No matter how beautiful your new garden refurb is, how stunning your new decking or relaxing your new patio seating area nothing adds ambience quite like outdoor lighting (not to mention some additional security). To help you make the most of your garden, and perfect any new design you might have in mind we’ve taken the liberty of putting together this brief guide.

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It hardly needs to be said that working with electricity can be dangerous. Without proper precautions, you run not just the risk of electric shock and burns from contact with live wires, but also fires caused by faulty equipment. To avoid this, it's essential that you take note of the following safety tips:

Switch of Mains Power at Consumer Unit / Fuse Box 

You should isolate the circuit you are planning to work on, removing the circuit fuse and keeping it on your person to avoid anyone else replacing it without your knowledge

Leave a Note

Especially prudent if working with others, you should always leave a note on the unit you have switched off explaining that you are working on it. This will not only prevent it from being switched back on but also save others the time of having to find out for themselves

Switch off Breaker & Lock

Another key precaution (especially if you can’t switch off mains power) is to switch off and lock your breaker.

Test Your Circuits are Dead

Socket & voltage testers are a must-have when working with lighting. Tools that will confirm whether any powering is running through the circuits you are working with.

Ensure All lighting is Installed to Spec

Both local Building Regulations and IEE Wiring Regulations will have this information for you, though it is highly recommended that you consult a registered electrician beforehand. If you are planning to carry out complex wiring work yourself, you will also need to notify your Local Authority Building Control Department to have the work inspected.

Low-Voltage

The majority of lighting projects suitable for DIY will be low-voltage. Often smaller bulbs, spike lights and even fairy lights – essential fittings designed to provide an added sense of ambience. Fortunately, these lights also tend to be much easier to work with, allowing for greater freedom of design (being more workable in smaller spaces) and requiring less complicated wiring.

Most low-voltage exterior lighting will require the use of a transformer. A device that reduces your home's electrical output to safe levels thus making it compatible for use on these smaller lights. When shopping for a transformer, you will need one that can handle the TOTAL wattage of every light you are planning to use. This being the case, it is best to figure this number out beforehand and add 20% just to be safe.

Mains Powered (Hardwired Fixtures)

Larger light fixtures may need to be wired in. This will involve running power lines through your walls and using line voltage to power them – typically the case when installing post lighting, wall-mounted and some hanging lights. It is best to hire a professional to help you with this job, as all work done by yourself will need to be completed to a comparable quality and then further inspected. If it is not up to scratch, you may find that you have to double the time and money spent on the installation.

With a suitable transformer in hand, the only other things you’ll need to install low-voltage lights are ordinary two-core cables, wire cutters and strippers as well as waterproof connectors, electrical tape and relevant landscaping tools including a shovel, drill and screws.

Step-by-Step

1. Measure the Maximum Distance of Your Lighting

Before purchasing your wire, you will first need to measure your lighting area. This means making use of your trusty tape measure. Simply measure the total distance from where your transformer will be to the END of where your lighting will be i.e your last light. Again, it is best to overestimate when purchasing for redundancies sake.

Remember, double check that your chosen wire can handle the wattage outputted by your transformer.

2. Mount Your Transformer 

With all your tools and equipment ready, the first job is to mount your transformer. BEFORE you start however, remember to turn off power to the area where you are working at your circuit breaker.

With this done (and double checked with a suitable socket or voltage tester), you can then mount your transformer at least 12 inches above the ground, next to an exterior GFCI outlet (ground-fault circuit interrupter). In some cases, this will mean attaching it to your wall, in which case, carefully drill fixing holes and use suitable wall plugs. Once this is done, wire your transformer as per the relevant manufacturer’s guidelines.

3. Lay Cable & Connect Your Lights

Your cable should be lain at least 6 inches away from any pathway or patio. This is so it can be buried comfortably in your garden to prevent any future trip hazards and/or damage to your lights. Lay it out as needed to configure to your lighting set-up and place each light along its path where you want them to be installed.

With this done consult the manufacturer’s guidelines once again, this time for your cable. It is more than likely you’ll need to strip a few inches of the covering to twist the cable and the light's wires together. When doing this make sure to cap it with your waterproof connectors and further secure this connection with some electrical tape. Both the wires leading to and away from the light will need to be topped with wire caps to ensure the current flows from one light to the next.

