Best Landscape Light Transformer

You should pick a transformer rated for 25% more of the total Wattage of lights you intend to use. At the same time, avoid buying a transformer that's way too big for your chosen lights – poorly regulated transformers can damage lighting if you don't use enough bulbs.

Do you need a special transformer for LED landscape lights?

To install low voltage landscape lighting, you will need a transformer to reduce the 120-volt output from your home electrical system to the 12 volts used by low voltage landscape lights. You will first want to determine how many and what specific low voltage landscape lights you plan to use for your project.

How many landscape lights do I need for a 300 watt transformer?

Again, if you want to connect twenty landscape lights to a low volt transformer, and the lights are pulling 4W / 7VA / 35 Watts of halogen power draw on the system, you would need a 300 watt transformer.

What voltage is best for landscape lighting?

For most residential applications, 12V landscape lighting is superior, preferred and more common than 120V outdoor lighting.

What happens if a transformer is oversized?

Wattage through a transformer is governed by the load it is supporting. An oversized transformer will not appreciably use more power than several small transformers supporting the same total load.

How big of a transformer do I need?

To determine the required transformer VA, multiply the secondary voltage by the required amperes: For example, VA=Volts x Amperes or 28V x 1.2 amperes = 33.6 VA. To determine the maximum transformer current, divide the transformer VA by transformer secondary voltage.

Can I use any transformer for LED lights?

LED drivers and electronic transformers for retrofit LED lighting are not interchangeable. They differ in output and load compatibility i.e. which LED lights they will work with. The fundamental difference between the two is that LED drivers output DC while electronic halogen transformers output 12VAC.

How do I choose a transformer?

To select the proper transformer, determine the input and output voltages, frequency and current. The faster the voltage changes, the higher the frequency. The higher the current, the more heat is produced. Other equations apply.

How many low voltage lights can you put on a 200 watt transformer?

If each of your LED lights uses 2 watts, then the Moonray would supply enough power for 100 lights (200 divided by 2 = 100).

How far can landscape lights be from transformer?

For example, put fixtures 15-30 feet away from the transformer on one run; fixtures 25-40 feet on another run; fixtures 30-50 feet on another run; and so on. The goal is to have all the fixtures on a run be roughly the same distance from the transformer so they have similar amounts of voltage drop.

How far can I run 16 2 landscape wire?

As a guide, for 16/2 wire, you can connect up to 132 Watts as long as the cable isn't more than 100 feet. Any more than that, and you're likely to have issues with the lights not working properly.

How far can you run 12 2 landscape wire?

Wire Gauge	Maximum Wattage	Distance the cable can run for 160W lights
12/2	240W	52 feet
10/2	300W	82 feet
8/2	480W	131 feet

How long can you run landscape wire?

Lighting Tip: You can run 12-gauge about 100 feet without voltage drop issues as long as the total wattage of the fixtures on the wire is 100 Watts or less. Also check that your wire and connectors are listed for direct burial which helps prevent corrosion and other weather-related problems over time.

What is the difference between 14 2 and 16 2 landscape wire?

A: 14 gauge wire is bigger/thicker than 16 gauge.. wire gets bigger as the # gauge smaller..

Is 12V more efficient than 120V?

12V Is More Energy Efficient Low voltage systems are more energy efficient than 120V systems. They typically use 20 to 40 percent less electricity than 120V, and that savings is even higher if you use LED lighting.

What happens if you overload a low voltage transformer?

If you exceed the max amps the fuse will blow before the transformer, but don't panic, you can easily buy these fuses at home improvement stores, just make sure you buy the same size that came with the transformer and insure that it is a slow burst fuse.

How much should I oversize a transformer?

In fact, recommended loading for economic sizing of a transformer is typically around 75% of nameplate (35% load, if constant, means the transformer is oversized and wasting core loss as well as well as higher purchase price.)

How do you know if a transformer is overloaded?

Compare kVA, voltage and current against the transformer's nameplate. If the power consumption is greater than information listed on the nameplate, there's likely an overload.

How many watts do LED landscape lights use?

On average, a moderately sized house with landscape lighting installation in Tampa, Fl, has about 20 LED lights. Since the most used LEDs consume 8 watts, running twenty 8-watt LEDs for 5 hours per day can amount to about 18 kilowatts per month.

What does 40VA mean on a transformer?

A 40VA transformer is rated for 40 VA or volt-amps on the secondary. For a typical 24 volt secondary, this is simply using Watt's law to calculate amperage.