentuate the trees and the shrubs that would otherwise not be visible. The trash can and other things you do not want to be seen can be hidden by not allowing light to fall on it. To beautify the surroundings of a house you can use narrow beamed lighting to highlight the sharp features and the wide angled flood lighting to show the flat areas. In some areas you might want light flood lights placed at the ground level, so that light coming from it is focused upwards.

Landscape lighting is easy to install and not very expensive. It is a very good safety feature. When placed at the right positions, it will deter intruders and thus reduce crime in the area. You will also be able to see, if anyone enters, because of the light. The low voltage used in weather resistant fixtures, makes it safe, as it reduces the risk of electrocution, if the live wire or the terminals are touched. If power supply transformers are used to lower the voltage system, is isolated from the mains, it reduces the risk of electrocution and increases safety.

You can easily install low voltage landscaping lighting. You get pre-wired lighting systems which are ready to install and have weather proof transformers, sealed connectors and pre-installed lamps. The lamps are strung on a wire. You can place the lamps wherever you want it and connect the transformer to the mains and switch it on, to light it. When separately wired voltage transformers and lights are used, it should be installed only by a qualified electrician who can do it correctly and properly, addressing all the safety issues. Both these types should have a timer installed, so that the lights are turned off everyday, during the day. Generally the low voltage landscaping lighting is done after the whole landscaping is done in the area around the house. It would be best to plan earlier, so that, ducts for the wiring can be made which building the house. This will eliminate the necessity of digging after the whole landscaping is done. When the landscape is being planned, it would be good to plan the lighting aspects also.

You can buy the low voltage landscaping lighting to suit your budget. You can choose incandescent lamps which will last for 750 to 1000 hours, halogen lamps which will last for 3500to 5000 hours or fluorescent lamps which will last for more than 10,000 hours. Fluorescent lamps are the most preferred since the power consumption is lower and they last for a longer period of time. These lamps generally have 12 voltage systems as the standard form. They use step down transformers to convert 120 V to 12 V.

While installing low voltage landscaping lighting, you should be very careful because of the high currents in the system. The placing of fixtures on the circuit, the wire size and the wire connections, should be correct or there will be a system overload. So, it is essential to troubleshoot the system after it is installed. You should understand voltage drop and then design the area that needs low voltage landscape lighting. It should be possible to move the light fixtures, if and when necessary. There should also be given a provision of extra cable for every fixture, so that it will be easy to repair the lights later on.

When you decide to have landscaping lighting, get the designs from various landscape lighting designers and choose the best design for your particular needs. You can have motion sensors which will light the lights only when people are present. This will serve the purpose of beauty, security and energy saving.

Low voltage landscape lighting not only makes it attractive but also helps in increasing the value of the house. Hence, many people go in for landscape lighting. Get all the details, check the internet, ask quotations and designs from many landscape lighting designers and then choose the one that you like.