LED Landscape Lighting

[D45]

After getting a $2,550 estimate from a local company, I decided that I will do it myself

I don't want junk and want something that will last, but is still easy to install

My understanding is that I need the power converter box, the light fixtures/stakes and the wiring

Anything else?

Is there a one stop shop online I can order everything from?

Not looking to buy from the box store chains

 

[cybrdyke]

In landscape lighting, all the big box stores and 99% of the internet sellers sell junk.
Top brand names in this category are Hadco, Kichler
You'll need a transformer that will come in an enclosure, so think of where you want to put it. Most common places are in a garage, a basement or crawlspace. You can get one with a built in timer, which is nice...or with a photosensor. These are expensive, so figure out how many total watts you will have in lights and then get the appropriately sized transformer. If you get one too big, you will overspend.
Most of these lights come with a two wire pigtail. You'll need a landscape cable to run the length of your design. Get some silicone filled wire nuts (king or ideal). The piercing type connectors can work, too, but they're slower and IMO less reliable.
Good luck
CD

 

[Git]

I don't want junk and want something that will last, but is still easy to install

You get what you pay for. A single 'fixture' can easily be in the $80-$100 range

Here are some examples from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n:553784,p_4:Vista Pro

good transformers aren't cheap either
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AY07VQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Make sure you go LED. As I recall, there was a rule of thumb that no more that 100 watts on a run (12-2). That used to mean maybe two or 3 lights per run, but nowadays with led lights pulling around 5 watts each you could run 20. Also you won't need as big of transformer with led

 

[Git]

Regarding wire nuts - I recently made some changes to my existing lighting and used these. They worked great - especially if your trying to join 3 or 4 wires togethor

http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Blazing-Products-Wire-Connector-p/lv9500.htm

 

[D45]

Kichler is what the $2550 estimate used

They have nice stuff.....the transformer will be mounted under the outlet on the brick front of my house. Photocell with timer, just a timer, or just the photocell?

I'm thinking a 200 watt transformer will be plenty

10-12 of the LED fixtures will only pull 30-40 watts

 

[Hawk]

"Photocell with timer, just a timer, or just the photocell?" Depends, do you want the lights to glow all night, just the photocell. If you want them to burn up till a certain time, Timer.

 

[j-guenth]

I have Vista Lighting.

The have very good products. They should be available around your area. The system has been in since 2009 and the only problem I have had was trying to move the light away from the tree trunk was the tree roots have grown around and into the stack.

I believe Vista Lighting is made in the US.

 

[cybrdyke]

I'm thinking a 200 watt transformer will be plenty

10-12 of the LED fixtures will only pull 30-40 watts

See, that's what I was tryin' to tell you. If you're only gonna use 40 watts, then get a transformer around 60w max. Save yourself a bunch of money.

Make sure your transformer is outdoor rated. (NEMA 3R)
CD

 

[BruceH]

"Photocell with timer, just a timer, or just the photocell?" Depends, do you want the lights to glow all night, just the photocell. If you want them to burn up till a certain time, Timer.

Not quite correct as you can have both. My transformer is switched on by the photocell and I can vary the "on" cycle or let the photocell turn it off. Great unit.

http://www.amazon.com/Moonrays-95432-200-Watt-Light-Sensor-Rain-Tight/dp/B002PN4Z8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443995097&sr=8-1&keywords=low+voltage+transformer

 

[Hawk]

Sorry but I figured the op realized I meant that the photocell can turn it off and the timer can turn it off.

 

[PT Doc]

Our landscaper likes to use Sollos or FX luminaire.

 

[Bigbandguy]

I have several timers in various places and they all have failed, even the one I bought new. Since I changed all my bulbs to LEDS they are just on all the time since power used is so little. My suggestion would be a photocell as those timers generally ****.

 

[cowboyjosh]

After getting a $2,550 estimate from a local company, I decided that I will do it myself

I don't want junk and want something that will last, but is still easy to install

My understanding is that I need the power converter box, the light fixtures/stakes and the wiring

Anything else?

Is there a one stop shop online I can order everything from?

