Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Garden Lighting – 12V LED?
  • sl2000
    Full Member

    I’d like to put some lighting at the back of the garden.

    I’ve got a load of questions, but really after general advice and things to consider / watch out for.

    I’m thinking 12V rather than mains since I might be able to DIY 12V; and anyway there’s a tiled patio to get past from the house which I believe mains would need to be buried under.

    My plan at the moment would be to DIY the fitting of the lights and the wiring back to the house wall; doing a test connection to the transformer plugged into a mains socket. Then get an electrician to wire up the transformer to the lighting circuit.

    I plan to use around 4 MR16 LEDs, with scope to add more later if that’s not enough light (so maybe allow for 50W), mounted high in a gazebo and a tree.

    I’d bring the cable back to the house along our garden fence. This has some planting in front of it in places so the cable won’t look bad. What sort of cable should I use? 1.5mm 2 core SWA? Or should I put regular cable in a conduit; and if so what conduit? And then, what sort of junction boxes should I use? Something like https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/WK108B.html ?

    If I get a transformer like http://www.ledcentre.uk.com/238-12v-transformers-led-power-supplies/179-led-transformer-/-power-supply-60w-12v-dc-5.0a-waterproof.html I assume I just mount it to the wall.

    Thanks in advance for any help!

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I have eight 10W 12v LED floodlights down the garden path:

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/pjYqU9]12v 10W LED Flood light[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/pWyUPo]12v 10W LED flood lights[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

    I put a 12v Transformer in an IP66 box outside:

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/tLH279]12v Transformer in IP66 Box[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

    £5.5 each from Ebay (£55 for 10)

    E.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10pcs-12V-Warm-White-10W-LED-Floodlight-Waterproof-Outdoor-Flood-Lights-IP65-/171712711747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27fae00c43

    Transformer: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/sis.html?_nkw=UK+Stock+DC+12%2F24V+Universal+Regulated+Switching+Power+Supply+for+LED+Strip%2FCCTV&_id=151123354933&&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2658

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Re safety, you don’t need to protect 12V in any way, so you can just tack a cable to the fence (as I did). You’d get no more than a tingle if you bit through the cable, similar to licking a 9v battery.

    Flaperon
    Full Member

    I dare you to film yourself licking the output of a 12V 150W power supply and put it on YouTube. I shall then refer you to your previous statement:

    You’d get no more than a tingle if you bit through the cable, similar to licking a 9v battery.

    😀

    sl2000
    Full Member

    Re safety, you don’t need to protect 12V in any way, so you can just tack a cable to the fence (as I did).

    In that case, I shall do the same as you. Thanks!

    ian-r
    Full Member

    Footflaps – What power 12v transformer would you need to run ten of those LED spots?

    footflaps
    Full Member

    For ten 10W LEDs you’d need 100W on paper, so I’d recommend a 150W supply so it would last a long time.

    I have 8, which needs 80Ws, so I bought a 120W supply. The total cable run is about 40m, which means the end lights don’t get 12V and so don’t run at a full 10W, whole thing is about 65W IIRC, not that you’d notice they were dimmer than the others. I think the transformer cost £15 on Ebay and £10 for the box.

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    No reason why the transformer needs to be outside is there? Would save you the faff and expense of the waterproof box. Don’t think that would bring you on the right side of the regs as regards outdoor wiring, you’d need it all to be unpluggable indoors to be a temporary installation (happy to be corrected on this).

    Edit: looked again at footflaps pic, his whole 12v setup is unpluggable, since he has an outdoor socket. It’s the putting in of outdoor sockets that the regs would require a sparky in for, though if you’ve followed his other threads he is clearly competent in many of these things.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    No reason why the transformer needs to be outside is there?

    Yep, it cost £15 off Ebay and if it decides to burst into flames one night when I’m out, it won’t do any damage when it’s outside, bar melting a £10 box.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Neat installation that, footflaps, any particular reason why you ran the cable along the top of the fence horizontals, rather than underneath, out of sight?
    Other than being easier the hammer the nails in? 😀

    Flaperon
    Full Member

    ^^ Was also intrigued by this!

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Just being lazy, you don’t really see it as most of the fence is covered by Clematises. That side of the fence is North facing so gets no direct sunlight, so I’m not worried about UV knackering the cable.

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