Handling work without specialized knowledge brings unnecessary added exposure, and it's just not smart business

Low voltage landscape lighting is arguably one of the fastest growing segments of the green industry today. Lighting manufacturers and distributors have heavily marketed to the landscape and irrigation contractor to add this service as a sideline to their primary business.

It is no surprise then that the landscape/irrigation trade currently controls the lion’s share of the low voltage outdoor lighting market. Landscape/irrigation contractors do not always have in-depth training and experience with electrical systems and safety issues pertaining to electricity in general.

The good news is that extensive knowledge and years of apprenticeship and training--required by licensed electrical contractors to safely wire a building--is not needed. However, basic working knowledge of electricity, keeping current with safety codes and experience with the highly specialized idiosyncrasies of low voltage lighting ARE required.

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for high-quality, specialized outdoor lighting services. This demand has spawned companies that solely design, install and maintain low voltage outdoor lighting systems. This has helped bring awareness, legitimacy and respect to an industry once thought of by the consumer as an inexpensive, frivolous add-on to the completion of a landscaping project. Or something any do-it-yourselfer could install from a box in a couple of hours on a weekend.

It has long been said that low voltage lighting, or 12-volt in the case of outdoor lighting, is inherently safe. This is true to a degree. Twelve-volt systems operate at amperage levels ten times greater than their 120-volt counterparts. Loose connections, electrical shorting and overloading can generate intense amounts of heat in a very short period of time. Lamp filaments also burn hotter. Heat can lead to the possibility of combustion and fire when the right conditions are present. Fuse or circuit breaker protection is crucial for the safety of a low voltage lighting system.

Anyone who has ever installed a system would agree that standard 12-volt transformer outputs have serious limitations when it comes to the necessity of getting proper voltage to the lamp (10.8-11.8VA) to get good illumination. Heavy loads and long cable runs from the transformer require larger gauge cable that can be costly and more difficult to work with. Many of those limitations have been overcome with the utilization of multiple output transformers that became popular for outdoor lighting in the early 90s.

Keeping It Safe

Landscape/irrigation companies that do not stay current with changes to the national electrical codes and proper installation practices for low voltage outdoor lighting should consider subcontracting the work to qualified companies in their area that specialize in the design, installation and maintenance of systems.

With the increase in voltage has come an increase in safety awareness. In 1996 Underwriters laboratories drafted a safety standard specific to low voltage outdoor lighting systems (UL&Mac226; 1838) that supercedes all previous standards for outdoor lighting. Two important issues that are addressed by the standard are:

• limitation to voltage, and

• secondary circuit amperage.

Transformers compliant to the UL 1838 standard must have 15-volt maximum outputs with a maximum 25 amperage (300 watt) load limitation (circuit breaker or fuse) per each circuit.

In the past, the installation of low voltage outdoor lighting has been relatively unregulated. In general, licensed electrical contractors, electrical permits and inspections were not required. Recently the industry has come under more scrutiny, and that may be changing. There are a handful of states and local municipalities that are requiring special licensing, permits and inspections for the installation of 12-volt outdoor lighting systems.

LVLIA Brings It All Together

Because of its recent growth and prosperity, the low voltage outdoor lighting industry has produced qualified professionals. A not-for-profit association was formed and incorporated in 2000 by concerned low voltage landscape lighting design/installation contractors.

The Low Voltage Lighting Institute of the Americas (LVLIA&Mac226;) is a group of design/installers, manufacturers, lighting designers, and landscape architects from all over the United States and Canada that have a common goal of improving the Low Voltage Lighting Industry worldwide. A forum has been provided for the exchange of information and ideas relative to the Low Voltage Lighting Industry.

The association provides members with a Standard for Installation of Low Voltage Architectural & Landscape Lighting Systems that meets all of the requirements of the National Electrical Code and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL 1838). It also communicates with and appears before government regulatory agencies to represent members' interests.

A strict Accreditation Program is being established for becoming an Accredited Landscape Lighting Technician enabling those who achieve this accreditation to be regarded as the experts in the industry.

Consumers will be educated through publications, Web site, advertisements, trade shows, workshops, and other means as to the benefits of using a Designer/Installer that is a member of LVLIA.

Research is encouraged and promoted among all member manufacturers of Low Voltage Lighting equipment to work together with LVLIA for the betterment of the Low Voltage Lighting Industry. Their goal is to provide to the designer/installer products that are of the highest quality, safe to the end user, and easy to install and maintain, as well as to meet UL and CSA standards for low voltage landscape lighting systems. For more information visit www.LVLIA.com.

Learning from Lighting Mistakes

Improper or unsafe work is unprofessional, can harm a company's image, and can result in huge liability issues.

Personally, over my many years of repairing and removing systems installed by others, I have often seen gross safety and code violations at project sites. The list includes but is not limited to:

• 120-volt and 12-volt wiring installed inside the same conduit and junction boxes

• Severe overloading of 12-volt circuits to the point of circuit shutdown, or in worst cases, wire meltdown

• Use of transformers not specifically manufactured and labeled for low voltage outdoor lighting

• Non-weatherproof wire connections that have allowed moisture to oxidize and jeopardize the integrity of copper cable

• Connections that failed made with "Jerry-rigged" electrical tape or common wire nuts that were buried directly in the ground

• Loose connections that melted down to the point of disconnection

• Extensive use of light gauge cable

• Extreme cases of voltage drop, when dim lamps operate at a fraction of the required voltage

• The same lamp used in every fixture that was supplied standard with the fixture regardless of the application

• 50-watt lamps installed in fixtures designed for a maximum of 35-watts

• Homemade equipment like PAR-36 lamped wellights cheaply fashioned from sewer pipe and fittings

• Transformers plugged or hard-wired into non GFI protected circuits

• Transformers with no secondary or primary breaker or fusing

• Systems installed on the most convenient outlet without testing existing load on that circuit

• Systems engineered without the aid of a voltage meter or

amperage probe with the technician blindly relying on incorrect mathematical formulas and computations

Consumers are starting to demand the professional designer/installer that is better trained and aware of safety concerns with regard to the design and installation of low voltage outdoor lighting. The result will be greater regulation that may entirely preclude the landscape/irrigation contractor from installing systems, impede growth of the industry and increase the net cost to the consumer for outdoor lighting services.

This industry, once orphaned by licensed electrical contractors, has recently gained their interest as demand for services have increased. They would like nothing better than to gain market share by way of requirements for their services, even when they might lack the design knowledge and training that the specialized professional design/installer has.