Not looking to buy from the box store chains

How many fixtures? What size transformer? Was it the stainless professional grade Kichler transformer? List some details of your quote. I just replaced all my halogen Kichlers with all new LED fixtures earlier this summer and have about 50 total fixtures on my property. Good product, no failures and I like their new wire connector that is made by Blazing. Also like 3M wire connectors

Kichler Pro Connectors
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BN14TI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

3M connectors
http://lightyournight.com/product/3m-dbr/

Used these path lights
http://lightyournight.com/product/kichler-15870-6-dome-led-path-light/

Used these on larger trees and pines
http://lightyournight.com/product/kichler-16014-led-low-voltage-flood-light/

Used these on some focal points and smaller trees
http://lightyournight.com/product/kichler-16011-led-low-voltage-flood-light/

Have this transformer and the 600 watt transformer left over from when the fixtures were halogen.
http://lightyournight.com/product/kichler-15pr900ss-low-voltage-landscape-lighting-transformer/

 

[cowboyjosh]

If you're trying to do allot and are not on a Kichler budget, try VOLT lighting. I have NOT installed these, but I had a client who I built a house for install these and he is indifferent on his opinion of these. Just thought I'd put it out there as another choice

http://www.landscapelightingworld.com

 

[Shiftless]

I have several timers in various places and they all have failed, even the one I bought new. Since I changed all my bulbs to LEDS they are just on all the time since power used is so little. My suggestion would be a photocell as those timers generally ****.

My Malibu transformer is in the garage so it's out of the weather and has held up for over 25 years. I don't use the built in timers but I use a simple plug in lamp control timer. Plug the timer into a receptacle and plug your transformer into the timer. Run the low voltage wire out through a small hole in the wall and you are good to go.

Previous poster cybrdyke is absolutely correct in saying you don't need a huge expensive transformer just get one and a half times or two times your expected load in case you want to add a couple more fixtures in the future. Dont use those piercing type connectors. Silicon filled wire nuts are the way to go. Maybe regular wire nuts sealed with a product called liquid electrical tape. I used to use those piercing connectors and they were very unreliable.

Also, realize that if you find a household voltage outdoor fixture that you like, you can get low voltage (12 volt) replacement bulbs (either LED or incandescent) with the same screw in base size as regular household bulbs. So you really aren't restricted to only buying the "low voltage" fixtures. I have bronze metallic finished wall sconces for either side of the garage door that I plan to run with low voltage bulbs. Not yet installed.

 

[D45]

I'm hoping for 10-12 total fixtures...... All LED

 

[marksland]

We install landscape lighting as one of our services. Look into Unique Lighting. They can be purchased at John Deere Landscape Supplies (many locations in your area). Vista is also another decent brand, also sold at John Deere.

For the number of fixtures your are looking at, the price you were quoted is actually very reasonable. Plan on spending a minimum of $100 per fixture, LED bulbs run from $10 on up, depending on type and wattage. A transformer is going to be in the $300 range, wire, connectors, satellite hubs. photocell and timer will add another few hundred dollars.

Good Luck!

 

[GDPossehl]

I have a feeling LED landscape lighting will have an increased market share in the next year or so--especially so in big box and solar applications. I'm holding out for now. I bought a single solar light from Walmart to test it out. The light color was too white and didn't match the rest of the house, but the brightness was acceptable. No wiring, no power usage, $30.

 

[Trey T]

I bought all my Malibu LED lights and transformer (100W Hampton Bay 12vac) from HD.

I have 6 uplights (house corners and trees) and two for walk way and a roll of 12g wire. Spent under $350OTD and just piece together the system, pretty simple. Been using it for about 2yrs now and it's been great.

 

[D45]

http://kichlertransformer.com/led-transformers.html

In addition to the transformer, do I need a controller?

I am looking at this:
Kichler 15TP300AZT Transformer 300-Watt Timer/Photocell

Seems like it would come with a timer and photocell (ei, the controller?)

 

[Git]

3M connectors
http://lightyournight.com/product/3m-dbr/

They sell similar connectors at Lowes?Home Depot or even Amazon ($12 for 25)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FBOOOC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

But they just didn't work that well for me with 3 wires - typically when your adding a light to the circuit. They work great for 2 wires

I found those ones I linked to in my first post and wished I had found them earlier

 

[Denwood]

This was from my build thread..did a composite deck this summer with LED lighting. Hampton Bay stuff from HD. I tossed the splice connectors (****) and solder/shrinked all connections.

There are 12 lights..you can see a few here.

