There are plenty of reasons to put in some outdoor lighting. The biggest of course is security. A well-lit yard can help deter the lurking burglar. It's just an added bonus that outdoor lighting adds an elegant touch to the yard. If you're looking for a do it yourself project that will have a major impact while being an easy job, here's how to wire outdoor lights!
If you've spent any time in the home improvement store you've seen all the different lighting options available. They have everything from motion sensitive spotlights to solar powered accent lighting. Let's concentrate on wiring up some ground lighting.
Lights Outdoor
Before starting though, a few words of caution. Wiring up the lights is going to make a mess of your yard. You have to dig a trench for the direct burial wiring. Be sure to contact the utility companies to mark any buried cables.
The first step is to pick out the locations for the lights.
Once you have those marked out you can start planning a wiring schematic.
Your best bet is a parallel circuit. You don't want to have to worry about the dreaded Christmas light effect and having to hunt down that 1 bad bulb because you wired in series.
Depending on how long the wiring runs are to the power source you can either hand dig a trench or rent a powered trencher from a local rental company. Trenchers are a bit pricey but they more than pay for themselves if you have to deal with long runs, rocky soil, or tree roots.
Of course you want to avoid tearing up the yard any more than required so start your 1st trench furthest away from the house.
The trenches for the other lights should all feed into this main trench.
There are electrical codes involved depending on your community. Be sure you're digging a hole deep enough! Most require a minimum of 2 feet deep for direct burial cable.
Digging was the hardest part. The rest is cake.
Be sure you're using a direct burial cable. This has special insulation that keeps it from shorting out. Lay the wire out in the trench and cut. Be sure to leave enough excess to wire the lights and run back into the junction box in your home.
After all the cables are laid out you can start placing/wiring the lights.
Black wires to black for power, white to white for neutral and green to green for ground. Be sure to use waterproof connectors to ensure a nice tight weatherproof connection.
You're finished wiring up all the lights! Great you're almost finished now.
If you want all the lights to be on the same circuit (the same switch turns them all on) then twist all the black wires together, with the hot black lead from your home. BE SURE IT IS DENERGIZED! Repeat with the white and green wires.
Wire nut the 3 bundles and stuff them back into the electrical box then button it up.
Back fill and pack down the trenches you dug. Flip on the light switch and show the neighbors you know how to wire outdoor lights.
How to Wire Outdoor Lights
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