Anyone *like* their low-voltage/outdoor lighting?

IVB

Senior Member
We're redoing our 40' x 30' backyard, and i'm looking to put in low voltage lighting as A)I can run myself, B)I can hook into my M1XOVR and automate it on the cheap. I'd only need to light a small portion of that.
 
But both forum searches, google searches, reveal very little that people are actually happy with. I have 4 open relay spots so I don't mind buying several transformers and mounting lights every 4-6 feet, ideally this will be my only light source.
 
So..does anyone have an LV outdoor/landscape lighting solution they are happy with?
 
I'm planning to do this at some point...
 
What I've planned to do is install a stand-alone, outdoor transformer (sold at Home Depot or other) to power the lighting. I'd simply plug the transformer into a Zwave receptacle.
 
Here over the years went from 4 1000 watt toroidal multivoltage / multicircuit AC transformers mounted inside of the home (even though they were outdoor style)  / halogen mostly landscaping lighting difficult to switch on and off (X10 worked best) to multiple DIN mounted 12VDC Mean Well (DIN cuz it was easy) now to 12VDC LED lighting switched by one UPB paddle switch.
 
I ran separate zones of lighting using 12 gauge outdoor landscaping wire.  (the 12 gauge is a bit expensive).
 
I have not seen any Toroidal type AC Transformers at the big box stores.  You can get a mini 300 watt commercial style toroidal 12 AC transformer reasonably priced over the internet.
 
Personally I wouldn't connect my lighting to my alarm panel; but that is me. Landscaping lighting today is controlled today by the HAI OPII panel via UPB.
 
Gotta step it up with those new individually addressable rgb LEDs for super light show fantastique.
 
I thought about this with an X1OVR but the calculations made it very difficult.   LEDs makes it easier, I did my calcs using the typical halogens and it was pretty much not doable on an M1XOVR.  The other concern is the overall power draw of multiple relays of an M1XOVR being active at once.  It is a significant hit on the M1's power quota, it can easily push you into an external supply.
 
I have the cheezy malibu lights.   The finish wore off after 3 years or so and the connectors suck, I recently started cutting off the connectors and using real splices in heat shrink tubes.  My neighbor has some kichler lights which look nice and I don't see him having to monkey with them all the time.  They're pricey though...
 
pete_c said:
Personally I wouldn't connect my lighting to my alarm panel; but that is me. Landscaping lighting today is controlled today by the HAI OPII panel via UPB.
 
Why? Concern over frying the unit?
 
wuench said:
I thought about this with an X1OVR but the calculations made it very difficult.   LEDs makes it easier, I did my calcs using the typical halogens and it was pretty much not doable on an M1XOVR.  The other concern is the overall power draw of multiple relays of an M1XOVR being active at once.  It is a significant hit on the M1's power quota, it can easily push you into an external supply.
 
 
I thought an M1XOVR has a 7A cap; how many lights do you run that it would exceed that?  I thought that would be far more than adequate? (Although I haven't spec'ed it out yet)
 
Well, maybe my math is wrong but 7A*12v = 84W?   For the path lights (halogen) they are 8W each, and the spots were 30W.  I had easily 500W on halogen going.   LED is a lot less though so you may be ok.  I have been buying my LEDs off Amazon, cheap generic scary looking ones with exposed boards, but they work so far :)  I lose maybe 10% of them a year, mostly in the open fixtures...
 
wuench said:
Well, maybe my math is wrong but 7A*12v = 84W?   For the path lights (halogen) they are 8W each, and the spots were 30W.  I had easily 500W on halogen going.   LED is a lot less though so you may be ok.  I have been buying my LEDs off Amazon, cheap generic scary looking ones with exposed boards, but they work so far :)  I lose maybe 10% of them a year, mostly in the open fixtures...
 
Well, its 7A @28VDC but still I see your point.
 
Uh, ok then. Its trivial for me to use zWave and I actually have 2 extra 15A ViziaRF appliance modules I can re-purpose.  I hadn't contemplated 12 gauge wire but I guess I could run that. How easy was it to work with, I'd imagine it sucks to route.
 
Why? Concern over frying the unit?
 
Here have an OPII and more worried about maybe lightning damage.
 
I have a few Kichler little lamps; last forever; modded them to LED.  The front walk is using colonial style lanterns.  I liked the build.  It is glass with a little glass cover over the bulb.  I did have 7 watt incandescent lights and went to 1/4 watt single LED bulbs that illuminate well.  The LED board is totally exposed.  Inside the lantern with a glass cover and a glass case it never gets any weather.
 
I initially went to 12 gauge cuz of the AC power drop.  I don't think you would see that with 12VDC.  I measure one 200 foot run and it is still at some 11.8 VDC or so.  I did similiar to the deck lighting.  All of the lamps used to be 7 watt incandescent.  I went to tiny LEDs which illuminate the same for a fraction of the power.
 
