Let There Be Light: Lighting Installation

Landscape lighting adds sparkle to the night, illuminating architectural structures and plant life that once were lost in the darkness. By thoughtfully manipulating each beam of light, contractors can add high drama or subtle glow to a residential or commercial property.

"Lighting enhances a complete (landscape) job," said Kevin Lipscomb, president, Outdoor Décor, San Antonio, Texas. "It gives you satisfaction when the property looks as good in the evening as it does during the day."

Lighting prolongs the hours a client can enjoy the landscape and extends the living areas of a home to the outdoors, noted Thomas Meis, designer/technical services, Nightscaping, Redlands, Calif. "Most people are gone during the day at work, yet they have spent thousands of dollars on installing beautiful landscapes," he said. "Lighting allows them to enjoy what they have spent their hard-earned cash on."

Lighting also adds value to a property, Meis said. "A home with a well-designed, functional lighting system will sell much faster," he said. "Lighting can make the home a showplace."

Landscape lighting should thrill customers and exceed their expectations. For the best results, contractors must carefully plan installation, be aware of pitfalls and focus on continuing education.

PLAN AHEAD. Interview the customer to discover the purpose and desired result of the lighting system. Common purposes are safety, security and aesthetics, according to John Binkele, vice president, business development, FX Luminaire, San Diego, Calif.

An interview will help the contractor set himself up as the expert and advise the client properly, said Jerry Ewell, sales manager, Superior Irrigation & Landscape Co., San Mateo, Calif. He suggested asking what the customer’s lifestyle is like, offering a couple sample questions. What time of day does the customer use the yard, and is the customer viewing the yard from inside the home?

Consider in advance which landscape elements will be illuminated and which will be eliminated, advised Binkele. "Do a thorough site analysis," he said. "What are your lighting opportunities?" This includes everything from architectural structures to flowering trees, shrubs or landscape beds.

Lipscomb will set up portable lights at a property before he starts a project to demonstrate the possible end result. "Every house and every tree and shrub is different," he said. "You can’t just place lighting anywhere."

Generally, he said the fixture shouldn’t be seen, just the lighting effect. "If you see the fixture, you have done something wrong," Lipscomb said.

Ultimately, the lighting system should achieve an understated, balanced level of light while highlighting a few key focal points, Binkele said.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE. Here are some common problems and ways contractors manage them.

Voltage drop. The No. 1 mistake contractors make with low-voltage lighting is undervolting a system, which results in dim lights, Meis said. Installing a balanced landscape lighting system means selecting the proper cable size and managing the run’s load and length (See "How to Handle Cabling and Voltage Drop," pages 86-87). "Most people will try to install all the fixtures on one cable run and are surprised when that doesn’t work. Then they get frustrated and curse the low-voltage system as not being bright enough," he said.

All cable runs should be designed to operate between 10.5 to 12 volts, Meis said. Systems less than 10.5 volts will be dim, while systems more than 12 volts will be much brighter, but lamp life is significantly reduced.

Calculating voltage properly between 10.5 and 12 volts is critical. The proper formula to figure voltage drop, Meis explained, is: length of cable run times the number of watts on the run divided by a cable constant equals 1.5 or less. Cable constants are 7,500 for No. 12 wire, 11,920 for No. 10 wire and 18,960 for No. 8 wire. The cable constants are preformulated for use in the formula, Meis reported.

"Designing a cable run following the parameters of this calculation will work every time," Meis said. "The only ways to solve voltage drop is to either reduce the length of the cable run, increase the wire size, decrease the number of watts on that cable run or all three."

Using a multi-tap transformer can also solve voltage drop problems. These transformers, Meis explained, provide several different hook-up "taps," which will provide greater output voltages than the standard 12 and a greater voltage drop than the standard 1.5. "For example, if you start with 14 volts and need to end up with 10.5 volts, you now have a 3.5 volt drop allowance rather than 1.5," Meis said. "But be careful when you’re using a multi-tap. Since you are starting out with more than 12 volts, there is the possibility of having more than 12 volts at your closer fixtures. They will burn brighter than the others and will burn out much more quickly."

