Got a client with an outdoor low-voltage lighting system in need of repair. Basically just 7 surface-mount lights on a stairway outside.
It's currently wired with some kind of zip cord, which may or may not be the right stuff. (Looks like 12-14 ga.) Here's what I'm proposing to do:
Tear out most or all of the existing wiring, which is partially buried, partially above ground. Using the existing fixtures where possible (see below), rewire using new wire of the correct type, burying cable as needed.
What I'm not sure about is the following:
- Correct type of cable to use: Checked at Home Despot, which sells something identified as "landscape lighting cable" in the form of 2-conductor zip cord, black, in several gauges. I'll probably use 12, as the run is less than 200' total, and voltage drop isn't currently an issue (when the system was working, all lights were equally bright).
Is this stuff OK to use outside? Two issues I can think of: buriabilty and resistance to sunlight. Parts of the existing wiring have deteriorated to the point of shorting out.
I understand from some online sources (like this one:
I realize I could use UF for this project, but that would be more difficult for several reasons, and much more expensive (UF is about twice the cost of the zip cord for the same gauge). So I think I want to stick with the zip-cord stuff. With UF, I'd either have to use junction boxes at each light, or figure out some Rube Goldberg way of connecting the lamps to the UF.
- Connections: The replacement lights I've looked at all have what I consider to be cheesy connectors on them, the type that stab into the cable and pierce the insulation. Not much better than those quick plugs that squeeze down on the cord and pierce it.
So I'm planning on going either with wire-nut connections or soldered connections. I'm thinking that soldering, which probably the best solution, is probably overkill, and makes later maintenance more difficult. So it seems to me that a good wire-nutted connection, wrapped in lots of electrical tape to keep out moisture, would be acceptable.
- Light fixtures: Currently the fixtures are those little round surface-mount ones that take a 7-watt halogen bulb, made of plastic. These appear to be all that's available today, at least easily: on a recent grueling research trip I visited both Orchard and Home Despot, which both have those Malibu units. Home Despot wins here because they also have these in metal instead of plastic. However, the metal ones aren't really much better, because in all of these fixtures, the weak point is the lamp socket, which appears to be identical in all types, just a simple push-in type of socket.
If anyone knows of better fixtures (that don't cost an arm and a leg), I'd appreciate knowing of them. These ones can be had for about $12 for the metal ones.
And no, the homeowners don't want different lights, like those upward-pointing ones or ones on stakes on the ground.