HOW TO WIRE LOW VOLTAGE LANDSCAPE LIGHTING - outdoor landscape lighting connectors
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 เม.ย. 2020
- Must watch video if you are looking into learning how to connect your landscape lighting wire.
🔥FREE pdf download: The fundamentals of landscape lighting AND learn how you can make your lighting look professionally installed. course.aklighting.net/freepdf...
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💻 Website: The One Stop for All DIY Landscape Lighting. diy.aklighting.net/homepage
Landscape lighting is growing in popularity. More people are wanting to install their own landscape lighting, especially during this season.
If you are a DIYer looking into installing your own landscape lighting, click the link below to learn more about landscape lighting.
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I'm an electrician and do landscape lights not so often. I didn't know that trick with wires and twisting them. Thank you a lot!
You're welcome. Glad I could help!
So these type of lighting wire normally 18 away do they have Polaris side? Does it really matter which one you pick.
Twisting them? No offense, but I thought that was first day stuff
Are u really a electrician?
@dominickduran675 not a chance.
That was a really good video... thank you!👍🏽
Pointing out the wire with the words and ruff feel to match the light wiring was spot on! Big thanks!
Glad it helped! Makes wiring your lighting less intimidating when you understand that. Some older wires are near impossible to determine which side is which, but I don't expect many people will run into that problem.
A few other options:
Heavy duty crimp connectors plus outdoor heat shrink. These provide a very secure connection and fantastic insulation (the heat shrink's inside is coated with a glue that melts and expands when heated, so it fills every gap). Takes an extra minute or two, and requires a dedicated crimping tool + either a blow torch or heat gun, but it's far more durable. Plus if you're doing an in-line splice, it's way less bulky and visible than those grease covers.
3M Scotchloks. 3-terminal grease connector that's durable, provides great mechanical durability, and is specifically designed for splicing an 18awg lead into the middle of an existing 12awg run.
These are more on the professional side, and a tiny bit more expensive, but I cannot tell you how many hours I've spent diagnosing malfunctioning systems only to find a failure in a splice because the original installer used cheapo connectors.
100% agree! I really do love the heat shrink, but I have found the grease tubes work really well.
What heat shrink product do you use to cover the entire fitting?
Thats great but what about inline and not terminal connection?
I recently installed low voltage setup at my residence, used the blue wire nuts with red insert at the bottom filled with die electric grease in the nut.. worked very well. Push wire thru red cap twist like regular wire nut and will keep dirt out.. there like 8.00 for 20 pack…. passing it along as another technique … thanks for vid!
Thanks for sharing it!
Electric grease protects it from corrosion as well, (I work with low voltage landscape lighting) but good job !👍🏻
they are now 16 dollars for the 20 pack.
Great video. Thanks
Good stuff. Thanks.
Good video for making the connection. But how do I connect the next light down the path? I wish I could find a wiring diagram or video that explains how to run a string of landscape lights, and also how to split the line when you have 2 rows of lights.
Good question.
I’d like to hear this answer as well.
Helpful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Adam, what are your thoughts on the Lowe's line of low voltage transformers and fixtures?
Specifically their Kitchner brand 150w digital transformers?
Good quality?
I received a comment about it not mattering which wire goes where. I'd like to mention that although this is true, it is so much easier to keep track of your wires if you follow what is taught in the video. Good luck with your landscape lighting project!
Some of my fixtures are next to each other like a path light and a near by up light. Can I connect both fixtures to one feeder connector?? Or must they have separate connections?? Thanks
Forgive me for the late response, I must have missed this comment. They can be connected to the same connector feeder. The only two thing you should worry about is 1. being able to fit all the wires in the connector. 2. Each main wire can only hold so much electricity. If you have a few lights and they are LED, the main wire will be fine. Hope that helped! Let me know if you have any other questions.
excellent !!
Good video. Great tips. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! I appreciate it!
Very informative video
I have outdoor up lights that I need to extend the wire due plant arrangements have changed
Anyways what type of wire should I use? Can I make the extension between the original main wire? and the uplight wire?
