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O.T.--Low Voltage Lights

J

Jiles

Well-known Member
I have several Malibu Path Lights leading to my barn and shop. They were installed by the previous owner and I am ready to install a few more. They have 4 watt bulbs. After doing a little shopping, I was surprised to find that the manufacturer recommends number 12 gauge wire??
Why would Low Voltage 12V with a maximum 300W require such a large supply wire?
Yes they are referring to the feed to the lights not the transformer that has it's own cord.
 
4 watts @ 12 volts=0.33 amps per bulb. #12 wire is only rated to carry 20 amps, regardless of voltage. Depending on the number of lights, you could easily reach that number. Also, voltage drop on low voltage circuits is a major consideration if any distance at all is involved.
 
You can have quite a bit of current through a low voltage lighting system. Most folks use bigger lights than 4W. Our house has about a dozen 18 watt units, so that's 216 watts, or 18 amps. Low voltage power supplies are typically rated around 300 watts. Also, you don't want to get a lot of voltage drop so the lights at the far end are dimmer than those close to the timer.
 
Thanks--I guess I wasn't considering it was 12V DC. I haven't worked with Low voltage of this type but have done extensive electrical work on tractors and such. I should have realized this!
 
(quoted from post at 09:45:28 10/16/13) Thanks--I guess I wasn't considering it was 12V DC. I haven't worked with Low voltage of this type but have done extensive electrical work on tractors and such. I should have realized this!
Click to expand...
oesn't matter, but don't expect DC.
 
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