convenient ways to manually control your
lights and, unlike hardwired switches, don't
require an electrician to install them.
5. How to ensure uniform brightness?
Attaching fixtures to one cable in a daisy
chain can overpower the lights closest to
the transformer and leave the last few
power-starved and dim. The solution: Run a
10-gauge cable out to a hub —a waterproof
junction box—and branch out with equal
lengths of 12-gauge cable. Keep the runs
under 50 feet, and power should arrive at
halogen fixtures in their sweet spot: 10.8 to
11.5 volts (for LEDs, 8 to 15 volts).
Low-voltage cables (left) must be buried at
least 6 inches deep. A plastic spike (center)
anchors the fixture (right) in the ground.
Similar to shown: Frosted Globe walk light
by Malibu with 11-watt bulb, about $20;
Total LED Malibu Lighting
5 Tips for DIYers
1. Where to buy? All the components you
need are available online at sites such as
Landscape Lightwerks or VOLT.
2. What skills do you need? Digging
trenches and connecting fixtures and
cables is straightforward stuff. But if you
don't have a 20-amp GFCI-protected
outdoor receptacle to plug the transformer
into, hire a licensed electrician to install
one.
3. What size transformer? To determine the
watt-capacity of your transformer, add up
the total wattage of all the lights you plan
to install and multiply by 1.25.
4. How to control the lights? Timers are
the most reliable automatic switches; the
best ones adjust for seasonal changes in
day length. Wireless keypads and fobs are