4. Test Your Lights 

With everything wired up, it’s now time to make sure it is all working as intended. Turn the power back on and double check that all of your lights are shining. If so, it is time to bury the cable.

5. Bury Your Cable

The trench for your cables should be at least 6 inches deep. Take care to keep the soil to the side. Place your cable in the freshly dug hole, before finally covering it back with the soil and turf.

Step-by-Step

1. Prep Your Lights

Before setting out to install solar-powered lights, we would always recommend exposing them to the sun for around 24 hours first. This will tell you if any are damaged BEFORE you go about the time-intensive job of fitting.

2. Layout & Install 

Once you have all the working lights that you need, it is a simple task to install them. When working with stakes, it is best to water the ground first to ensure the stake will not break or bend. With this done, push the stake into the ground and then attach the light to them as per the installer’s guidelines.

Whilst installing a new wall light from scratch can be a difficult DIY job, replacing a light is an altogether different matter.

Step-by-Step

1. Turn off Power & Remove Old Light

As always, the very first thing to do is to turn off the power to the area you are working. Check no electricity is running using your voltage tester. With this done, take your drill and remove the mounting plate and light from your wall for disposal. The internal wires can then be disconnected by removing the connectors and ends.

2. Connect Wires

Before you can install your new light, you will first need to drill the new mounting plate into position. After this, your wires will need to be connected. 

Take note of the different colours. Green or copper wires will typically be the ground wires and will need to be wrapped twice around the green bolt on your mounting plate. Once done, tighten into place with a screwdriver.

Next, connect the remaining wires with their corresponding coloured wires on the light fixture: Red or black for hot and white or grey for natural. If these colours don’t light up exactly, match the hot wires to each other and the natural wires to each other. Finish by topping the twisted wires with a wire connector and wrap with electrical tape.

Keep your wire strippers on hand as you may need to use these if the wires aren’t long enough to reach each other.

3. Attach the Light & Fill in Gaps

Affix the new light to its mounting bracket and then caulk around the mounting plate to seal any gaps that may exist between it and the wall. This will prevent wind-driven rain and moisture from getting into your circuitry. Finally, test your power on and test your new lights are working.

When installing floodlights and other high-wattage fixtures, you’ll need to run your lighting off a main power circuit. One with RCD (residual current device) protection, so that it will shut off in the event of a fault. To do this, you will need to run a spur from a ring circuit, via a 5 amp fused connection unit.

Running a Spur from a Power Circuit

In simple terms, a spur is a supply of electricity fed via one cable taken off a main circuit to an extra socket. In this case, one which will power your external lighting. This spur can be run using a suitable two-core-and-earth cable to the ‘feed’ terminals of a fused connection unit (containing the 5 amp fuse). If this unit does not have a switch a separate switch may need to be installed as well.

If you are installing a wall light, further two-core-and-earth cables can be run directly to your light or via a four-terminal junction box if you need to run a separate switch drop.

Installing Lights with SWA Cable

If your high-voltage lights are not going to be attached to your wall, then they can instead be supplied with a suitable steel-wire-armoured cable. This cable will need to be buried roughly 18 inches deep (beneath paths or driveways) or 30 inches deep (beneath unpaved areas) as it will be carrying a large amount of power. If it is being buried in areas that may be dug up in the future, it is also worth running electrical route tape above the cable as well.

Working with SWA requires a few more tools, including SWA cable clips and/or suitable plugs and screws to secure the cable to your walls. From your wall, it will then need to be connected to a weatherproof adaptable box (that’s also fitted to your wall) through weatherproof glands to prevent the cable armouring from being corroded. These glands will also need to present when connecting the SWA to your lights. The lights themselves should also be double-checked to make sure they, themselves, are weatherproof.

Working with higher voltages is not recommended for a DIY Job. Always consult a qualified professional before undertaking any work.

Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at our wide range of product and project guides - covering an array of subjects from garden renovations to painting and decorating, installing stunning lighting set-ups to building out a kitchen or bathroom from scratch and much, much more. Take the leap today and start your DIY journey right here. For direct help and advice, you can also contact our award-winning customer service team.