Dabmar landscape lighting outdoor step light
I am trying to determine if I go low voltage or 120V for approximately 12 to 15 outdoor step lights for my soon to be constructed patio made of stone. I will use them for both the steps and lights in stone wall butting the patio. I understand with LV I will need a transformer. But is there any reason why low voltage wouldn’t work even if in the future I add some lights in the flower beds?
Also, it’s also difficult to determine which step lights only work for decks and which would work for stone/brick or deck. Is there a way to determine this on your web site other than those displayed in brick or stone?
Answer: If you go with low voltage, then the number and wattage of the outdoor lighting fixtures will be LIMITED by the transformer capacity. For example, if a step light uses 20W JC type lamp and you have 10 step lights, then 20W x 10 = 200W required to power all the fixtures. A 300W transformer would provide enough wattage. You will only have 100W left to power the path light on the flower beds.
You can also consider Dabmar LV-LED650 Outdoor Recessed Step Light - LV-LED650 using LED lamps, which uses 1W to approximately 5W. These 48 integral LED lamp will last close to 50,000 hours so most likely, you will never have to mess with the lamps again. For your application, you can go with either 12V or 120V. We would recommend that you talk to your electrician to see what he recommends in terms of installation and maintenance (your brick/ stone area).