Binkele emphasized that the transformer must be designated UL 1838, meaning the product is listed specifically for the purpose of low-voltage lighting. Also, he said, look for a transformer that has a stainless steel cabinet, which won’t rust, and a large terminal block, removable door, plenty of knockouts, multi-taps and a modular timer with a photocell that can be easily replaced or added. Finally, multi-taps should not exceed 15 volts on the secondary side, all 120-volt parts should be covered and out of harm’s way, and the resettable circuit breaker should not exceed 25 amps.

Glare. Shield the light bulb and do not shine the light where it will hit someone’s eyes, Meis said. "A glaring bulb will attract a person’s attention and will also wash the surrounding areas in darkness," he said. "You will actually have a worse effect."

Other problems. Burying wires and keeping timers, switches and connections out of sight can prove challenging. "They must be in an area where they won’t be conspicuous," Lipscomb said.

Wiring must be buried deep enough, Lipscomb added. "Ideally, 3 to 4 inches deep would be plenty, at least in our area," he said. "In cooler climates, you have to lay wire below the frost line so there is no heaving."

Lamp selection for the proper effect is also important, Meis said. "You will not get much of an effect on a 40-foot tall tree from a 12-watt, bayonet-based bulb – like your car’s back-up lights," he said. "The proper lamp would be something of a higher wattage with a directional beam, possibly a medium spot or a wider flood, depending on the canopy spread of the tree."

Meis also stressed the importance of a clean, professional installation. Bury and hide cables, make clean, tight, waterproof splices, and strip wires taking care not to remove too many of the little strands off them (this creates voltage drop).

QUALITY PRODUCT IS KEY. A little bit extra spent on durable, quality materials will save money on repairs and replacement in the future. Generally, brass, copper and stainless steel are the most durable construction materials, Meis said. "Regular steel and composites will deteriorate over time, and aluminum will also take some damage," he added. "Plastic is extremely durable and long-lived but not very professional for fixtures such as path lighting and directional spots."

Using poor quality product from a mass merchandiser could doom a system to failure. Lipscomb said he gets a lot of calls to fix systems other contractors installed using these store kits.

Binkele stressed the importance of buying, specifying and installing products that are UL 1838 listed. "UL 1838 is the safety and quality standard for low-voltage lighting components," he said. "UL 1838 is specifically designed to address all the issues of the outdoor environment."

BE SAFE. Poor quality product can be hazardous, Meis said. "The contractor has a great amount of liability," he said. "You are working with electricity, so give it the proper respect."

Make sure fuses protect the transformer's low-voltage side, Meis advised. "Transformers without secondary side protection do not always blow the fuse when there is a problem," he said. "This can cause enormous damage from fires."

Safety is especially important in water feature installation. Generally, most city or county codes do not allow any low-voltage fixtures closer than 8 to 10 feet from the edge of swimming pools or spas, Meis said. Fountains and ponds are not included in those regulations unless humans use the water.

Make sure fixtures and the transformer are rated for underwater use, Meis advised, noting that home center kits are generally not safe for use in or near water.

Lipscomb said he has faced few – if any – installation safety hazards. His biggest safety concern is when crew members have to climb in tall trees to install downlighting.

Other hazards, Meis added, are the same as any construction process. "Be careful with what you do and how you do it," he said. "Many lighting contractors install fixtures in trees or under eaves of houses. Make sure you have a good, solid extension ladder, the proper climbing equipment and harnesses. We nearly lost one of our best contractors a few years ago when he fell 40 feet from a tree."

CONTINUING EDUCATION. Training, which many manufacturers offer, is critical to proper lighting installation. Products are only as good as the installation. "From the consumer’s standpoint, a poorly installed lighting job equals a bad product," Binkele said.

A basic electrical course may be helpful, but it is not necessary, Meis said. "Trial and error is a big part of learning," he said. "It usually takes four to five installations to really get a feel for this, and it takes years to really perfect a system that works for you."

Lipscomb observed that installation is not always as difficult as others make it out to be. "Installation is simple if simple procedures are followed," he said.