Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Quick and Easy Low Voltage Landscape Lighting Installation

Maybe you have tried solar powered landscape lighting and you weren’t satisfied with the results. Low voltage outdoor lighting may be right for you. It’s great for accenting gardens, statues, and highlighting other landscape features. Although low voltage outdoor lighting is not as easy to install as solar powered landscape lighting, it is more dependable than solar garden lights. Although, it’s not as hard as you think. Map out your landscape design and bury the lighting cables in a shallow trench, run it through a conduit or bury it completely underground.

Furthermore, you don’t need to be an expert handyman to install your low voltage lights. Just make sure you map out your landscaping before you start digging and installing to avoid making any mistakes.

The planning process is pretty straightforward. Take a flashlight and test all of your ideas to see how certain objects and features would look illuminated. Play around with the light and hold it in various positions until you get the desired lighting effect you want. You are now done with hardest part.

Now you need to map out your yard and landscaping features. It doesn’t have to be exact. Just be sure you can determine the locations on the map and how they translate to your real yard. Now map out where you are going to lay your wire in order to power your low voltage landscape lights. This will allow you to avoid your driveway and other pathways and walkways that would be difficult to run wire under.

It really is that simple. For more details on how to plan, install, and maintain your lights, visit the following resources:
Detailed Low Voltage Installation Guide
Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting Guide

Friday, March 13, 2009

Quick Summary of Solar Landscape Lighting

A medium to high quality landscape solar lighting unit will work well in most areas. However, it is important to take your geographic and climate variables into consideration when choosing your solar lighting system. Some are designed to perform well in sunny locations while others are designed specifically for overcast, rainy, or snowy climates. The common theme between all of the different types of lighting systems is that they will only work well if they receive adequate amounts of sunlight. The manufacturer will inform you in the manual the optimal amount of sunlight your lighting system needs to perform well.

Your new lighting system will allow you to do so many cool things. You can try out all types of lighting designs for your landscape since many models are portable. You just pick it up, and stick it the ground near the object or feature you want to highlight. The days of digging up your yard or driveway to install the wiring for electrical lighting units is a thing of the past. So the remote areas of your yard that you could not highlight using traditional electric lights can be illuminated with your solar landscape lights.

Furthermore, there is a big variety of styles in the marketplace to meet your aesthetic tastes. You can choose from ultra modern designs to classic and antique styles. For your landscaping needs, you can use the lighting systems that are installed by staking them in the ground next to landscaping feature. There are also models that can be easily hung on wall hooks to illuminate entryways or even installed on top of fence post tops acting as a lamp. Your imagination is your only limitation.

External Resource:
Solar Landscaping Guide