I helped doing an LED landscaping job doing the LED pieces last year.  Purchased Kichler LED lamps.  Good warranty; very expensive.  I made up a little PVC box putting a DIN rail inside of the box and a terminal strip on the box.  Its been now almost a year and doing well.
 
The LED spots / floods are very bright and all less than 15 watts.  You do not get that AC voltage drop down using LED lighting.
 
Here is a picture of the Kichler lamp I converted to LED.  Its been fine now for a long time.  The lamp is well constructed.
 
Have a few of these different and unique Kichler lamps.  One is a little wooden house; appears partly hand carved and looks to be made of cedar.  Its a PITA to get to the lamp.  That said its an LED lamp today and doing fine.  Some are mounted on 6X6 cedar posts.  I drilled holes in the center of the 6X6 posts for the 12VDC wire.  These are short 4 foot posts going into the ground maybe 2 feet or so.
 
Initially just went to the big box hardware store to "fit" the LED bulbs I purchased in what they sold.  I then went online and purchased the low voltage fixtures in bulk.  Crazy pricing at the box box stores.  Even on line some places sell high.
 

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I am using FXL lighting.   It is commercial grade stuff that is well built.   Like Pete, I am using a UPB controller to control the transformer.   The controller fits in the transformer box and is controlled by an astronomic controller that adjusts for sunrise and sunset.   The best decision that I have made was to go with LED bulbs a few years ago.   They have been running 12 hours per day for about 5 years with no bulb replacements!
 
For my new house, I have been looking for something as well built as FXL but at a lower price point.   I have bought some Volt brand lights.   They seem to be good quality, but I have not installed them yet.
 
It is very important to make good splices.   I used the type of splice where the entire connection is buried in a gel tube.    It has worked very well.   For buried use, I would not use the wire nuts that have a little grease in them -- or the clamp on connectors.   Water will penetrate and you will not have a good connection.
 
Yup divided up the 12VDC LED lighting zones into some 12 zones using multiple Mean Well DIN mounted power supplies which are 120-200 Watt. Probably too much for my use.  I am playing with one outdoor RGB LED lamp.  Its been over a year and still working fine.
 
Personally would like to automate the 12VDC side.  One neighbor here went to solar panels and batteries for his LV LED lighting.  Still working fine today after about 3 years or so.
 
Relating to the old 1000 watt toroidal transformers I had issues switching them on.  I did separate the circuits and tried initially Insteon, UPB, Z-Wave appliance style switches.  For whatever reasons these always tripped the breakers.  I then went back to older style X10 switches and they worked fine for a couple of years before going to LED lighting.  I never measured the loads on the toroidal transformers; but really didn't think the loads were that high.

PowerSupply-2.jpg
 
I highly recommend VOLT lighting.  I did my whole yard with their LED stuff.  All brass construction.  Very high quality and decent price.  The plastic stuff from home depot will rot out in a year or two.  The VOLT stuff is going to last for many years.
 
I use the OP II relays to control the individual zones.
 
Mr Spock said:
I highly recommend VOLT lighting.  I did my whole yard with their LED stuff.  All brass construction.  Very high quality and decent price.  The plastic stuff from home depot will rot out in a year or two.  The VOLT stuff is going to last for many years.
 
I use the OP II relays to control the individual zones.
 
Thanks, in doing my research, this stuff certainly looks the nicest online. I have no desire to redo this, and the rest of the backyard remodel will be perhaps $6K-$8K in non-labor (sand/stone/etc), so even if this is 3X the price and $1K all-in, I'd bite the bullet. Given the scarcity of time, I've grown to appreciate well built stuff that lasts a while, especially if I'm the one doing the donkey work to put it in.
 
and btw, that backyard is in northern california. All-in its 44 feet x 25 feet, of which i'm only actually redoing 18' x 22'. Deck already built a few years ago, thats for stone/sand/artificial turf/some minor wood. $6K-$8K, ugh. 
 
Here I converted the deck sconces (installed years ago) to LED; easy and quick conversion. 
 
Installing the original lighting years ago removed the deck railing cap drilling into the rails with lights. 
 
I also put a small section of cedar planks right under the rails.  No wires seen today.   Its a nice indirect lighting.  I do not every utilize the 120VAC lamps by the deck anymore.
 
deck-led.jpg
 
I went to cut limestone for retaining walls and borders.
 
limestone.jpg
 
The job/cutting took about 2 weeks being done as it was installed using a tub saw (I didn't do it though).  Originally checked out using big box store garden wall blocks.  Looks nice but brittle overpriced garbage.
 
Recently helped do a Kichler LED installation in above pictured like limestone walls.  They look really nice but are really expensive.  We put the Kichler LED lights on the stairs to the deck.  Also put in a little waterwall/waterfall / wishing well type set up with RBG lighting. 
 
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