Thanks for the reply, brickeyee. >100% loading is almost always a bad idea.I've ordered a 150-watt replacement to give myself a little headroom. >If you have the common vampire (simple clamp on) taps to the lights the line should be run a little longer.I've found that the convenience in installing those type of connectors are not worth the sacrifice in reliability, so I have not used them in this setup. >Just remove the last light but leave the cable the same length.Hmmm, not really an option in this case. That would leave a big dark pocket right next to the patio. Would it be worth splicing on the extra length if I carefully sealed the connections with a silicone-filled wire cap? >Water starts into the cable almost from the moment you bury it, especially from a cut end. Making it run a few inches to the first fixture gives you more time for corrosion to cause problems.Thank you for shedding some light on why the extra length is advisable. Didn't understand it until you spelled it out.

thanks for all the feedback. My only guess is water. I am in south florida so it rains a great deal. Because of the length of the cords provided in the lighting system, this was on the ground rather than screwed into the wall. do you guys know what the name of the connection is? The lighting system is connected by these unique inputs i havent seen before.

With the landscaping on your hill and the long drop from your sheer descent, the view from in your pool will be spectacular. It won't be long before you are floating your cares away. Are those lights on your columns? We have 3M carribean blue, but the color looks so different depending on the shadows and time of day that I would see if your builder can find a pool for you to see in person. Good luck and enjoy. Here is a link that might be useful:

if it is running through a transformer is there still current being used if there is no load on the transformer Transformers aren't 100% efficient, so they do use a bit of electricity even if nothing is drawing from them. Which is why they are warm to the touch. That's the waste electricity being transformed into heat. But they aren't always spewing out their full capacity, whether the lights are drawing from it or not. So there will be a slight savings. As geoff says, it probably won't be much unless you have a ton of lights. But I guess every little bit helps. You may not recoup the cost of the LED bulbs for many, many years.