Where buy high quality low voltage landscape lights ?

I have used 12 volt landscape lights for about seven years. During this time, I have used various light fixtures from Home Depot and Lowe's. Some seem pretty low quality, some appear pretty decent at first. But, they all leak after a few years.

I have also tried more "upscale" lights from a lighting dealer, costing in the range of $90 per fixture. They also leak after a few years. I see NO difference in quality of the "upscale" fixtures at $90 than what I buy at the big box stores at $15 each. No difference whatsoever. (Generally speaking, I am a believer in the saying that you get what you pay for. This does not appear to be the case with low voltage landscape lights).

Do any of you have experience with the long term use of low voltage landscape lights, and have you found decent fixtures with good seals, so that they don't leak after a few years ? If so, what brand/ store / etc would you suggest that I try ??

Thanks for any comments or advice !!

James

Reply to
James
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Every brand I've ever used is junk. Most of the line voltage landscape fixtures are garbage as well. The only possible exceptions are the very expensive bronze ones make by Hadco or Kim. I've tried resin and plastic, cast aluminum etc. None hold up over time, and those with bayonet and MR sockets crap out the quickest

Reply to
RBM

Go for the highest IP rating you can find is about all you can do.

Reply to
Cwatters

I've got a set of those cheap plastic lights with the clip in 4v bulbs here at my place in MI... had no trouble with them in the 4 years I've been here, and they were in before I got them... Judging by how many layers of mulch the wires are under, I'd say they've been running strong for 10 years now. The caps come off the top, water and snow fall in, but, it all drains out the bottom so the light doesn't have standing water.

my 2 cents

Dave

Reply to
Zephyr

What leaks, isnt the bulb in the bottom facing up. Wont water drip out, so a leak wont matter.

Reply to
ransley

*I get asked about low voltage lighting by my customers every once in a while. I advise them against it. I'm in New Jersey and the weather conditions are not optimal for that stuff. The connectors corrode or fall apart. The lights don't hold up well. Landscapers abuse them. Homeowners step on them. The ones low to the ground get covered with leaves. The one at the end of the line are dimmer than the beginning.
Reply to
John Grabowski

Yes, yes, I will look for those:

"I've got a set of those cheap plastic lights with the clip in 4v bulbs"

Think I could find these at Home Depot ??

James

Reply to
James
[ -- snip -- ]

The one

Not if you wire them up properly --

Reply to
JimR

Have you considered LED (light emitting diode) lights? Google "white LED Lights". Incandescent lights only only produce 5-10% light the remainder being heat and it is the latter that causes fixture failure. With leds there need not be any such fixtures. If you can live with red lights, red LEDs are even cheaper.

Reply to
Alan

One box of 4 that I bought very cheap, says right on the box that the solar powered batteries cannot be replaced. Lasted for 2 years. No evidence of water intrusion. Lights: LEDs. Lights hang down, not pointed up. No way for water to affect them unless you have more than 8" of standing water.

Tried them again in a box of 6, even cheaper this time. No battery replacement disclaimer. Similar design. 1/2 price sale, I'm buying another box for when these fail. Just connect the top section to the current assembly already in the ground, all working again.

That's my advice. Buy them while on sale, and buy more than one set for your application.

Reply to
Dioclese

"Alan" wrote

I think it depends on how much light one needs and for what purpose. I've not seen any low voltage garden lamps that give off much light and they certainly don't throw light any appreciable distance, they're typically used for minimally illuminating walkways. I also used low voltage lamps but I didn't like that they needed wiring and they also leaked. For six years now I've been using solar lights, they emit enough light to illuminate walkways. Even on cloudy days they recharge enough so that they give off light well past the wee hours when no one should be walking about anyway. The only time solar lamps won't recharge is when snow accumulates on the solar panels, but then the snow itself reflects more than adequate light for walking about, and it's a simple matter to brush snow off the panels. For security lighting neither low voltage or solar lighting is sufficient, for that one should have hard wired flood/spot lights with motion detectors. I've been using the same solar lamps for more than six years now, they still operate good as new and the lamp's appearance is as good as new. And eventually when the rechargeable battery pack fails it can easily be replaced, and for like $6. And there are now solar lamps that do emit enough light to illuminate relatively large areas and/or throw light a distance sufficient for a flag atop a pole. I'm sold on solar lighting, I would never again consider low voltage lights. I've already decided to buy a set of solar lights for my outdoor Christmas tree... no more 150' extention cord.

