Bramblewick Courtyard and Small Garden 12V Garden Lighting Scheme 12 Fitting

A complete scheme for a garden under about 60 square metres, where a full sized system would be overkill and four solar spikes would be a disappointment. Small fittings, short cable runs and a transformer that will fit in a meter cupboard.

Every scheme in this range is the same system underneath: solid brass fittings, a toroidal transformer with a multi tap output, and 12V cable you can cut and join in the border with a waterproof connector. Nothing is proprietary, so the scheme can be extended in three years with parts bought anywhere. We size the transformer with about 20 per cent headroom so you can add a fitting later without buying a second one, and we send more cable than the drawing needs because everybody underestimates a cable run and nobody has ever complained about having too much.

Specification

• Dimensions: varies by fitting, full schedule in the box
• Materials: solid brass fittings, toroidal transformer in a powder coated steel case, 2 core 1.5mm low voltage cable
• Finish: unlacquered brass, which will go brown in a year and green in five
• Light source: integral LED modules, replaceable as a unit
• Light output: 12 fittings, between 150 and 400 lumens each depending on type
• Colour temperature: 2700K very warm white throughout
• Beam angle: narrow, medium and wide optics supplied to suit each position
• Power: 12V SELV from a garden transformer, safe to cut and join outdoors
• Ingress protection: IP65, jet proof, suitable for open garden use
• Cable: 116m of 1.5mm low voltage cable and 12 waterproof connectors
• Warranty: 10 years on the brass body, 5 years on the LED and driver
• Suits a garden of 100 to 250 square metres
• Transformer: 300W toroidal, multi tap, photocell and timer built in
• Contents: compact wall lights, low bollards and three small spike spots
• Zoning: 2 independently switched circuits
• Total load: about 54W, well inside the transformer rating
• Weight: approximately 19.5 kilograms

In the box

• 12 solid brass fittings with spikes or mounting plates as appropriate
• 1 x 300W toroidal transformer with a photocell and a seven day timer
• 116m of 1.5mm two core low voltage cable
• 12 x IP68 waterproof cable connectors, no tools needed
• Spare gaskets and grub screws
• A printed layout drawing and an aiming guide for your garden type
• A cable schedule so you know where to dig before you dig

Installation

This runs on 12V, which is the reason to choose a low voltage garden system in the first place. The cable can be laid in a shallow trench or clipped along a fence without armoured conduit, it can be cut and joined with waterproof connectors outdoors, and a spade through it is an inconvenience rather than an emergency. The transformer itself is the only part that touches mains, so that is the only part an electrician needs to look at. Bury cable at least 100mm deep, run it along a line you will remember, and leave a loop of slack at every fitting so you can move things next year when the planting has grown.

When to buy

Garden lighting is bought in spring and installed in a hurry. It is much easier to dig a cable run in February when the borders are bare and the ground is soft than in May when everything is in leaf and you are trying not to stand on it. Order in winter, get the cable in, and the first warm evening of the year is ready for you rather than a job list.