Connecting garden lights to cables part 2

Connecting garden lighting to cables – part 2.

Part one of the blog covered –

1/ Junction boxes

2/ Heat shrink and crimps

3/ Quick connectors

The second part below covers the next two parts –

4/ Wire nuts (mainly used in the US)

5/ Plug and play systems

4) Wire nuts are a very common connection method mainly used in the U.S. They have a bad reputation as filer rates are very high. Even the waterproof gel filled nuts are problematic. I would defiantly avoid them.

5) Plug and play. These are usually a male and female connector that are moulded on to the cable at the end of the light and supply cable. These are extremely quick and reliable and allow people with limited electrical knowledge to connect these lights. It should be noted that the low or extra low voltage lighting is sparse mainly due to the huge safety advantages of this system over 240v lighting. I would recommend a couple of extra steps to this system to ensure a good and long operating life. Always use with H07 cable protective conduit. I would recommend 25mm, as the connectors can be bulky. I would also suggest sliding and gently heating heat shrink as an extra layer of defence from not only water ingress but sunlight damage to the plastic couplers.

I hope this two part blog was useful for your garden lighting requirements! Any questions please email us on info@gardenandlandscapelighting.co.uk.