Reply to
brooklyn1

yes. this is the way we are going. we even have some solar LED lights that are really surprising in that they have been outside all winter for 2 years now and havent replaced the battery. The light is not BRIGHT like you can read from it, but we just want subtle lighting. Ingrid

On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 05:42:49 -0400, "Alan"

Reply to
dr-solo

on 6/8/2009 7:36 AM (ET) Dioclese wrote the following:

I don't think the OP is talking about solar powered lights. However I was in HD or Lowes last week and I saw solar powered lights that said the batteries are regular AA rechargeables. The problem I've had with solar powered lights is that the solar panel plastic turns milky and gets hairline cracks. I've gone so far as to buff the lenses and coated them with Future floor finish, but it doesn't last..

Reply to
willshak

I've had the same issue, as well as the plastic stakes being softer than the ground that they're pushed into (and the soil in my yard is very soft indeed.)

I would love to find a good quality light, either solar, low voltage, whatever that could be relied upon to last more than a year or two.

nate

Reply to
N8N

It was only a week ago and you don't know if you were in Home Depot or Lowe's... something is terribly amiss with your perceptive ability. Sounds more like you futzed with buffing and coating your lamp's solar panels when new out of the box, thinking you'd improve them, instead you destroyed them. Mine have been operating perfectly for nearly seven years and show no crazing or opaqueness whatsoever, and the only cleaning they get is from when it rains.

This photo was taken like a week ago, my solar panels look exactly like when brand new:

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Btw, anyone know the name of that plant, I would appreciate it, I can't remember and the tag is lost.

Reply to
brooklyn1

I have some that are still going after about 9 years. I coat the connectors with Dow Corning DC4 silicon grease. This displaces water away from any place it shouldnt be. Mke sure that if water does get into them it can drain out because water will get in. Mine are cheapys I got at Big Lots. The ones I have now uses bulbs but I will probably soon replace them with LEDs.

My neighbor has some that are more like 15 years old. They made there own enclosures out of sheet copper and stained glass, very pretty. Light fixtures are automotive. They also use the DC4.

The fixtures pretty much mattch their art deco porch light.

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

James-

My limited expericence is the same. :(

as per other posts, my opinion all LV fixtures are junk

I would suggest (worth a try) sealing the fixtures prior to installation with silicone seal OR if you want to try & maintain dis- assembly as an option.....a heavy application of silicone grease

IMO the only thing going for LV lighting is; fast & cheap to install I tell people that their new LV installation will require ongoing / never ending maintenance :(

the solar ones are kinda wimpy on the output & as near as I can tell the batteries cannot be replaced...but they are hard to for ease of install & maintentance

cheers Bob

Reply to
fftt

Have you looked into Aurora. They are not cheap, but I think that they carry a lifetime replacement.

Mike

Reply to
vMike

the ones I have are "solar" brand from Home Depot, the batteries are standard AA rechargeables. Downsides:

1) so flimsily made that they will break (from getting kicked, newspapers landing on them, etc.) before the batteries wear out. 2) solar panels haze over worse than cheap car headlamps

3) stakes are worthless plastic junk

other than that (ahem) they actually work pretty well.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Thanks Mike on the Aurora name. I will look for them.

As for solar lights, I have no need for them. I need far more light that what I can get from solar lights.

Thanks for all the comments everyone !!

James

Reply to
James

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