Once you know the wire, you can use the constant for that wire to work out whether the voltage drop is acceptable. You may still have the spool or the email receipt if you ordered it online. However, if you installed the lights, check which wire you used. Since they often aren’t marked, and the measurements are so minute, you may struggle to accurately measure them yourself. Use wires that are too thin, and that resistance will cause the voltage to drop too far, meaning the lights don’t get the power they need.įinding out which gauge of wire has been used is tricky if you didn’t install the landscape lights yourself. Wires, just like any electrical component, provide resistance in a circuit. When installing landscape lighting, you must use the right wire gauge. If the wires are buried or lying on the ground, then there’s high chance dirt could have gotten into them.ĭon’t worry, it’s a relatively simple fix, which I’ll cover in more detail below. When the landscape lighting was installed with cheap connectors or push-pin connectors were used, and the setup is old, there may be gaps that have developed. In these connections, you’re more likely to find a weakness. Instead, check where the wire has been split to connect a light. It shouldn’t be an issue for the main wires, providing they haven’t partially severed. If any dirt has got into the circuit, it could be causing problems with the current. Once you’ve ruled out the ‘easy’ option and checked the transformer, your next step is to look at the connections. If the lights’ total Wattage exceeds 80% of the transformer’s rating, you’ve likely found the problem. You should be able to find the total Wattage you should be connecting and the actual total of your lights. If you didn’t do the math when you installed your landscape lighting, check your transformer, and check each light. Therefore, any fluctuations in the current or variances in exactly how much is drawn wouldn’t have an impact. So it’s actually recommended you only add up to 80% of the total Wattage to a circuit. However, that’s the absolute maximum they can hold. While more expensive ones could range all the way up to 1200W. This varies depending on the quality of the transformer, with cheaper options tending to allow up to 150 Watts or 200 Watts. However, in doing so, they also have a limit on the maximum Wattage you can wire into them. Usually, if your landscape lights are flickering, you’ve overloaded the power supply.Įvery landscape lighting setup needs a transformer, which steps the current down from your home to the required levels for outdoor lighting, usually 12V. When it comes to finding the cause of your flickering lights, it’s best to start with the most common causes without having to start digging up the cables. What Causes Low Voltage Landscape Lights To Flicker? How a bad transformer could also be the cause.The most common causes of flickering landscape lights.Once the issue is identified, it can usually be fixed easily.īut you can only fix it once you’ve found the cause. There might be dirt in the connections that interrupt the current, or the circuit may be suffering from a voltage drop. Unfortunately, there may be times when it doesn’t quite work properly, either with lights that aren’t switched on or flickering lights.įlickering landscape lighting is super annoying, so you’ll want to tackle it immediately.įlickering landscape lights could be caused by a bad transformer or one that’s overloaded. Your garden and outdoor spaces will be gently lit, giving your home a more premium feel and increasing the security of your property too. Landscape lighting is beautiful when it works.
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