The long summer evenings are perfect for sitting out in the garden and if you’re thinking of installing some garden lighting, you need to spend a little time thinking about how to install it safely.
Before installing garden lighting you’ll need to make sure you have a transformer – a device which is used to transfer voltage from one level to another. A transformer is an essential requirement for the majority of garden lighting because garden lighting usually operates at 12 volts whilst the power outlets in your home usually operate at 240 volts.
The number of garden lights which can be operated from a single transformer is limited: you’ll need to look at the wattage of each individual light and multiple that by the total number of lights you intend to use. For example, if each single light works at 20 watts and you want to use eight of these lights in your garden, you will need a transformer of at least 160 watts.
The cables you use to power your garden lighting can, in theory, be as long as you want, however power will be lost as the number of lights and the length of the cable increases. Ideally the cable should be kept as short as possible and depending on the size of your garden; a number of transformers may be required.
It is also important to consider other issues when installing garden lighting such as using the correct cables and our services are available to cover this.
