Friday, October 2, 2009

Installing Electricity in the Garden

If garden lighting or a pump to power a fountain or waterfall is required, it is best to organize this early on, to avoid digging up the garden at- a later dace. Security lighting, if fixed to the house walls, can be run off the house supply. Some lose-voltage garden lighting does not need installing, but uses cables that can be run above the ground. From a safety point of view, consider installing an outdoor socket or fitting one under cover in a garage or porch. This helps to obviate the need for lengths of cable running from within the house.

The best way to provide permanent power in the garden is to run it underground. Either special cable must be used or the cable must run through a galvanized steel or rigid plastic conduit. Both must be in a channel well below ground level. This type of installation needs to be fitted by a professional electrician as there are strict regulations which must he met and cables and connectors must be weatherproof

Above-ground cables Low-voltage lighting, which uses a low-voltage transformer sited under cover in an outbuilding, can often be installed with the cables running along the ground. Lay the cable where it is easily seen when you are working in the garden to avoid accidentally cutting through it. Avoid taking the cable over sharp edges like steps or paving which could damage it. If you need to join pieces of cable, use special outdoor cable connectors and for extra protection wrap these in plastic.

Garden lighting falls into two main categories. Lighting .which is installed for safety, to help find your way around the garden in the dark, or for security, to highlight and deter interlopers, may he run off the mains supply if the lights are fixed to the house walls. Cable that runs along the wall outdoors must be protected by a length of metal or plastic conduit and all fittings must be weatherproof.

If you wish to highlight the garden's decorative features, such as a shapely or colorful tree or shrub, you have the option of using underground cable or a kit that connects to a low-voltage transformer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for connecting the light fittings to the flex

An electric pump can be sited in a garden pool to provide the power for a waterfall or fountain, both of which continually recycle the same water. Pumps can run from the mains supply or use a low- voltage transformer_ Hire a qualified electrician to install as mains- supply pump.

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