One of the most important steps in installing low voltage outdoor lighting is getting the installation of your landscape lighting transformer correct. However, this is a step that many people don't spend enough time on and mess up as a result. Here are a few steps on how to install the transformer, converter, or power pack that you have for your outdoor lights to make sure that your low voltage lighting system look exactly the way you intended it to.
The first step in installing any lighting transformer is trying to figure out where to place it. You need two things for an ideal installation of your transformer - easy access to an outdoor, weather-proof socket and close access to your lighting fixtures. Most homes will have a few outdoor electrical sockets, but if you have one that is too far away from your light fixtures, you may need to call in a professional electrician to wire one closer for you.
The reason for this is that as you run any electrical cable further from its source, the total amount of power in the line declines due to some of it actually being lost to the cable. This isn't a really big problems with normal household electrical cables because they carry 120v of power. Losing a volt or two or five from this is unlikely to have any effect. However, with low voltage cables you only have 12v to work with. A loss of even a few volts here will make a significant difference in how bright your lights are and whether they actually work at all!
If you can't get the transformer close enough to your light fixtures you will need to up the voltage that your line carries. Sixteen to Twenty-two volts are still considered generally safe for use as low-voltage lighting.
Once you have gotten your transformer close enough to your lights, the only thing that is left for you to do is mount the transformer. You should have it mounted either on the side of your house or on a post that sticks up out of the ground. While your transformer will be weather-proof, you still don't want it sitting in standing water. Sitting in water and mud for long enough will eventually cause it to short-circuit and you will have to go out and get a new one. Avoid this by taking the few extra minutes to mount your transformer.
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