is usually
installed along walkways, steps, and driveways, pointing up at trees,
walls, and fences. The typical low-voltage lighting system requires
just three components: a transformer, low-voltage electrical cable, and
the fixtures
The transformer is used to step down
the 240-volt house voltage to just 12 volts. It should be plugged into
a Weather-protected outdoor electrical outlet. This outlet should be
fitted within a Weather-proof enclosure, which is an oversized plastic
box that closes over and around the power cord. The transformer needs
to have enough capacity to support the total wattage of all the lights
in the system plus about 1 watt for each 3 meters of cable in the total
length of the run of lights. Between fixtures
Pathway or Walk lights
come in dozens of styles at a wide
range of prices. Pathway lights are designed to light a specific area
that is directly underneath and within a few feet of the light fixture,
like a driveway or walkway. These are usually spaced 6-10 feet apart.
Place them any closer together and your walkway may look like a landing
strip.
Area lights
sometimes called spot, wash, flood, or
up lights – spread the illumination over a specific item or larger
areas. These are used to highlight walls, trees, shrubs, statues, etc.
Creative use of these lights can usually provide the most dramatic
effects of your landscape lighting.
