Paul, if you are still here (or anyone else)....
I want to do some (low voltage) uplighting in my yard and on my house. I have determined that the most efficient layout will require three branches of wiring:
One will be 140W, 45' long. 4 lights (35W each), all spaced almost evenly (first light about 10' from the box, the rest spread out to the end, 10-12' feet apart).
One will be 70W, 35' long. 2 lights (35W each), one about 10-15' out and the next at the end.
One will be 40W, 70' long. 2 lights (20W each) at the very end, almost next to each other (uplighting a tree).
This is a total of 250W, so I should be able to use a 300W transformer.
My questions are:
-What gauge wires should I use for each? It's okay to mix and match, isn't it? Also, while I know professionals typically use 12- and 10-gauge wire, I have a coil of 16 gauge wire from a previous project that I would like to re-use, could I get by with that on any of these runs?
-If I have a transformer that has two posts and a common, how should I connect the wires? Should I put the 70W and 40W wires (110W total) together on one screwpost and the 140W on the other?
Thanks!!!
I want to do some (low voltage) uplighting in my yard and on my house. I have determined that the most efficient layout will require three branches of wiring:
One will be 140W, 45' long. 4 lights (35W each), all spaced almost evenly (first light about 10' from the box, the rest spread out to the end, 10-12' feet apart).
One will be 70W, 35' long. 2 lights (35W each), one about 10-15' out and the next at the end.
One will be 40W, 70' long. 2 lights (20W each) at the very end, almost next to each other (uplighting a tree).
This is a total of 250W, so I should be able to use a 300W transformer.
My questions are:
-What gauge wires should I use for each? It's okay to mix and match, isn't it? Also, while I know professionals typically use 12- and 10-gauge wire, I have a coil of 16 gauge wire from a previous project that I would like to re-use, could I get by with that on any of these runs?
-If I have a transformer that has two posts and a common, how should I connect the wires? Should I put the 70W and 40W wires (110W total) together on one screwpost and the 140W on the other?
Thanks!!!