Thanks
Thanks Roger! Yes you can extend the light. If you are only putting an extensions between 1 light and the main wire, I would use a 16/2 gage wire. If multiple lights are connected to the wire you are wanting to extend, if you have halogen lights I would use a 12/2gage. If its LED lights, as long as its under 7-8 lights, you can use a 16/2 gage wire. Hope that helped! Let me know if you have further questions.
on low voltage lighting, there really isin't any polarity.... MR-16 and other Bi-Pin lamps don't have any "Right" way of going in..... they just plug in.... on LED lighting, they may need polarity, but I'm pretty sure that they work the same way. unless the bulbs are specifically marked + and -..... I use the 20 Watt halogen lamps on my system and have never had any problem.... what brand light fixtures do you use? VOLT, or another brand.... I use Best Brand Landscape Lighting.... great pricing and nice fixtures.
The wires dont have polarity, they can be wired whichever way. I teach to match up the wires so it's easy to keep track of wires. I've taught a lot of people and this is something that keeps wiring straight in their heads. Helps to prevent errors.
low voltage AC LED lamps and fixtures typically have an internal rectifier that converts AC to DC. The main reasons to wire polarity consistently are to prevent confusion, and to keep from developing bad habits if you ever do wire a DC system.
do you have a link on where to buy those waterproof covers?
Hey Adam! This video was helpful. Is this the same process to connect the lights to other lights? I’m a little confused on how to “chain” them
Very helpful video but at 3:08 I think you need to put the connection much deeper into the cup with the gel. You could still see the copper wire. The cup is deep so that the whole connection can be submerged into the gel.
Yes I completely agree with you, I should have done that. I think I was so focused on what I was saying that I wasn't paying attention. Thanks for pointing it out!
@@aklighting8292 Your videos were super helpful in planning my low voltage lighting for our new home I am building.
Dude thanks
Are there spotlights with replaceable led light bulbs?
Thanks for watching the video! If you want to learn more or need help, here are 3 options.
🔥FREE pdf download: The fundamentals of landscape lighting AND learn how you can make your lighting look professionally installed. course.aklighting.net/freepdfdownload
✅ Complete Start-to-Finish Course: Get affordable professional help so you can install your lights the right way. course.aklighting.net/diylandscapelightingstepbystepcourse
💻 Website: The One Stop for All DIY Landscape Lighting. diy.aklighting.net/homepage
Sounds like pretty good advice to me... It's good advice for all of us. Аmazon offers great prices. What do you advise? ledhomelighti.com/landscape-lighting/
Can you link the connect sleaves? I cant find them online
Do i have to tape or cover the connection clip when already connected to the main wire to protect?
Nope. Those connectors will last many years on its own without tape. They're the best waterproof covers I know exist.
Trying to figure out what's going on with my Portfolio brand, Lowe's purchased, lights. They are about 5 years old and one by one have stopped working. I assumed they were the connectors (they are those awful ones with the twist down connector where the two points bite into the cable) but I have directly connected them to the feed line as well (with the caps as you showed here) and they have never worked that way.
I bought a 6 light kit and only two of the lights work. I know it isn't the wire itself too, because the light on the farthest end of said wire still works fine. I suppose it's possible the lights went bad but that seems like a really high failure rate. They didn't all fail at the same time. The first failure was maybe two years ago; I just removed that light since I felt it looked bad. The other three failed shortly after.
Some of my fixtures are next to each other like a path light and a near by up light. Can I connect both fixtures to one feeder connector?? Or must they have separate connections?? Thanks
If you have lights that their wire can reach each other, you can put as many as can fit in the connector. A 16/2 wire can fit about 3 lights + the main wire. A 12/2 wire can fit 1 light + main wire. If you buy the larger connectors, you can put about double the amount. Hope that made sense. The only problem you'll ever run into is if you have HALOGEN bulbs, you could exceed the amount of watts that the wire can handle. LED you'll be fine. Best of luck!
Is that a VOLT spot light? Is that what brand you generally use?
Thanks for the video! I connected my led lights but did not focus on the way the lights are connected. That is, whether the wires are backwards or the “right” way, they light up. Does it matter and will it damage the lights?
Great question. It does not matter and it will not damage the lights. I teach this way to help people stay organized.
@@aklighting8292 thank you for the reply :)
How to hook up the extension wire to additional lights? Do I just twist 3 wires together instead of 2 wires as shown in your video?
Yes that's exactly what you do. So if you have 3 lights and 1 main wire, you would have 4 wires with writing and 4 wires with the grooves. Best of luck!
But the lights come with only about a foot of cable on them that means my lights will only be one foot apart?
I just realized you have to separate the two wires. Thank you
You're welcome!
How do I connect the very end of the main wire. After Ank lights are connected.
