LANDSCAPE LIGHTING WORLD® FORUMS

Replacing Old Transformer --- Needs to Accomodate Existing Wiring

Discussion in 'Ask the Landscape Lighting Experts' started by Constant Troubleshooter, Feb 3, 2020.

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  1. Constant Troubleshooter

    Constant Troubleshooter New Member

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    I have a Nightscaping 1000W 12VAC Transformer that came with the house we boght 3 years ago. It was installed in 2004; the company is no longer in business. Recently, I've come to suspect one of the 25 Amp S type fuses is bad and I find that where I live, no one carries these and they must be ordered online. For that and some issues I have with the very crude mechanical timer, its time to replace.

    This transformer had slots for 8 12-2 feeder wires in four Type S fuse protected circuits; in the current configuration, 4 are being utilized. I've replaced all the incandescent fixtures with 6 W LEDs. When the system is fully configured, it will have 25 6W fixtures.

    There are actually 8 runs (it appears) in my lighting system, as four separate groups consisting of two 12-2 wires each enter the bottom of the transformer, but only four 12-2 wires plug into each of the hot and neutral terminals. Without completely removing the transformer from the wall, I can't tell what exactly the connections are within, but I'm assuming there are just some wire nuts joining the the dual pairs together with a pigtail then connecting to the bus block.

    Looking at various offerings on line, I'm having trouble finding a unit with four terminals to accept my four circuits. Some have four terminals, but the voltage outputs all differ, as if one would pick or prefer one over another, rather than using all of them simultaneously. Am I looking at these correctly?
     
  2. Evan K

    Evan K Community Admin Staff Member

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    At 150W (6W x 25) you would need at least a 300W transformer, a 150W would not work as we recommend only 80% of a transformers maximum capacity be used; as do most manufacturers. Fortunately, this is still a large step down from your previous 1000W transformer thanks to those LEDs!

    We do have two different 300W styles:
    Classic screw-style
    Clamp-connect

    I would be reluctant to recommend which one would be more ideal for you until we knew what the wiring setup looked like inside of your current unit. While the clamp-connect model is more convenient, it may not have enough clamps depending on how many wire runs there are.
     
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