[SprinklerGuy]

almost exclusively FX Lighting
We do some nightscaping if we need a specialty fixture.
Of course, we will use whatever the client wants if they push the issue.

[jwholden]

Yesterday I bit the bullet.

I went to the supply house and got the demo kit for landscape lighting. I picked up a whole bunch of fancy postcards and sell sheets as well. I have to give this a shot.

I will be mailing a letter to my existing customers promoting this new service and include some information about it with all of my design proposals.

If the customer has potential for purchasing landscape lighting I will do a 'complimentary' demonstration when I install their new landscape. There will be a nice spotlight on the jobsite sign as well!!!

In the future...perhaps a home show and an ad in a local upscale newspaper.

I like the fact that this service will give me some diversification, is not weather dependent, requires some creative input, and I love to play with electricity!!!

[jwholden]

I got a chance to try the demo kit today. I LOVE low voltage lighting!!! I was amazed at the different atmoshere the lighting created. I think my neighbors are going to get jealoous.

There are still some dark spots in these shots. The display kit is just a ton of bullet lights but can be set up and taken down very quickly. Just check out the results.

The first one is the front of my vinyl sided circa 1820 farm house.

[jwholden]

This is a dawn redwood on my property. I'm glad I got it before the leaves fell off.

Awsome.

[jwholden]

This last one is a Korean Stewartia in the foreground with a Sugar Maple in the backround. I have five lights going up that Maple and it is lit all the way to the top.

How can you beat that!

This is one add on that I will have no probelem recommending to my customers. I LOVE THIS STUFF!

[lhays]

Looks good. Think about backlighting a few of the plants around the house or try a 10 watt wall washer type fixture on a multitrunk plant to cast a shadow on the house surface. Redwoods are very difficult to illuminate because of their poor reflective properties. If you want to light them, trim the tree up, put one light at the base and two or more PAR 36 lights pointed up to illuminate the trees.

White trunked trees, such as birch look fabulous. Maples are awesome when lit. For a purple leaved tree or shrub such as a Plum or Cotinus, try using a muave or purple lens. To illuminate the glare on objects, adjsut the light fixture or try using a baffle, frosted lens, or even cut pieces of screen material to soften the light.

[Stonehenge]

It is nifty, isn't it?
Really changes the complexion of the night landscape.

[lhays]

BTW, I use almost exclusively Unique or SPJ Lighting fixtures. I do use the occasional Kichler for pond features. Unique transformers are the only way to go. The Multi-tap transformer (12-20 watts) allows for longer runs and fine tuning to get the correct voltage at each fixture. I am currently installing lights at a house that includes 8 transformers (4-600 watt, 2-840 watt, adn 2-1120 watt transformers) in addition to 88 lights.

[Stonehenge]

Wow - those are some big transformers! BTW, welcome to the boards lhays.

I don't think Unique has made it's way East yet, at least not to Wisconsin. Most of the lighting we do is on smaller lots, close to the house, so long runs aren't much of an issue. But I'll be doing extensive lighting at my new house, and will likely need some very long runs (I may even consider line voltage).

lhays - what kinds of long runs are we talking about?

Sounds like you know your stuff when it comes to lights. Have any good pics to share?

[lhays]

Probably haven't made it out to Wisconsin. They are based out near San Diego, CA. They do offer a very informative hands-on two day seminar on landscape lighting. It culminates in setting up a demo at a prospective customers house. The one I went to, we installed approximately 100 lights.

I have had some runs using 12-2 cable that were 80-90 feet away from the transformer.

I have certainly made some mistakes along the way. My first being not checking voltage at the fixture or hub and ending up with dim lights at the end or a run and very fast bulb burnout.

Lately, the problem has been with overloading the transformer by getting lazy and not determing the total wattage (# lights x bulb wattage)on the transformer prior to installation. I always figure each fixture at a 50 watt bulb. That way if the customer every does replace a 20 watt bulb with a 50-watt one for whatever reason, you won't have to woory about overloading. Also, it's recommended not to exceed 80% of the transformer's capacity.

If running multiple transformers on one circuit, watch the amperage pull from each transformer when loaded to ensure that you don't over load the crcuit breaker. (i.e. two 840-watt transformers fully loaded pull approximately 7 amps each.) If the circuit isn't dedicated, it will almost certainly trip sometime in the future.

[jwholden]

Ihays,

I went to a one day seminar on landscape lighting where they taught me just enough to be dangerous. One thing I learned is that there is more to this stuff than running out and buying some lights and a depot transformer.

They were big on having the voltage between 10.8 and 12.2 volts for each home run wire. Do you run all of your wires out and then have the fixtures 'spider' off or do you just run the fixtures inline?

The rule of thumb they taught was over 100' or 100 amps, use 10 gauge wire. Further, figure your transformers capacity as 75% of its rating, to be safe.

This company said that in my market 2 - 250 was a good place to be per fixture. I honestly thought it was high but the more I research this stuff that seems like a legit number, for a PROFESSIONALLY installed sytem. Hey, if you're going to do it do it right!

[lhays]

I agree, I figure the cost at approximately $150.00 per light plus $1.00 per watt transformer. i.e. 2 lights & 1 300-watt transformer equals $600.00 totally installed. I have never used 10-guage wire. I figure if the run gets that far, I add an additional transformer. Like you, I run home rum wires and then 'spider' off. We check the amps and voltage at the 'Spider/hub'.

[HRLand]

Aquarius Irrigation sells, or should I say used to sell Unique Lighting products here on the East coast. I'm not sure if they still do now that one of the owners started his own lighting company. From what I hear his ideas for the "spider" and "home runs" came from the guys at Unique.

[jwholden]

Loving the lighting...

[Terry D]

We use FX lighting and of course it is pretty simple stuff.

One secret that we use is to place the transformer into the heart (centrally located location) of the work.

This helps to send wires in different directions without having to double back. (This saves a ton of wire and resisitence).

The long runs are cut in half. (Also saves in wire)

There are less lights per run, thus you'll end up with much brighter lights when lit.

Isolation of problems in a run is much easier to detect.

On larger properties, don't be afraid of using more than 1 transformer, for all the reasons listed above.

I like to 'think irrigation' when doing lighting.........would you put 10 sprinlkler heads in a straight line with the last head 75 feet from the source? Of Course not, same with lighting....act like your installing an irigation system and the transformer is your valve!