Landscape lighting
- Thread starter Scrambled
- Start date
DOH!!! I have one of those and pulled out the timer. Then I went to the trouble to install a wall-mount X-10 socket when I could have just popped in an appliance module. What was I (not) thinking?
:unsure:Ooops! I knew I should include a link. I found this picture on amazon.com showing my landscape lighting transformer. You can see the plugin timer module (it plugs into a standard 110V socket on the inside wall of the transformer and a short internal 110V cord plugs into the timer module base. To use an X10/UPB/Insteon style appliance module just unplug the timer and pop in the appliance module). The price listed here is kind of *high* on amazon, but you can find these at professional landscape supply houses without too much trouble. I found these very useful in outdoor areas where installing an X10 switched outlet isn't very easy or reliable (i.e. freezing cold locations).
http://www.amazon.com/15PR900SS-Profession...143&sr=1-22
-Tim
Tim, that looks like the one unit I have. 11, 12 & 13 volts?
Jay+Tim
That is exactly what I want! But (there is always a but) I need something that I can afford. $600 for a transformer is a little steep for me. That is money I could use to get CQC.
I do have another question, what is the purpose for the 3 different taps of the voltage? 12+13+14 I would not think 1 volt +- would matter.
Steve
That is exactly what I want! But (there is always a but) I need something that I can afford. $600 for a transformer is a little steep for me. That is money I could use to get CQC.
I do have another question, what is the purpose for the 3 different taps of the voltage? 12+13+14 I would not think 1 volt +- would matter.
Steve
I'm guessing to compensate for a voltage drop (a higher tap) or if you're losing bulbs because your line voltage is too high (a lower tap).
If you look at the 1 volt changes as a percentage of the nominal 12V, it's pretty close to 10% per tap. That can be significant.
Do you have a "professional" landscape supply house in your local area? I would check with them first.
Your right that the amazon.com price is way out of line. I think I paid less than half that for mine. I really don't have the time to hunt, but just to give you an idea here are some cheaper prices (you really need to spend some time hunting either that or talk with a local professional supplier):
http://www.elights.com/90profsertra.html
http://www.elights.com/60profsertra.html
http://www.elights.com/30profsertra.html
Btw, these are stainless steel high corrosion units. You can find standard black non-corrosion units for 15% less too if you don't need that extra protection.
It is for voltage drop on long wire runs. It isn't uncommon for landscape wiring runs to span hundreds of feet. That can result in some lamps being brighter and others dimmer. I have that problem in my yard. I ended up using all of the taps on the transformer, 12ga landscape wire, and careful balancing of the load to get even brightness across my large yard, tricky but the result is great. One trick is to remember to loop the wire on longs runs so that the voltage drop averages out and lamps on the end don't look dimmer than those at the beginning!
dublin00,
say more about the loop technique. I have a situation at my other place where I just cannot get the end light bright enough under a palm. Wouldn't be that big a deal, but I have another identical light under another palm, on a different feed, on the other side of the drivway entrance and it's much brighter - drives me nutz!
say more about the loop technique. I have a situation at my other place where I just cannot get the end light bright enough under a palm. Wouldn't be that big a deal, but I have another identical light under another palm, on a different feed, on the other side of the drivway entrance and it's much brighter - drives me nutz!
Sure, the idea is to run the low voltage wire from the lighting transformer out to the most distant light and then run the other end of the wire all the way back to the transformer! You screw down both ends of the wire to the same terminals on transformer. It helps to have landscape wire that has that ribbing on the positive leg so you don't accidently cross-connect +12V and GND. Also, try to use a single continuous piece of landscape wire if you can. Splices get water in them no matter what you do and cause more voltage drop because of corrosion of the copper wire (landscape wire corrodes easily too!).
This usually works well in cases where you have a ring of lights around a yard, etc.. and the transformer is on the edge of the ring.
In the worst case you could need twice as much wire since it travels in a complete loop from the farthest light, although the return loop doesn't need to connect to the lights so depending on the situation it might be shorter if a more direct route back to the transformer exists.
If you have a meter you can also check the voltage at the light to see what the drop looks like before trying this. If you see a big drop then the loop will fix the dim light at the end of the string, although you should see one or two other lights near the end a bit dimmer too if this is the problem.
Do you know how much wire length you have on that leg? I'm guessing that you have already tried swapping lights and taps, etc... to make sure that it isn't equipment trouble?
That is VERY logical. Appreciated. That run is about 200 feet. Voltage slowly drops on the run. I don't know how long the other run is as it was existing. I'd guess it's 1/2 that distance.
I put in the run that has the problem. Well, I extended it a lot. It goes out the back of the house, around it and way out to the street. The one that's OK goes out the front of the house to an area parallel to the other.
I will try the loop. Thanks so much!
BTW. I think this is important when you have a fair number of lamps. I keep sketches (in pencil) of each run's transformer capacity, each lamp draw and any splice locations.
I put in the run that has the problem. Well, I extended it a lot. It goes out the back of the house, around it and way out to the street. The one that's OK goes out the front of the house to an area parallel to the other.
I will try the loop. Thanks so much!
BTW. I think this is important when you have a fair number of lamps. I keep sketches (in pencil) of each run's transformer capacity, each lamp draw and any splice locations.
