Landscape low voltage wiring heating up
dwojo
10 years ago
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ImNoBobVila
10 years agodwojo
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Low Voltage problem window AC/Heat unit
Comments (2)What was the condition of the panel bars where the breaker is attached? A poor contact there or at any other point could cause all of the problems you describe. A poor contact would increase operating costs, but only to a small degree. The wasted energy would be heat and if significant, would show up as smoke, smell, and possibly fire. After careful reading of your post, I think a good electrician is needed at your house....See Morelow voltage garage wiring connector question
Comments (7)kurto and bigbird: thanks for the advice. Exactly what I was looking for. My dear departed dad (high voltage POCO electrician, too bad I didn't learn more from him while he was alive...) always used Scotch 88 tape. I bought a roll a while ago. What an amazing difference from the Asian stuff. Reiterates the phrase "you get what you pay for." Thanks again....See MoreExtending low-voltage wiring (wire not long enough)
Comments (7)The basic layout should be 1) Your switch should be fed from the branch circuit. 2) The transformer should be in a junction box that is accessible - eg not behind a finished wall. The transformer will break eventually. 3) The power should run from the switch to the transformer on a continuous wire. 4) The wire between the transformer and the first light should be continuous. 5) The wire between the first light and the second light should be continuous. Any wire that you use before the transformer should be of the same gauge as the wire coming to the switch. Any wire after the transformer needs to be of at least comparable gauge to the wires that came in your kit, just longer. If that means you have to buy some additional wire for any of those runs, so be it. Even if the chance starting a fire with a low voltage wire is small, it still isn't something you want to splice and then hide inside a wall or ceiling. Treating 12V like normal voltage might seem like overkill, but you can easily start a fire with a 9V battery and some steel wool. Low voltage means that it won't kill you if you touch the wire. It doesn't mean that it can't create heat or a spark. If you are burying low voltage lights for landscaping, you don't really need to worry about catching the ground on fire. If you are going to put low voltage wires in your walls or ceiling or anything else that could burn, then you should take the same safety precautions that you would with any other wiring....See MoreLow Voltage Landscape Lighting. Can I connect 16/2 wire to existing 12
Comments (2)What ever you do, do not us irrigation wire nuts. Don't know where you are located but if you are near a large city or in one there should be a Ewing Irrigation Store close. Ewing1.com. They sell 3-M DBRY splice kits meant for higher amps than irrigation connectors. You have less than 50 watts on your 12/2 wire now and you are talking about adding another 15 watts for a total of less than 70 watts... ... ... not an issue what so ever unless you are planning on running those two lights over to your neighbors yard or you live on 10 or more acres and want to put them at the top of your driveway. Is your transformer multi-tap? If so put the 12/2 on the 15 volt tap that way you will have enough oomph to drive the last LED. The industry standard for 12 volt LEDs is an operating range of 9 to 15 volts. Less than 9 volts and the LED will not come on, more than 15 volts and you will burn out the circuit that drives the LED. As always take any advise with a grain of salt and read the instructions that came with the light fixtures and through the salt over your left shoulder. Hope that helps....See Morekudzu9
10 years agokudzu9
10 years agobrickeyee
10 years agodennisgli
10 years agodwojo
10 years agoNatasha Herman
3 years ago
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