Hi Experts! (total newbie here ) I have an existing transformer (FX Luminaire UL 1838, 900Watt) from the previous owner. Starting a new landscape lighting project and have a few questions: 1. Given this behemoth transformer, would you advise to have a hub (see the first image) and maybe run a thicker 8/2 wire or maybe even a couple from transformer to the hub and then thinner ones (12/2?) from the hub in all directions? The distance between transformer and the hub is 40-50 ft, so 40-50 ft could be subtracted from the remaining runs (in the first picture the run from the hub to the rest of the lights would be 148ft - 50ft = ~100ft). Also, please note that blue dots are not the lights, they are dots I used for plotting runs. 2. On the 3rd image, a path along the driveway, what lights would you recommend? Trying not to have mushrooms, maybe something low profile... Well lights in-grade or something to drill into the driveway? Or something else? 3. Also, on the 1st and the last images what path lights would you recommend? Again, looking for something low profile to install along the lawn's edge along the sone paved walkway around the house. Thank you!
Fellow landscape lighting enthusiast here. It's a bit difficult to make meaningful recommendations without knowing how many fixtures will be on your runs (and where they'll be located) and actually seeing the landscape features where you want to install the lights. Having said that, I think your approach--placing one or more hubs some distance from your transformer and then connecting your fixtures to the hub is a sound one. For the purpose of distributing power equally to all fixtures, it's generally a good idea to keep the wire runs from your hub roughly the same length. Because one of your runs would be over 200' and because you may want to add more fixtures later, I think 8/2 is an ideal choice. Others may disagree with my recommendations so I encourage you to run your plan questions by others before and during the planning/purchasing process. Your path light fixture question is relatively straightforward. Your lowest profile path light option is the turret top style well lamp followed by the beacon style fixture. I've included links to the well lights and transformer wiring guidance. You can also reach out to VOLT customer service directly for feedback on your planning and purchasing options. Hope this helps to get you started. https://www.voltlighting.com/shop/landscape-lighting/well-lights https://www.voltlighting.com/wp-con...ZZpGxmZYtW7henJkwtqxHAJDKcdEb9VwnN_cV0in9CMQd
Thank you! Does running 8/2 between the transformer and the hub/junction box and then thinner wires (12/2 or 10/2) where length of run may be shorter, make sense? Or do I need to run the same gauge between the hub and for every run, even shorter ones, like 140 feet with only 40-50 watts of load?
TBH, I don't have enough experience with runs of those lengths (my longest run is about 70 feet) to confidently address your question. Because cable isn't cheap, I highly recommend that you speak directly with customer service at VOLT for further guidance on avoiding voltage drop, kma.
