If you have ever driven past a home in the evening and been drawn to its beauty, chances are the homeowners are making good use of strategic landscape lighting. We tend to ignore this type of lighting until we begin to study it, but that does not stop everyone from noticing its beauty when it is used properly.
Installing garden lighting is no job for a beginner, however. The type of lighting typically used in gardens and yards is known as low-voltage lighting and it takes professional know-how to install it safely and correctly.
What Is Low-Voltage Lighting?
Voltage is the “push” that causes electricity to move through wires. Most items in your home run on electricity at 120 volts. When electricity is brought to your home, however, it is under very high voltage, often as much as 50,000 volts. In order to use this electricity properly, a step-down transformer outside your home brings the voltage in at 240 volts, then it is “split” to provide the proper voltage for your appliances, television and lamps.
Similarly, your outside garden lighting is run on even lower voltage. Depending on the fixture, 11 to 12 volts is about average for an outdoor lighting item. This means that your home voltage must be further reduced to avoid damage to your outdoor lighting fixtures.
Another complication is that how far away from the source the fixture is also has an effect on the voltage. Therefore, the farther away a fixture is from the source, the more initial voltage the electricity will have to have to reach the light.
This Is All Too Much!
In addition to the electricity concerns, there are also concerns about outdoor lighting placement. The right use of uplight and downlight, color and other factors can create a beautiful outdoor lighting palette. However, those new to outdoor lighting may have trouble juggling the creative elements of this type of design.
Therefore, it often pays to have a professional help when you are designing and outdoor lighting scheme for your landscape. Juniper Landscape Company uses many quality products including those from Unique Lighting to give you a beautiful working outdoor lighting solution to your landscaping needs. With the help of Juniper Landscape Company experts, homeowners can not only design a “dream” yard but include lighting elements that carry its beauty into the evening effortlessly, highlight the home and other features, and provide safety for walkways at night.