Low-Voltage Lighting Installation - (You will need an outside outlet protected by a GFCI receptacle. If you do not have a GFCI protected outlet, help with installation is included.) One of the benefits of running low-voltage lighting is that you can make it a DIY project regardless of your experience level. Low-voltage lighting kits are readily available at hardware stores and home improvement centers. Outside of a few tools and materials, these kits come with everything you need: a weatherproof transformer (to drop your 120-volt power to around 12 volts), lights with mounting posts, connectors and power cable. You will need to supply a screwdriver, wire stripper, wire nuts, a weatherproof outlet cover (if there isn't one already installed), a spade and a tube of silicone sealant.
Start by locating an outside outlet near where you want to install the lights. This outlet should be weatherproof and protected by a Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlet. The GFCI outlet protects you from a short circuit in locations which are subject to moisture, including garages, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms, in addition to outdoors. Leaving the transformer unplugged, mount the transformer on an outside wall near your outlet, attach the cable supplied with the kit to the transformer and lay the cable along the area you want to light.
Begin connecting the lights to the cable, following the manufacturer's instructions, as there are as many different ways to connect the lights as there are manufacturers. Leave yourself extra cable between lights so you can move them around if the placement isn't right the first time. If you use wire nuts to make the connections, squirt a bit of silicone sealant into the wire nut after you make the connection. This will protect the connection from moisture. Once all connections are made, position the lights and push the mounting posts into the ground.
To make for a neater installation and protect against tripping hazards, bury the cable between the lights by opening up a slit in the ground with the spade. Push the spade about 12 inches in the ground and rock it back and forth to open a gap. Continue intil you have a small trench between the lights. Place the cable into the trench and press the trench closed with your fingers. Once this is done, plug in the transformer and check to see that all the lights work.
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