Brighten Up Your House with Landscape Lighting
September 3, 2010
Landscape lighting can be the final piece of the beautiful
puzzle for your carefully tended landscape. Not only does landscape
lighting offer a polished look to your yard and garden, it
provides a measure of added security for your property.
Installing Landscape Lighting on Your Property
With a bit of time and patience, you can install basic landscape
lighting on your own. Here's how:
- Choose your system and cables. Pathway lights often
work best when they are placed 8 to 10 feet apart. If the lights
use 200 watts or less, 14-gauge cable is recommended; if they use
more than 200 watts, use 12-gauge cable.
- Lay the lights and cable out in their appropriate
places before you begin work. This ensures that you have enough
cable and allows you to design your lighting the way you want.
- Dig the trench for the cable. This part is easier
than you might think! Slip a flat-edged shovel between the sod and
the soil, then carefully flip the sod over. When you've done that,
use the edge of the shovel to dig a thin trench of about three
inches deep.
- Lay the cable in the trench, leaving some line slack
at the points where you plan to install the fixtures. Lay the sod
back down over the trench, but make sure you can still reach the
line for the lights.
- Plug in the transformer according to the
manufacturer's directions.
- Set the lights into the ground where they need to
be. Don't let them overhang the walkways, as you don't want to bump
into them. Make sure not to place the lights within ten feet of a
water source.
- Make the electrical connections between the lights
and the cable. If the lights don't work, check your transformer and
outlet connections for problems.
- Insert the lights fully into the ground, taking care
to keep the connections just below the soil for protection.
- Finish the job by pressing down the sod, then water
the area to help the sod return to its original shape and form.
Enjoy your job well done!
Landscape lighting isn't just about beauty. Careful lighting can
illuminate
walkways, doors, and the shrubs around your house where
potential thieves might love to hide.
If your have a large property or want to add more elaborate
landscape lighting, talk to a professional lighting expert about
your options and how much professional installation might cost.
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