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Garden lighting - Solar or Wired?

Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:40 am
Posted by DieselTiger1
9 Dragon
Member since Oct 2008
13672 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:40 am
I'm about to do some landscaping in the front of my house and I'm trying to decide on my best option for lighting. Running wires would mean I have to tunnel under a walkway that splits the front of the yard. Are there and good sets of solar lights or do they all eventually shite the bed? Should I just sack up and do it right the first time or are solar lights a good option?
Posted by wickowick
Head of Island
Member since Dec 2006
45801 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:44 am to
Do it right the first time
Posted by Cypressknee
Member since Jul 2017
1195 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 7:50 am to
Asked the same question probably 8 years ago and ended up going wired. I did go LED and have only changed a few bulbs and one light over the years (kids basketball). The solars go out pretty quick and some will be dimmer than others. Do it right the first time.
Posted by OysterPoBoy
City of St. George
Member since Jul 2013
35018 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:02 am to
You got to go wired. I’ve been putting it off but plan to finally do it this year.
Posted by mingoswamp
St. Louis
Member since Aug 2017
968 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:36 am to
Just remember if you go with solar that you'll be replacing the lithium batteries in each light every two years. $$

Even doing that won't give you dusk to dawn lighting, if that was your plan.

Malibu Lighting used to be the top of the line for LV outdoor lighting but I think they've gone out of business or at least don't offer the variety of lights they use to. It's been 8 years or so since I installed them at my SO's house.
This post was edited on 3/17/21 at 11:24 pm
Posted by lilsnappa
Red Stick
Member since Mar 2006
1793 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:43 am to
I've been trying to make due with Solar for a couple years now, but planning to bite the bullet this year.

Even the higher end solar stuff is marginal at best. Any weather other than sunny conditions and performance is poor. Even on good days you won't have light all night,
Posted by Gorilla Ball
Member since Feb 2006
11651 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 8:53 am to
I used solar powered years ago and after a about a year they look cheap and you get What you paid for. Wired all day long.
Posted by RaginCajunz
Member since Mar 2009
5314 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 9:02 am to
No match for the options and brightness of wired. Tunneling under a walkway is fairly easy. I used a pressure washer wand to blast a fairly tight path in just a few minutes under mine. Of course you'll have to dig out on both sides to get access to do it.

Posted by MCrun2
Member since Mar 2004
473 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 9:23 am to
Anyone have suggestions on the best

1 - brand for wired low voltage landscape lights?

2 - best transformer? Any good smart transformers
Posted by LSUDbrous90
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2011
1447 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 9:49 am to
Dont go solar. You get what you pay for. Wired works much better, looks much better, and will last much longer.

As for recommended brand, I bought volt through costco and any extra spotlights i needed where you couldn't see the fixture I bought on amazon.
Posted by RaginCajunz
Member since Mar 2009
5314 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:18 am to
I bought all of my stuff off of Amazon. I don't have a smart anything, but my transformers run off of the light sensor. (On at dusk, off at dawn)

I've been running this one for a few years now and am happy with it.

200w Transformer

I have about 10 of these sprinkled around lighting my house, columns and trees. Super bright. They just work.

Two Pack Spotlight
Posted by BasilFawlty
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Dec 2014
1155 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:22 am to
I just ran 125' of LV wire and installed 9 LV LED lights in my front landscape. Bought the lights and transformer from Amazon. Had solar originally, but I wanted all-night light.
Had the same issue as OP regarding a walkway. Luckily there is an expansion joint right where I needed the wire to run, just had to open the joint up. Used a grinder with a concrete wheel. You could also use a circular saw with a concrete blade. Once I had the wire in the gap, I used self-leveling sealant to fill the gap. Connect lights to LV wire and done. Not difficult at all.
Posted by mr. penguin
Member since Jun 2009
7467 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 10:59 am to
Do it wired.

Get one of these from HomeDepot/Amazon LINK and a PVC pipe 2ft longer than your sidewalk width, trench a channel on one side as long as the pvc (so it feeds through straight and not at an angle), and you'll be under the sidewalk in a minute
Posted by ksdolfan
Houma, La.
Member since Sep 2007
1536 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 11:10 am to
And spread ant killer around each light at least twice a year. They'll build mounds around them looking for warmth and it'll wreck havoc on your fixtures.
Posted by texn
Pronouns: Y'All/Y'All's
Member since Nov 2019
3496 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 11:40 am to
Lots of good videos on Youtube on how to tunnel under a sidewalk to run lighting wiring. If you have a power washer, that will help.
Posted by NOFOX
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2014
9933 posts
Posted on 3/17/21 at 11:45 am to
Wired - Volt

You can use a long flexible auger bit to get under sidewalks pretty easy lie this:

This post was edited on 3/17/21 at 11:50 am
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