Low voltage garden lighting

[machtucker]

Hi everyone,

 

I’m starting to think about designing lighting for my garden. I’ve considered a mains powered system however I like the idea of being able to install myself and to be able to add to it in the future. I’m now considering a low voltage lighting system with elements of it plugged into mains sockets which I will get installed in the garden. 

 

I can’t find a definitive guide to best low voltage lighting products. Are there some good ones people can recommend and some avoid brands too?

 

I have Phillips hue lights in my house but they are very expensive. I do however love the fact you can control each light individually from your phone. 

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Ed

[markc]

Hi, not much experience of garden lighting but when it comes to 12/24v lighting used outside on heavy equipment I can say that names and price tags mean nothing.  Red and white marker lights for example, think the ‘branded’ version are around £28ea and are garbage while the £4.50 made in China but bought from Poland are 100x better. Definitely worth trying a few depending on specific design or colour requirements etc.

[machtucker]

6 minutes ago, markc said:

Hi, not much experience of garden lighting but when it comes to 12/24v lighting used outside on heavy equipment I can say that names and price tags mean nothing.  Red and white marker lights for example, think the ‘branded’ version are around £28ea and are garbage while the £4.50 made in China but bought from Poland are 100x better. Definitely worth trying a few depending on specific design or colour requirements etc.

 

Hmm thanks maybe I will buy a couple and see what they are like. I also need advice on length of runs etc. Is there a max length or can I just keep daisy chaining as long as I’m below approx 80% of the transformer power rating?