low voltage landscape lighting fixtures,low voltage fixture bulbs guide,flood light vs spot light

Determining What Type Of Fixture You Will Use.

There are several types of low voltage fixtures available and you determine which type to purchase based on the effects you chose in your lighting scheme.

Up light, down light, wash light effect, back light effect, shadow light effect

For up lighting effects, spot, flood, or well light fixtures work best.
For down lighting effects, spot and flood fixtures work best.
For wash lighting effects, use wall wash fixtures.
For back light or silhouetting, use spot, flood, or well light fixtures.
For shadowing effects, use spot or flood light fixtures.
For path lighting effects or for lighting a cluster of low foliage, use path light fixtures.

The fixtures range in bulb wattage from 4 watts to 50 watts; standard to halogen. Generally speaking, use smaller wattage fixtures to highlight small shrubs and higher wattage fixtures to highlight larger trees. As an example, you might use the following: a 50 watt halogen spot to highlight a 20 ft. tree or as an up light to highlight interesting brickwork or an architectural point of interest; a 20 watt halogen to highlight a 4 ft. tall shrub; a 7 watt path light to highlight a pathway or a small flower bed.

The fixtures themselves can be purchased either individually or with a complete system. They can be found at any home improvement store or can be found online by searching for low voltage light fixtures. The complete "package" system, i.e. transformer, cable, and fixtures may suit your needs, but I have found that if your lighting scheme requires several different lighting effects, you might want to purchase the components separately. Although the "package" system takes the guess work out of matching the correct transformer and cable to your power needs, it isn't always the best option. And as you will see in the type of transformer page...it isn't rocket science. After reading that page, you will have the necessary knowledge to build a system unique to your landscape lighting needs.

OK, you should now have the information you need to purchase your fixtures so you can now proceed to the what type of transformer link.