I'm doing my first Volt installation and have some questions. You can see from the plan where I'm thinking of putting path and spot lights. I indicated on the plan what icons for each look like - paths are the small circles, spots look like a spot fixture (hard to tell in the photo). The spots are mostly on corners (stone) or trees. Any thoughts on the design? Number of fixtures? Placement? I'm going to do the area to left of the driveway first. I'm going to place the transformer (300w) where the "T" is. It's 106' foot along the dotted line to the furthest fixture. What gauge wire should I use? Do I need to add in the lead wires when calculating gauges? I have 7 spots (5w) and 12 paths (3w) on this area to the left of the driveway. Any recommendations on wiring? Where should I consider hubs? Thanks for your help....
Rusty, it looks like you've given this a lot of thought already and it looks pretty good! If you haven't done so already, I suggest reviewing the video titled "How to Create a Landscape Lighting Installation Plan" and the associated text. I went back to that repeatedly during my planning. Per that text, and the distances involved/number of fixtures, I think you're ok with 14 gauge. One idea is to split your 19 lights into two runs that use the daisy chain method: Run #1- Working from the transformer end, take the first 2 fixtures (a spotlight and a path light) then follow along the house and include the 2 spotlights. Go under the sidewalk, then also include the 3 path lights and 2 spotlights in the quadrant area bordered by the sidewalk. A total of 9 fixtures (37W). And, you'll only go under the sidewalk once. You could probably try a hub inside the quadrant area, but it might just add extra wire. Run #2- Starts with the 3rd fixture from the transformer (labeled as "path" on your diagram), then includes fixtures near the lawn side of the garden beds, plus those by the driveway. A total of 10 fixtures (34W). I like using the Pro Nano Junction connectors for daisy-chaining. Very easy and reliable. I used the 4' lead wires and didn't bother adding those into my calculations; granted, I went with 12 gauge cable as my runs were up to 150', so lead wire lengths were probably moot. The 300W transformer is a good choice as you now have flexibility to expand your system over time. The multiple voltage taps are also helpful if you start getting voltage drop issues due to long runs. One suggestion: I realize light placement locations are just approximate, but I do suggest relooking the number of path lights and their locations. The current design is probably fine if wanting overlapping lighting, but you could probably eliminate a couple of path lights near the driveway, especially if more interested in "pools of light". One question: How are you going to do the second phase (lights to the right of the driveway)? A second transformer? Long run around the house? Under the driveway?
Thanks so much for your reply. I like your idea about two runs and using the Pro Nano connectors. I think you're right - I'd rather have "pools of light" so I may eliminate a path light or two. I do plan on doing a second phase to the right of the driveway - I'm planning on doing that with a second transformer.
Rusty: I was going to suggest different options to light the right side of the driveway from the original transformer, but each would likely require a long run with large gauge wire to minimize voltage drop. A roll of the 10-12 gauge wire would cost more than a 100W Slimline transformer. Go with the second transformer. Bob
