Low voltage system in soffits??

[Eden Lights]

Customer has some beautiful statuary and urns on the front porch, I would like to try to downlight them from above the porch in the soffit. Transformer and wiring would need to be in the attic or space above the porch. Could a interior type transformer be used in this app?? I was thinking of just pricing a regular Hadco unit, since a remote photocell and some type of timer would be needed also. I felt that uplighting from the landscape might cause some glare even with the best of positioning. Any ideas or equipment specs??

[sitelights]

In my business we never go in the house. We do no 120v work but rather coordinate with the client's licensed electrician or recommend one in the area. We work in so many different jurisdictions that it is not feasible to be licensed in every community. We also never attach to a dwelling. There is a natural cut-off point where landscape lighting becomes interior work. Our insurance carrier charges us landscaper rates not electrician rates. A whole range of liability issues arise when you tackle 120v prep.

That said, I think your design concept is right for the task but I would spec the job and use a licensed electrician to install it. If you are a licensed electrician you're home free. No landscape lighting equipment manufacturer makes a recessed soffit light but Lightolier (for one) makes a damp location remodeler-type 3 3/4" low voltage (2000LVR housing) downlight with 15 degrees of vertical tilt that accepts a 20-50w MR-16 lamp The pinhole trim (2011) that has a 1 5/8" aperature for minimum visual clutter and glare control. These are remote transformer units and can be powered and controlled per your plan. I caution you not to use an interior type transformer. These bare coil units are quite noisy and have no protection on the primary or secondary side. Be sure to place the transformer in a location that has sufficient air circulation. I think that Progress makes the same items for a bit less money. I cut a circle of copper screening to fit inside of the pinhole; this keeps the bugs out and provides some additional glare control.

[Mike C]

Sitelights, I'm interested in using a recessed lowvolt fixture in the soffit of a home, but primarily to downlight the side of the house. You mentioned in a previous post the Lightolier 2000LVR. I've included the link to its specs. I'm not sure I understand. Do you just cut off the whole transformer that comes with it and just run wiring to your landscape lighting transformer as you would any other lowvolt landscape lighting fixture? http://www.lightolier.com/MKACatpdfs/2000LVR.PDF What trim would you recommend as I want a fairly wide beam-spread. I'm assuming all this stuff won't rust or corrode, is that correct? Thanks

[sitelights]

I bypassed but did not remove the 50w magnetic transformer riveted to the arm of the remodeler. The splice from the distributed low voltage main cable to the socket leads enclosed in the sleeved or armored flex was made in the J-box with Buchanan crimps/caps. This method results in a non-UL listed fixture. Note that if you bypass the transformer you will also be bypassing the 120v thermal protection built in to many recessed housings. It is important that the remote transformer has both primary and secondary protection.

Lightolier has cloned and been cloned by every manufacturer. You can purchase the equivalent of the 2000LVR for substantially less through other sources. Look at the AL4RT at http://www.lampsone.com website and the various trims for that housing.

With MR lamps it is the reflector configuration that determines beam spread. The trim type does not make any difference since all of the light will exit the fixture trim even if it is a pinhole aperature with an opening size that is smaller than the MR16. If you draw two Vs with their points touching you will have made a diagram of the characteristic shape of the reflector beam whatever the spread.

You can demonstrate this anomaly using a hole cut in a piece of cardboard that is slightly (1 7/8" for example) smaller than the 2 inch diameter of the MR16 face. At the proper distance from the hole the entire focused beam will exit the aperature.

[Eden Lights]

The LVR2000 is great and I have looked at some of the others, but came back to the Lightolier. This house had all steps and concrete below the columns, I saw no other alternative, I had one client think I was crazy during the proposal "How are you going to that? Leave that up to me." End result is worth it I think. Marker lights on drive was a must have for client, so I talked them down to a few vs. dozens from previous install.