Can you connect a low voltage pond pump To this and also how would you do it ? Cheers
Look at the pump, most (if not all) are AC. These pumps will NOT run off a DC transformer. Make sure the transformer is AC. Most outdoor lighting transformers are AC but you want to make sure. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the video, but this demonstrates how to connect 2 wires head to head. I have multiple led lights connecting in T to the main wire, how to do that.
Do the waterproof covers come with that Costco kit?
No, the Costco kit comes with a hub connector that has space for like 10 wires. I don't like that kind of connector, I usually buy mine separately from an irrigation store.
Hey just found your channel. Great videos and you make this easy to understand. I instantly subscribed!
I have mapped out my outdoor plan and have a lot done except purchasing my fixtures.
Problem is I still don't really get wiring. This is definitely something I have to do or see being done to understand.
Which one of your products goes into depth about wiring and perhaps may even have a sample wiring diagram of a job you've done.
I'm thinking if I see a wiring diagram it will help me. I'm a visual learner, ya know?
My project looks to be 20 fixtures, mostly spot lights, about 5 low watt puck lights and 3 path lights. This is all on paper as a rough draft though!
Great! I'm glad my videos have been helpful. So my course course.aklighting.net/diylandscapelightingcourse has an in-depth step-by-step guide that has diagrams and maps out how everything is wired. You can also purchase my help a long with the course, and I'll help you with any question you have throughout the entire installation process. I'd love to help!
quick explanation, hopefully it helps:
Place your fixtures. Lay out your 12/2 wire along a route that puts it next to each of your fixtures, leaving a bit of slack in the line near each one (I like to tie off a little loop next to each one as I go). Now cut the 12/2 wire at the point where you want to splice in the leads for the fixture. Separate and strip each conductor. You'll have the two leads from one side of the 12/2, two leads from the other side, and the two leads from the fixture. make a 3 way connection between the 2 positive leads from the 12/2 and the positive lead from the fixture. Do the same for the negative leads.
Repeat this process for each fixture. For the last fixture in the run, you'll just connect the leads from the fixture to the leads from the end of the 12/2 wire, completing your circuit.
which wire is negative
Do you have info on which gauge to use with low voltage. I believe it's based on the watts and the distance???
Safest option is to use 12/2 gage wire. Yes it based on the watts, distance, and also the type of bulb used. 12/2 gage can conservatively hold around 100 watts of lights, so give or take about 15 lights. If you'd like more information, I go over this and the entire installation process in this step-by-step course course.aklighting.net/diylandscapelightingcourse
@@aklighting8292 Thanks Adam, I'll get 12/2. I'm using led and replacing the halogen bulbs to make more efficient. I will be running two 12v lines about 100' each, so i'll get a roll of 250'. Your video is very helpful!
Glad I could help!
I use 12/2 as my main, then my lights I use 16/2 from my hubs. I extend my wires to what I need with butt connect and seal with heat shrink tubing.
Silicone inside of a wire nut and boom, waterproof, corrosion proof connection. Apply as much silicone as u wish
I would solder then use Heat shrink
Trying to get the FREE PDF download but after entering email address only getting the Recommendations file (not free). Not sure if I'm missing the link and not getting email either. Is this PDF still available?
Check your promotions tab in your email inbox. If you still cant find it I can send it to you.
@@aklighting8292 Not in the spam folder either. Used 2 different email accounts and same results.
I just sent you the email with the link.
@@aklighting8292 Thanks for the follow up. File received.
I installed my lights and they worked well. However, after 2 months and many rainy days, one of the lights became very dim. I just opened it at the wire connection yesterday. Apparently it was wet with dirt in it. I used the twist covers with the spike prongs to connect them. Now after looking at your video, I'm like well "duh, I could just connect the wires instead of using the end piece that comes with the light."
Well done for learning this! Yeah those prong connections are probably the worst connectors out there, and its sad that they come with most Lowes and Home Depot lights.
How do you do the connections on lights in the middle of the line?@@aklighting8292
What gauge wire should you be using?
12-2
I can’t find a video showing the installation of the Hampton Bay Led Color Changing Flood Light 100W 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔
I'll add it to my list of videos to make!
@@aklighting8292 thank you!
Self soldering heat shrink connectors - even better.
How can you tell if its the led bulb or a break in the wire?
