What Gauge Wire To Use For Landscape Lighting

Smaller wire sizes are often more economical and larger wire sizes are stronger however the smaller ones will also reduce the distance of power being provided to.

What gauge wire to use for landscape lighting.

16 2 gauge low voltage low energy underground landscape lighting cable is 16 2 gauge low voltage low energy underground landscape lighting cable is designed for landscape security and outdoor accent lighting applications not to exceed 150 volt. The first step is that you have to make sure that the already existing landscape lighting is disconnected from the power source. Most low voltage landscape lighting wire comes in two different sizes. The use of 12 or 10 gauge main cable increases efficiency and allows you to either place greater loads on your home runs or to use a lower voltage tap in effect giving you the ability to increase voltage to existing fixtures in the future or to add more fixtures to that run without having to install a new home run cable.

12 and 16 gauge. We recommend 12 gauge or 10 gauge wire for long distances. Over 200 watts you should use a 12 gauge sized wire. Additionally when considering what wire gauge to use for your landscape lighting design installation its best to understand that different gauges have their own pros and cons.

It s ok to wire a 15 amp light circuit with a 14 gauge wire to save a bit of money and make the wiring job a bit easier. How to splice low voltage landscape lighting wire. The following steps need to be followed to splice the low voltage landscape lighting. Common wires for landscape lighting are 10 12 14 or 16 gauge wires.

You will often see landscape lighting wire called 12 2 or 10 2 the 2 stands for conductors which is the number of wires inside the outer insulation. The wire number or wire gauge refers to the diameter of the bundle of strands with the smaller number being a larger wire. 16 gauge wiring can go as far as 3 135 feet for one fixture at 15v. After determining the wattage and the number of fixtures you will need a certain length of wire to properly power your landscape lighting.

The cost difference between it and smaller cable is essentially negligible and 18 gauge is about as big as you can go if you still want to be able to fit it into most cob holders or terminals. A lower number means thicker wire and greater capacity to carry the power current for longer distances. In comparison 12 gauge wiring which is thicker can reach 10 688 feet for one fixture at 15v. Low voltage landscape wiring or electrical cable comes in several numerical gauges or sizes.

Any system under 200 watts will be fine using 16 gauge wire. As the wire size amp rating chart at cerrowire states under normal household temperature conditions the maximum current rating for a 14 gauge wire is 15 amps while that for a 12 gauge wire is 20 amps. A good rule of thumb for selecting proper wire size is determining your wattage. Now i personally use a solid core 18 gauge wire for all my lights and would recommend you do the same.