Hello all- a fellow DIY’er here and having issues. I’ve been planning a landscape remodel for a couple years and started tackling the task. I’ve been doing it on a strict budget and it seems the landscape lighting is the casualty. I purchased a Hampton Bay 200 watt transformer. 8-low wattage Hampton bay 5 watt landscape lights. And 250 feet of 12 ga wiring. I did test it it out and the closer to the transformer the lights work. Once I try towards the end of the landscape wire nothing turns on, not even a flicker. Should I have went with 250 feet of 15 ga? Is the low wattage wire the reason the lights won’t turn on further down the line? Any solutions scenarios?
A bit more info would be helpful. How many runs do you have? What is your longest run (iow how far away from the transformer are the lights that don’t turn on)? What type of connectors are you using? Are your wire connections suitable for direct burial? You may have faulty connections at those lights (especially if the connectors at the end of the fixture lead wires are the snap together type with prongs that are designed to pierce your LL cable). If the connectors aren’t the issue, a thicker gauge (10 ga) could solve the problem. Others may have additional suggestions.
I second the approach @Mesodude2 recommended. 12-gauge is typically rated for used up to about 150ft - with LED lighting there can be some "wiggle room" to length guidelines depending on transformer output and wattage on the run among other things, but at 250ft this is likely the source of your issue. 10-gauge would be more ideal for 200-250ft runs, and 8-gauge is typically rated for uses up to about 300ft.
