Garden lighting prefered methods

[J.C.E]

Evening guys

just looked at a really nice local house with a lovey garden!

she wants 20x spike lights dotted around her garden- split into 4 zones
will be using a 4way wise box fitted at the shed in the bottom of the garden

what are you guys prefered methods if price isn't too much of a decider...

go low voltage and have the 4x trannys next to the wise box then hi-tuff clipped around fence/flower beds in and out of each fitting via a wiska box and gel.

or keep in 230v with simular methods ^^

 

[Rocboni]

I'd be going LED in this day and age (not sure if you count that as low voltage, not the traditional low voltage lighting as we know it anyway, actually extra low voltage )

If constant current you'll have to wire in series, constant voltage in parallel as usual.

In terms of actual installtion, I'd say resin joints are the most reliable if buried Is a must, but not much good if things need replaced.p as they inherently do eventually.

I'd advise on wiska boxes on a bit of unistrut hammerd into ground, keeping j/b off the ground SWA and stuffing gland out to light, done a few external sockets like that.

 

[MJPD29]

Swa and stuffing gland or swa with cy outdoor rated armour gland?

 

[Octopus]

only the cable underground - all connections above...

 

[Midwest]

Don't ----ing mention garden lighting to me. Put some deck lights in my own garden a few years ago, replaced them twice, then replaced the led driver. Going to give the driver one last chance and then its curtains for the deck lights

 

[J.C.E]

I was thinking of taking a 5core 1.5mm NYY-J 230v cable clipped around the perimeter of the garden rather then burried (from a 4way wise box) say 100meters in length.

this terminating into:

ZONE1) 3x wall lights
230v loop in/out

ZONE2)1x 20w 12v transformer mounted in iP65 box
then 4x radials out of this into 1x 5w 12v LED spikes

ZONE3)1x 60w 12v transformer mounted in iP65 box
then 8x radials out of this into 1x 5w 12v LED spikes

ZONE4)1x 60w 12v transformer mounted in iP65 box
then 8x radials out of this into 1x 5w 12v LED spikes

keep the transformer inside a IP65 box filled with resin fixed on a spike just off the ground


lights: Compact Spike Spotlight - Black - 12v MR16 - http://www.lightingforgardens.com/uplighting/compact-spike-spotlight-black-12v-mr16

transformers: DC power supplies for use with Elipta 12v led lamps or led garden lights are available for mounting in an installer's choice of enclosure, in wall mounted enclosures or in a ground-burial kit - http://www.lightingforgardens.com/12v-dc-power-supply

 

[Mark42]

I was thinking of taking a 5core 1.5mm NYY-J 230v cable
...
keep the transformer inside a IP65 box filled with resin fixed on a spike just off the ground

I like the idea of 5-core NYY, so you have three separately-controlled circuits available at every junction, so changing the arrangements in the future is easy, especially if lever Wagos are used inside the junction boxes. I did the same in my garden, but with four-core SWA/Hi-tuf and two circuits.

Not sure about burying a tranny in 'resin'. I assume you mean magic gel? I reckon it would run hot and fail. If it's an IP65 box, installed properly, then there's no need for gel?

 

[Mark42]

I've messed with my own garden lighting for years, from before LEDs were invented, right back to the days of a 500W tungsten bulbs in GES sockets
I'm working on my own system this week. Personally I now prefer mains-voltage LED floods, with COB chips. They are the only fittings I've had in years which don't constantly fail and/or need boring maintenance.
In my experience any larger installation with 12V always goes wrong: either failed transformers, or corroded connections on the lamp holders. Although that was mainly with 12V halogens with higher currents than LED MR16s draw. Perhaps others' experience is different?
A couple of years back I tried some 12V encapsulated LED spike lights (ie with non-replaceable lamps) but within a year all had failed completely or were flickering. I changed the lot back to mains GU10 LEDs, which have been fine.
I recently bough some 'ultra-slim' LED floods from TLC:
Smartflood Energy Saving and LED Floodlights - https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Lighting_External_Index/Lighting_Floodlight_Index/Floodlights_Smartflood/index.html#LTUSF_10
They look like quality gear, and a mixture of amber and warm white looks good on foliage.
I used 30W and 50W for the house and big areas, and 10W or 20W for accents, and in trees.
One thing though - watch out for non-exterior grade rubber cable on fittings. I'm replacing this horrible stuff. It failed IR after only two years. (See my other thread ...)
Cheers, Mark.

 

[J.C.E]

i thought now a days its more popular to stick 12v lights in garden- bcos they are less prone to faults not the other way around??

 

[Mark42]

i thought now a days its more popular to stick 12v lights in garden- bcos they are less prone to faults not the other way around??

I don't really know - I was speaking only from personal experience!
Maybe I was unlucky. Let's wait to see what others' experience is.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I helped a mate fit some lights at a job on a church once, thing is the vicar had sourced the lights himself. these lights when turned on were like the air raid search lights used in WW2 during the blitz... they lit up the church and it could be seen for miles around from the hills. turns out he had bought them online and they looked the part but were way to powerful for his needs. in the end he bought some more suitable ones but it became a joke in the village. with them on it was like daytime inside at night and you could have cooked an egg on the glass they were so hot.
The message is clear less is sometimes more when it comes to lighting.

 

[Mark42]

... they lit up the church and it could be seen for miles around from the hills.
... and you could have cooked an egg on the glass they were so hot.

Ha Ha! What were they? Metal Halides?
I have one 400W MH I picked up years ago: it's bloody good
Vivid green light too - apparently the gas is doped with thallium, for those interested in the chemistry - and looks seriously weird from up the road.

 

[mattg4321]

Never had a Collingwood spike light fail on me yet. The drivers a couple of times yes, but locate them somewhere it's easy to replace

 

[1Justin]

If the customers can afford them, I'd go Collingwood.
I quoted the other day a cheapo one using off the shelf MR16 spike lights from Amazon and remote transformers. (Still not cheap enough, - waste of time that was) .
I would always avoid GU10, especially since they are nearly every time in Class 1 fittings. - On PME you might feel the need write a realistic (or optimistic, depending whether you are a gambler) risk assessment. Personally I like to stay safely out of court, hence SELV for me when it comes to spike lights.