"RBM" rbm2(remove wrote in message
...
Regardless of the voltage of your system, you must use wire properly sized
for the current draw. In any low voltage system, the slightest oxidation
causes connections to open and lights to go out. Many of the cheap systems
use connectors that stab into the conductor. This type of connection is
really poor in soil like in the NE


I concur. Whenever I get a service call for outdoor low voltage lights the
two things I look for first are a bad connection and corrosion on the lamp
socket. My fix is to solder the wires together and throw away those wire
pinchers.

Personnally I am not a fan of low voltage outdoor wiring. Through many
years of service calls and observation, line voltage outdoor lighting
appears to be the most reliable and has the greatest service life. This may
be because a more casual approach to installation of low voltage is taken.
Wire is not protected by being buried deep enough, wire pinching connectors
are used instead of protected splices, fixtures are just stabbed into the
ground, are all reasons for premature failure.




"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:21:01 -0400, RBM wrote:


I agree. The higher end low voltage fixtures are made exactly the same
as
the line voltage ones, with a different socket, and essentially are
wired
the same except for the type of cable used. They don't use the stab type
connectors which oxidize in a short time. The 20 watt bi-pin type are
fine,
but I find that the MR-16 sockets don't hold up in the hostile
environment
of the Northeast

Amperage is what matters and low voltage lighting operates at far higher
current
than high voltage lighting. The power dissipated by an inline
resistance
is
I^2*R; A 60W 120V system will draw 0.5 amps and a 1/2 ohm series
resistance
will dump 1/8th of a watt. A 60W 12V system will draw 5 amps, and the
same 1/2
ohm resistance will dump 12.5 watts and probably burn out in short
order.