Hi, I have a long fence in my backyard and I'm considering adding VOLT® Max Spread Brass Path & Area Light fixtures along the fence. I currently have 400 ft of fence divided into four sections (130ft, 98ft, 52ft, 116ft) The GFCI Outlet is approximately 140 ft away from the center of the fence (see diagram below). My questions are: 1. Given the diagram, where should I place the transformer? Next to the GFCI Outlet and then run all cables from the transformer to fence? 2. How far can I run wire from a low voltage transformer to light fixtures without degrading wattage (load) to furthest lamps? 3. What capacity do I need the transformer to be? 4. How many VOLT® Max Spread Brass Path & Area Light fixtures do I need? Assuming 400ft of fence? How far should I put them from each other? 5. What is the recommended wiring method given my layout? Thank you for your help
Hello Erick, It is generally best practice to install the unit in close proximity to a GFCI outlet and plan your wire runs accordingly from there. As far as the length of runs goes, we offer different gauges of cable which are rated for different uses. The most commonly used cable is 12-gauge; which is rated for uses up to 150'. Our 8-gauge cable is rated for uses up to 300'. Sizing your transformer is typically one of the last steps in the process as you want to avoid underestimating the size of your layout. So, after calculating the total wattage of your layout, determining what gauge of cable is needed distance wise, deciding what transformer features you wanted (timer controls, multi-tap, etc.), and accounting for any possible future expansion of the layout, this would be the final step. Spacing is largely preferential based on design goals but, the Max Spread has approximately a 16' diameter beam spread. For continuous illumination along a path, space about 16' apart. For independent pools of light, space about 20' apart. Given the linear flow following the fence lines, daisy-chaining would be the most logical method of wiring.