If you are referring to a light that has stopped working, then hope this helps. If your bulb is burned, just replace it. If you have an integrated LED bulb and you can't replace it, more than likely its a bad bulb and you'll need a new fixture. A lot of the time if it's just one light out, then its the bulb. If multiple lights are out than it's a cut wire.
if it's a fixture that uses a replaceable lamp like an MR-16, the easiest thing to do is pull the lamp out and stick a multimeter in the socket. If you're getting voltage within the operating range of the lamp, replace the lamp. If you're getting no voltage, disconnect the fixture and check voltage on the main run. If there's voltage on the main run, it's the fixture. If there's no voltage on the main run, you've got a problem with your wiring infrastructure (in my experience, somebody probably put a shovel through a wire while gardening).
What if you get the wrong wires connected?
About 99.5% of the time nothing will happen. They aren't (+) and (-) wires, so essentially they are identical wires. I teach this way to keep things organized. Too often I see people wire up the same wire to itself and trip the transformer. Keeping this organized help ovoid that. The .5% of the time, I think certain bulbs or fixtures prefer the way I teach and won't work if the wires are swapped. (I run into very infrequently)
I use solder and heat shrink… no coming apart
I love heat shrink! Use them all the time.
👍
Will this wire support 120V ..?? The southwire landscape wire says rated to 150V. But i know that standard household voltage "rms" is 120V but its "peak" voltage is 170V.
My gut response is no. The transformer you install in your lighting system changes the 120V from the outlet to a 12-15V. I would not recommend putting high voltage on this wire. You can easily purchase high voltage wire.
@@aklighting8292 well high voltage is different from one place to another.
One place says 120V is low while others say its high ...
At this point its like who do you trust ..??
I have seen 300V landscape wire and have also seen 150V landscape wire ..
I do know what household voltage rms is 120V while its peak is 170V ... that there is a concern.
The 300V is obviously ok with 120V but that 150V wire is questionable
Hey man, I think the distinction that would help is knowing that low-voltage landscape lighting is run on a 12v. High voltage is 120v and above. Most residential homes have 120v.
I guess the question is, what are you trying to accomplish that requires you to need this specific information? If you are wanting to go with high voltage lighting, call a local electrician to help. If you are wanting to do low voltage, get landscape lighting wire and a landscape lighting transformer.
@@aklighting8292 i just like the landscape wire because its flexible, thin and easy to work with and it can be direct buried and its water proof ... i really dont like romex at all, its stiff and hard to deal with.
@@ACommenterOnTH-cam I agree, it's easier to work with. So just install low-voltage lighting and you're golden.
When you said main wire!! Where this main wire is coming from?😳
I’ve never understood why they don’t just make separate colors for the positive and negative parts of the wire. I could barely wire my stereo because the words were so hard to find.
Try looking for the grooves/ridges. Those are generally easier to spot than the indented style text.
Agreed!
Where are waterproof connectors avsilable?
I get mine at my local irrigation stores.
Oh wow. So I dont have to buy those fancy burial junction boxes!??
Are talking about the junction boxes from the Volt lighting kit from a couple of my other videos? Yeah, you don't need those, and quite frankly I don't like them. I suggest getting connections like the ones in this video. Best of luck!
@@aklighting8292 Thank you so much!!! Yes I bought my lights and transformer from Volt, but I was torn about the junction boxes. I'll get what you got instead.
I didn’t do words with words. Is that okay?
That is fine. There is no issue with that because the wires don't have polarity. However, I teach this way because its really easy to mix up the wires and connect the same wire to itself causing the transformer to shut off. Then you'll have to find out where you made the error. No worries if your lights are working fine.
Ferrell
😜. Sorry but your hat makes you look like Alvin from the Chimpmunks ! 🐿
So you basically made two big loops. Then what? I don't think you need to do loops, just run each wire straight and terminate them. Then connect the light across them. It's sort of like a ladder arrangement.
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.
Yes. You want to be wiring all the lights in parallel, not series (or else you'd get voltage drop at every light). Here he's demonstrating what would be the last light in a run.
Yes, this is very important and not shown in the demonstration. Most people want to run more than one light, so you should break the long cable from the transformer and not only strip the ends going to your light fixture connection but also another pair that will continue on to the next light fixture installation. So you're breaking the long main cable and stripping all four ends of that, then those will splice onto the individual lamps at that breakpoint.
"it's kind of got this gel stuff inside of it"
Best way is soldering.
What makes soldering the best option for you? I personally think that soldering is too labor intensive. I think heat shrink is the best.
Heat shrink will not keep connection from getting wet and corroding. Solder makes a permanent connection. NASA doesn’t use heat shrink to make connection. They solder. Just saying. Do whatever you think is best.
