Hello, I hired an electrical contractor to replace and install three new outdoor post lights which are on a low voltage system with a transformer. The new lights are regular post lights and on a timer and often do not work. I called the contractor back and he made several cuts in the wires along the ground to test the power and then repaired those cuts with plastic caps, glue and black tape. The lights worked for a short time and then would not turn on once again. I decided to to check out the wires myself, so I dug up part of the wire and found that the pieced together wires had actually burned and melted the plastic caps and tape covering the wire connections. I have just replaced those patched connecctions with some new wire and plastic connectors made by a low voltage co. The lights worked for one night and now do not work again Any thoughts as to what might be going on?? (FYI- The previous post lights were installed by another electrician and worked fine for years. In fact they were still working but the glass in one had broken and couldn''t be matched so I replaced all three lights. I am wondering--Did the post lights need to be converted in some way to be used on a low voltage system? The lights do have low voltage bulbs in them. Thanks!
If the wires melted chances are the amperage is too high for the capacity of the wire. Remember, the lower the voltage, the higher the amperage. Tell your electrical contractor to get out his amp meter and give you a reading. If you have more than 20 amps on a 12 gauge wire, you have a problem.
I would call the electrican back and make him fix it.
Labels: Low Voltage System, Low Voltage Wiring, Outdoor Post Lights
I understand from archived questions that the 600 Watt transformer has: capability for 300w x 2. Each has Terminal A, B and C. I also understand that Terminal C is the neutral so....Here is my question.I have (1) 600 W transformer and (1) 300 Watt transformer. The 300 watt transformer powers: (4) uplights/50W each with no problem. Distance of home run roughly 76 feet. I added another 50w to the 300 trans. and the lights dimmed somewhat. I use 12/2 cable. My connections on the back of the 300 unit are: one wire under terminal A, one under B, nothing g under CThe same applies to the 600 watt transformer. I think I am not using the transformer correctly, or am I? I purchased the 600 w transformer for 6 additional up lights, total distance is about 350 feet (I have just under an acre) Am I going about this correctly and is there a diagram you might refer me to? Thanks so much....
You might want to run another cable and split up the lights into two home runs back to the transformer. Check out our CALCULATING VOLTAGE DROP PAGE for wiring ideas.
Now for the new installation that is 350 feet, you have a problem. I hope you purchased HEAVY DUTY LANDSCAPE CABLE such as 10/2 or even 8/2 and a HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSFORMER!
This kind of installation will take some careful planning otherwise you will be disappointed with the results. I would recommend that you hook up the lights, look at them at night before you bury and wires. That way you can make adjustments as needed.
Thanks for shopping at Residential Landscape Lighting & Design. We appreciate the business and look forward to assisting you in the future. 800-239-2939.
http://www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com
Labels: High Voltage Transformer, Low Voltage Wiring, Voltage Drop Calculation
I have low voltage wiring in the ground and recently purchased a fountain with a 120V plug. Is there a way to tie this in with the low voltage line. I want to try to avoid having to buy a low voltage pump for the fountain.
No Low voltage wiring does not have a ground wire which you must have for line voltage outdoor lighting or especially for fountains. Your best bet is to run the correct UF CABLE or conduit from the house to the fountain. Ge sure to install a GFCI device for safety. FYI - finding a low voltage pump will be quite the challenge.
Labels: Fountain Lighting, Low Voltage Wiring, UF Cable
I''ve used a connector to repair my malibu lights cable that my lawn guy keeps cutting. It gets the lights back on for a couple of days than it goes out again. It always seems to come down to me re-doing the connector in the same place. It looks as though there is some kind of heat build up and the connector and cable look kind of melted. Any idea what is going on?thanks
I am not a big fan of the CONNECTORS unless they are feeding a single light off a home run wire. We do offer SPLICE CONNECTORS for feeding branch circuits off home run wires but you have to be careful not to exceeed the stated capacity of the wire. I would suggest that you simple cut the wire and splice the connector using silicone filled wire nuts. This is just my humble opinion.
Labels: Connectors, Low Voltage Wiring, Splice Connectors
Lost wiring diagram for this product.Transformer came factory wired with a 110Volt house hold plug. However Cord & Plug were removed prior to being hardwired to a dedicated 110
circuit.
Question,
which wires
coming from the transformer are for the 110V supply? there are 3 pairs of wires, 2 black pairs
in which one of the pairs has a single bk wire connected to one side of a
circuit breaker and the red pair was wire nutted by the factory and
specifically stated installer to leave as is. HELP!
OK, sounds like you have a
SEBCO BUCK AND BOOST TRANSFORMER. If you hook X1 and X3 together and X2 and X4 together you get 12 volts. If you hook X2 and X3 together and use X1 and X4 you get 24 volts. Either way, one load has to go through the circuit breaker. Any more questions, contact
john@phantomlighting.com.
Labels: Low Voltage Wiring, Phantom Lighting Transformers, Sebco Transformers
Recently We had invested over 45k in new landscaping and one of the last and final stages was lighting. The company we were dealing with has went out of business. My problem is the light appears to have a short.I first checked the main Transformer everything looked good. Second I check the second connections and this looked
OK. I have a PVC pipe under the drive way and when we drive up the light go on and off ? Do you know what the problem might be?
I am assuming from your description that you have a low voltage lighting system. Most likely, you have a
12/2 DIRECT BURIAL CABLE,
10/2 CABLE or
UF DIRECT BURIAL CABLE running through the PVC pipe under the driveway. I would start by replacing the section of
LOW VOLTAGE WIRE that either has a short or a splice under the driveway. It's OK to cut the wire and
splice the connections if you have to to correct the problem.
Labels: Direct Burial Cable, Driveway Lighting, Low Voltage Wiring
