Add the power of each light into the lighting design of your landscape. In this example, the total power is 240. Divide your total power by 1000 to convert it to kilowatts. It now has its consumption in kilowatts per hour (kWh).
It's important to calculate the amount of voltage you need to push the line to the accessories, so that you can select the right unit from the start. The size of a transformer is affected by the distance to the lights, the cable gauge, the voltage levels, the total load, etc. Some transformers have terminal outlets from 12 V to 15 V, others have an 11 V outlet and others up to 22 V. To use this calculator, select the cable gauge you will use to run, Enter the total power during the race (simply add up all the power of the bulb that will be on that route) and, finally, enter the length of the route.
You'll also need one or two transformers to reduce the 120 volts that come from your house to 12 volts for your outdoor accessories, 100 feet or more of garden cable, and a square-blade shovel. Once you have considered and calculated with the number of lights that the systems operate, you can look for a low-voltage transformer that has a higher minimum power. Before installing any accessories on the property, mark their approximate positions in the landscape with small flags or pencils. Most landscape lighting designers start their design by creating an approximate sketch of the property, marking where each light fixture will be placed.
As a professional landscape lighting designer looking to install and operate a new low-voltage lighting system, you should consider what transformer will be needed to convert your standard line voltage outlets that use 110-120 V into your 12 V-15 V low-voltage outdoor lighting design. If you don't want to do calculations, we've included a handy calculator so you can quickly determine the cost of your system (or any other electrical component). We recommend using a multi-outlet transformer to increase the voltage and make each landscape light exceed 10.8 volts. For this reason, stress loss tables and calculators were created, as well as all kinds of design time on large projects so that everything worked properly.
This consideration as an outdoor lighting installer allows your garden lights to work properly for many years and will reduce the problems of lights failing or ending up with weak outlets later in the line of cable connections around the property's landscapes, keeping your customers happy. and recommending customers for many years. This calculator is based on a 120 VAC input and a 12 VAC output for halogen bulbs and only serves as a guide to help you start your lighting project. And if you still want to see the old voltage drop chart and the calculator, I've left it on this page below just for you.
Gardening accessories are also available in LEDs, which will consume much less energy than traditional halogen or incandescent lighting. If you use the most powerful magnetic transformers for landscape lighting, it is always best not to exceed 80% of their maximum rated power. When installing 12V garden lighting, you must ensure that you also install the appropriately sized low-voltage transformer.