@@SparkeyDogfish solder won't keep a connection from getting wet and corroding either. Gel heat shrink will, though: when you heat it up, the gel inside melts, fills in any gaps, and provides a waterproof connection.
You can solder landscape lighting if you want, and they do make battery powered irons, but I personally would not want to walk around a yard with an extremely hot object that I need to set down in order to finish the rest of the work.
Of course you are correct. I will notify NASA right a way to stop using solder. Heat shrink is the way to go. And besides, it is a safety concern putting the hot iron down. They may bring down a satellite and all.
@@SparkeyDogfish NASA doesn't do landscape lighting. Every type of electrical connector has a different purpose. Solder is for connecting wire or components to PCBs, or making connections where space is at a premium. It does not provide insulation (NASA assuredly uses heat shrink over any soldered wire splices they might do), and it is impractical for situations where the technician is mobile because you can't carry an iron around (or set it down, without a stand) until it cools down. There's a good reason why almost all in-situ wiring (landscaping, architectural, etc) is done with terminals, wire nuts, and crimps.
Ya whatever. What did you do, find the most expensive way to do this?
Not sure I understand. This was is pretty inexpensive. Each of my waterproof connectors are about .50Cents. Curious to what you mean. Thanks for your comment.
I'm amazed people use such big gauge wire for LED lighting. A 3W LED will draw under .5A. Which is nothing for a very small wire like a 20AWG.
Actually its not better to have smaller gage wire. 1. It is easier to break and cut with that in the landscaping. 2. When you have a small gage wire you can't put many wires on it especially when you consider voltage drop.
Use a 12/2Gage, 14/2gage, or 16/2gage. Nothing smaller.
@@aklighting8292 I didn't say without a jacket. A 18AWG with a PVC jacket is very tough.
But i see your point about people digging into a thinner wire. I get it.
Okay, now put 20 more lights on the same run. Now take a clamp meter and measure current at the transformer.
Now turn the transformer off and rewire it with 12g, before you melt the insulator, causing a ground short at best and a fire at worst.
@@mrmanatee I assume by run you mean in series. But why 20? That is a troubleshooting nightmare.
With low voltage and low current draw..you're not starting any fires.
@@davec.3198 by run, I mean a length of wire on which you connect fixtures in parallel. You shouldn't wire in series; you'll be dropping voltage over each fixture and the lights at the end won't work.
If you want to trench in a new length of 20/2 wire from your transformer to every single light, you can, I guess. But if you're installing a significant number of lights, you will use a lot less wire (and labor) by powering them off a single run of 12/2.
I would point out that 20/2 will show more voltage drop over a distance, but that probably won't matter with only a single fixture as a load.
Those are crimp ferrules, and you should use the right size ferrule and tool in the proper way, not crush the whole thing in the flats of the tool. You'll get away with it in low voltage and low current (LED light) but this is not good practice. Also you should bury the connection deep in the cover as pointed out by others.
Conductivity not connection
Thanks!
Lol !
Bro easy on the autism
So sloppy
Oh, that was painful to watch.
Those are Buchanan Splice Caps.
The only correct and dependable way to crimp a BSC is to use the right tool.
The crimping tool you used is perfectly fine to crimp ordinary wire connectors like rings and spades.
The advantage to using a Buchanan dedicated crimper is that using that, the splice cap gets crimped from all 4 sides at the same time.
If a splice cap is crimped using the correct tool, the connection is almost perfect and it's permanent.
The waterproof gel cover works even if you use the wrong crimper, as you did.
But, if you are not using a waterproof gel cover, the correct way to insulate the splice cap is to put on a Buchanan insulated cover.
But, if you crimp the splice cap with anything other than the Buchanan crimping tool, the Buchanan insulated cover will not work because the splice cap is so badly deformed using the wrong tool that the insulated cover will not click on the splice cap and stay in place.
I 100% agree with you on the Buchanan dedicated crimpers! Love it! This video is meant to help DIYers who might not want to invest in a tool like that...although I probably should make a video using a Buchanan crimper to show people what is out there.
how do you link to the next light?
Do not do this. This guy does not know how to even use a wire stripper. Those crimps were way too large for those wires. This is not secure.
This guy should he banned. I can tell he never worked with electricity or any termination in that fact. Just look how much wire he exposed when stripping. He did not even know the fastner is a merit and when twisting two strands together he did not even cross or twist the number of times required per gauge
great video, thanks