What is Plug & Play Explained

With Plug & Play garden lighting, outdoor lighting has never been as safe or simple to install. You do not have to employ an electrician to install this system. All you need to light up your patios, garden or landscape areas is just a little imagination and the Plug & Play garden lighting system. Carrying out the planning and installation yourself is creative and fun. You will be amazed at the results of your efforts and how quickly and simply they can be achieved.

So What is Plug and Play Outdoor Lighting?
Quite simply it’s a self-contained lighting system consisting of a compact but comprehensive range of low voltage garden light fittings. Plug and Play Outdoor Lighting offers outdoor spotlights, inground lights, deck lights and pedestal lights as well as special lights for underwater and atmospheric lighting applications. Low voltage transformers and connection cables are included and optional automatic switching controls are also available, offering a great solution for your outdoor lighting requirements.

Should you require any help or assistance when planning or carrying out your installation please do not hesitate to call us on 01773 541003, we'd be happy to talk things through with you.

Safe & Simple 12v Low Voltage Outdoor Lighting
Low voltage garden lights – considered safe by European guidelines – are designed to guarantee your safety and that of your children and pets. The hi-tech, low energy light sources of Plug and Play Outdoor Lighting offer extremely good quality outdoor lighting which can illuminate outdoor living areas, gardens and landscaped areas to create either functional or atmospheric lighting effects.

Installation
Almost anyone can install this lighting system. All fittings, cables and accessories are pre- wired and fitted with special watertight system plugs and sockets making connection and installation simplicity itself. As I said earlier, THERE IS NO NEED TO EMPLOY AN ELECTRICIAN. It’s safe and easy and no special tools are required.

Light Sources
Most Plug and Play outdoor lighting is supplied fitted with high-performance low-voltage power LEDs, although there are a few exceptions where halogen lamps are fitted as standard. Power LED fittings range from just 1watt to 5watts. These outdoor lights are extremely efficient, effective and long lasting, offering you a very economical outdoor lighting solution. Our Power LED low voltage Plug and Play outdoor lighting system offers you a genuine alternative to other garden lighting systems available on the market.

Power Plug and Play Outdoor Lighting Circuit Principles

Stage 1
Decide what you would like to illuminate outside your home. This could be a pathway, steps, an outdoor eating area, a landscaped area or elements such as flower beds, water features or garden ornaments.

Stage 2
Choose the appropriate light fittings for the area or subjects you want to illuminate. Once you have done this you can calculate the size of transformer that you will require. To do this, simply add the total wattage of the lights to be used on your scheme. Your transformer must offer a rating at least as high or higher than this total wattage.

For example:
You may have decided to use 6 pedestals which contain a 3watt LED power source and 6 spotlights containing a 1watt LED power source. The total wattage here would be 24 watts (i.e. (6x3w) +(6x1w) = 24w). So a 22w transformer would be insufficient. In this example our 60w transformer would be appropriate, and would have the capacity to deal with additions to the layout you may want to make later.

Stage 3
Plan your layout and cable run.
Firstly decide where the transformer is going to be sited. Our transformers are happy to be used indoors or outdoors but do attempt to site the transformer where cable access is straight forward. In an ideal world, locate the transformer as near to the lights as possible.

Once the transformer position is settled and you know the position of the light fittings you can work out your cable runs and connections. Our scenic visual illustrates some simple examples of the cabling principle.

Cables & Connectors
Cabling for the Plug and Play outdoor LED lighting system is much smaller than the heavy armoured cables typically used for traditional outdoor lighting. This smaller section means that it’s much easier to hide the cable under landscaped materials. But it can also be buried which can help prevent accidental damage caused by general outdoor maintenance and pests.

The quantity and model of fittings chosen for your scheme will determine your choice of cables and connectors. There are no hard and fast rules concerning the cable options and there are numerous ways to achieve a satisfactory circuit. However, it’s worth considering at the planning stage any expansion you may wish to carry out at a later date.

A great feature of the Plug and Play outdoor lighting system is that it lets you make the installation in stages. You can start with a small system and build it up section by section working within your own budget by purchasing extra lights and components as and when you require them.

The light fittings are all pre-wired with their own connection cord with plug. Cable lengths on individual lights differ from model to model and range in length from 1m to 10m. Some lights are supplied in sets and have their own self-contained system connection cable included. These, like the individual fittings, connect directly to the transformer or main start cable providing the 12v supply from the transformer.