What are the guidelines for figuring out how large of a transformer I need. As a starting point I guess I would need to add up the total wattage of all lights that will be drawing power from the transformer, but intuitively it seems that I should take into account the gauge of my main power supply wire and also the length that it will run. Also, if I have two 100-foot runs, that will require more power than one 200-foot run, correct? If there is something on the Volt website that addresses these questions, please let me know. Thank you. Bill H.
Hey, Bill. I think you'll find the links below useful. Generally, you want to add up the total wattage of lights you anticipate using and then purchase a transformer that gives you at least a 20% cushion to allow for variables like wire gauge, wire run length, and wiring methods (which are covered on pages linked to both URLs below. There's about 60-65 lights in my system with a total wattage of 225-250. My two longest runs are about 75 feet each. 600W is overkill for the number of fixtures I have now but I wanted to have the flexibility to add on and possibly do longer runs (for moonlighting). Depending on the size of your lighting plan, you might be able to get away with a 300W transformer. HTH https://www.voltlighting.com/learn/create-a-landscape-lighting-plan https://volt-product-docs.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/is-transformers.pdf
