Introduction
Installing low voltage landscape lighting in your yard can really enhance the beauty and ambiance of your outdoor space. However, many homeowners worry about the best way to run the low voltage wiring through the lawn to avoid damage. In this comprehensive guide, I will provide tips on how to safely and properly install landscape lighting wires under your grass.
Planning the Layout
- When planning where to place the landscape lighting fixtures, also consider the path the wires will take to reach each fixture.
- Try to minimize the wiring paths through open lawn areas to reduce disruption. Run wires along walkways, garden edges, sidewalks, and driveways when possible.
- Create a sketch of the lighting layout and wiring paths to follow for installation. Mark obstacles like trees and bushes to avoid.
Burying the Landscape Lighting Wires
Digging the Trenches
- Use a flat shovel to cut a narrow trench 2-4 inches deep where you have mapped the wire locations.
- Make the trenches follow straight lines between the fixtures to allow easy wire pulling.
- In open lawn areas, a trench depth of 2-3 inches is sufficient. Where the wires will cross walkways or driveways, dig the trenches 3-4 inches deep.
Pulling the Wires
- Carefully unroll the low voltage landscape wire and lay it into the open trench.
- Leave a few extra feet of wire at each end to connect to fixtures.
- Try to pull the wire straight without kinks using gentle pressure. Don't drag the wires across rough surfaces.
Burying the Wires
- Once the wire is laid in the trench, begin backfilling with the soil removed earlier.
- Use a garden trowel to loosely fill in the trench taking care not to pinch or bind the wire.
- Mound leftover soil over the trench slightly to account for settling.
Replacing the Sod
- For trenches dug through existing lawn areas, neatly cut and remove strips of sod using a flat shovel.
- After burying the wire, replace the sod strips carefully. Abut edges together tightly.
- Use leftover soil to fill in gaps and depressions around the sod.
Connecting the Wires
- Leave 6-12 inches of landscape wire at the end to connect fixtures. Coil any excess wire neatly.
- Consult fixture instructions to make proper electrical connections. Most use simple push-in terminals.
- Take care stripping the wire sheathing and connecting conductors to avoid loose wires.
Restoring Disturbed Areas
- Lightly water areas of disturbed soil and replaced sod to encourage settling.
- Consider spreading fresh grass seed over trench areas to fill in bare spots as the lawn recovers.
- In a week, inspect wiring paths and fill any settled depressions with leftover soil.
Testing the Lighting System
- Before backfilling trenches, test the lighting system to confirm all fixtures are working.
- Start at the transformer and work outward turning on each light. Check for faulty connections.
- Make any wiring corrections needed before completely covering trenches.
Ongoing Lawn Care
- Adjust mower height to avoid scalping or tearing sod over buried wire trenches.
- Hand trim grass along trench edges with shears until settled and rooted into lawn.
- When aerating lawn, use care not to puncture buried lighting wires with spikes.
By carefully planning the layout, gently installing the wiring trenches, and properly restoring disturbed areas, you can safely run low voltage landscape lighting through your lawn. Proper installation techniques will allow you to highlight the beauty of your yard while avoiding damage from buried wires.