 

[D45]

What does everything think of this kit..........

http://www.totalledmalibulighting.c...power-pack-timer-photocell-180ft-cable.html•8 x LED path lights

•4 x LED Flood lights
•12 x Fast-Lock Wire Connectors pre-installed
•1 x 75watt commercial multi-tap power pack with photo cell & timer - Lights use 40watts leaving 35watts for future expansion
•180ft. 16AWG / 2 outdoor rated low voltage direct burial cable for durable long lasting performance

Is there anything else I would need?

 

[D45]

Do they sell long clips or staples that hold the low voltage wiring snugly to the ground?

 

[cowboyjosh]

Do they sell long clips or staples that hold the low voltage wiring snugly to the ground?

Get the landscape fabric clips at Home Depot

 

[D45]

What does everything think of this kit..........

http://www.totalledmalibulighting.c...power-pack-timer-photocell-180ft-cable.html•8 x LED path lights

•4 x LED Flood lights
•12 x Fast-Lock Wire Connectors pre-installed
•1 x 75watt commercial multi-tap power pack with photo cell & timer - Lights use 40watts leaving 35watts for future expansion
•180ft. 16AWG / 2 outdoor rated low voltage direct burial cable for durable long lasting performance

Is there anything else I would need?

I ordered this kit, along with two more LED lights that mount directly to the fence posts, to help illuminate the gate

The transformer is large enough, so that I can add more lights down the road if need be

Bought a 300 pack of landscape staples for only $14.97 shipped on Ebay

 

[cybrdyke]

It's been a few years since I've seen Malibu lighting, but back then it was the poster child for cheap plastic lighting....right up (or should I say down) there with Toro.
CD

 

[Trey T]

^The malibu LED uplights I got are cast-aluminum stake and housing, quite suprising actually.

 

[AP2TUDE]

Is there a limit to the length of runs you can have with any of these setups? We are starting construction soon and I am looking to have lights dispersed over 1.5 acres on various trees.

Will I need multiple transformers or can I just use multiple runs with variously placed hubs?

 

[Git]

You should do some calculations beforehand

How many lights (watts) the length of the run, size of the wire, etc

Take a look
http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Determining-Cable-Size-s/7929.htm

 

[D45]

Finished and it turned out great for $485

I think there's 12-14 fixtures pulling only 32watts

The 300w transformer has alot of Power left for the backyard

 

[bzinsky]

I've installed 4-5 lighting systems. This is a great time to do it. LED lighting has changed the game. Not only do they put a huge dent in the electricity cost, they also reduce the hardware cost since with low voltage you need some pretty thick wire for halogen systems.

Few things I've come across-
-Be careful of bulb color, white light looks horrible and attracts more insects.
-I used to piece stuff together because the industry hadn't adapted from halogen to LED. The transformers were far more powerful than needed, and the wiring was far too thick. They were all just really expensive. Home depot is a great place to buy stuff now where it wasn't just a year ago.
-Malibu Transformers/photocell at home depot work great. Used to have issues since some of my bulbs called for 12v AC, some 12v DC, some didn't like a particular photocell, etc etc. The malibu unit doesn't seem to care. Everything just works.
-Great budget light setup, I have 20 of these installed at my house.
These fixtures http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030BES04/?tag=atomicindus08-20
+ these bulbs
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009DRF3VW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

someone on amazon tested them and they are only pulling 1/2 watt each

Attached is a photo of my fence with those exact fixtures and bulbs
-I also have malibu LED spotlights installed a few rental properties and they have held up to quite a bit of abuse.
-For burial wire I've mostly used PVC jacketed speaker wire from mono-price. Depending on your length and wattage, it's unlikely you'll need anything larger than 16 gauge. I used 18 gauge in series for that section of fence.

Hope some of that helps

 

[bdamico]

Volt Lighting is pretty good and if you read around on the pro landscape forums, pros got pissed about Volt selling to consumers. my neighbor has had volt lights for a while. they look good. the cases look well built. good warranty. that's what i'm putting up in the spring. I'm not paying a pro to do it again after how much the last install cost me -- the fixture quality felt as good as the ones I spent hundreds on for a previous pro install

 

[bzinsky]

Volt Lighting is pretty good and if you read around on the pro landscape forums, pros got pissed about Volt selling to consumers. my neighbor has had volt lights for a while. they look good. the cases look well built. good warranty. that's what i'm putting up in the spring. I'm not paying a pro to do it again after how much the last install cost me -- the fixture quality felt as good as the ones I spent hundreds on for a previous pro install

I've never used them, but it seems like they have pretty reasonable pricing for the quality

 

[bdamico]

I've never used them, but it seems like they have pretty reasonable pricing for the quality

I've been doing a lot of research on diy led landscape lighting over the last few months and the Volt website is one of the first google results. The claims and warranty are so good compared to the cost that I actually wrote Volt off as ********--

but I happened to be over at my neighbor's--who is another diyer I totally respect--and we got talking about his landscape lights and it turns out that's what he uses--so he walked me through all the fixtures and power supply and it all looked to be the pro quality that Volt claims and I experienced before in my last house after paying $5k for lights. Then I did more research and happened across the pro forums where they were bitching about Volt selling to both pro and consumer -- so I'm sold.

 

[WhiffySpark]

http://kichlertransformer.com/led-transformers.html

In addition to the transformer, do I need a controller?

I am looking at this:
Kichler 15TP300AZT Transformer 300-Watt Timer/Photocell

Seems like it would come with a timer and photocell (ei, the controller?)

You choose what you want when you order it. 300 watt is a decent size I wouldn't go any smaller

Don't buy anything from el cheapo. $2500 is a fair price for 10-12 fixtures to be honest.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I've been doing a lot of research on diy led landscape lighting over the last few months and the Volt website is one of the first google results. The claims and warranty are so good compared to the cost that I actually wrote Volt off as ********--

but I happened to be over at my neighbor's--who is another diyer I totally respect--and we got talking about his landscape lights and it turns out that's what he uses--so he walked me through all the fixtures and power supply and it all looked to be the pro quality that Volt claims and I experienced before in my last house after paying $5k for lights. Then I did more research and happened across the pro forums where they were bitching about Volt selling to both pro and consumer -- so I'm sold.

That's not the issue. The issue is volt didn't have them ul certified or something along that line

Yeah they've been bitching about the pricing for ever. It's not because they're quality, they just believe pricing should be a secret. I don't think they're terrible quality but I won't use them. I don't trust them in a clients property.

 

[manwithtools]

I just ordered 6 spots, dusk to dawn sensor, power supply and connecting cables from Superbrightleds.com. I'll try to remember to report back on the quality of this setup when it arrives and I have chance to get it installed.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

Low voltage landscape lighting is a pretty straightforward project. Buy a transformer, run the wire, and screw in your fixtures. They make it easy these days. I have just about 1000' of wire and approx 15 fixtures running off my 1200 watt unit. I bought Portfolio? brand from lowes.

 

[bushmechanic]

Pay attention to what you buy, and how well it's supported so far as optional accessories are concerned.

A family member of mine installed $25,000 worth of exterior LED lighting. It had all the potential of being great. The wiring was amazing, and quite complicated given the zones and scheduling.

The lights weren't cheap, and this was installed by a professional.

Here's the problem. He called me over when it was done to have a look, knowing well that I'd give a deadpan, honest opinion on everything.

As soon as I showed up, I said he needed diffusers. He needed them badly. The entire light-scape, while arranged decently enough, suffered a tiring and sharp contrast "pointillist" effect.

The entire project, including 300 tri-axle dump trucks of dirt and innumerable plants, large boulders, water features, and so on, was derailed by something as simple as a clear lens.

So, go buy some filters, right? Wrong.

The manufacturer does not offer them to this day, and because of the design of the light housings, it would be very difficult to make or adapt other filters to attach without either breaching the seals or overheating the diodes.

That's another problem; the heat. These are some of the worst LEDs I've ever seen, so far as efficiency is concerned, and they aren't sinked even remotely properly. If you stuck a filter on that glass just to get by, they'd pop.

The Baja Designs LEDs on the front of my Land Rover run cooler, and dissipate heat more evenly.

Don't make the same mistake. Look at the parts catalog. Ask how long the company has been in business. Make sure you pick a popular product line that's been using the same housing design for a very long time.

If you can't get the parts to tailor them to your use over time, it's a waste of money. First, you could end up with a less than desirable result; like he did.

Second, half the fun of lighting is being able to adjust it every now and again and create neat effects.

Don't take a professional's word for anything without investigation. Be sure your long-term investment enjoys long-term support and a thick catalog of parts for customization.