The simplest way of lighting up your patio or garden safely is to use low-voltage light fittings powered by a transformer. You can buy complete sets consisting of a number of light fittings, special low-voltage cable (typically about 8m (26ft) long) and the transformer, which must be sited in the house, in an outbuilding or in a weatherproof enclosure.
Decide where you want the lights, and lay out the cable from the furthest light position back to where the transformer will be placed.
Assemble the light fittings and place them next to the cable where you want to connect them. Remove the terminal cover plate from each fitting in turn and press in the cable (7). Pins inside the terminals pierce the two-core cable and make the electrical connections.
As all manufacturers' products are different, instructions supplied with light fittings must be followed.
Replace the terminal covers and set the fittings in position by pushing their spikes into the ground. The lamps can now be pushed into lamp holders.
Connect the cable to the output terminals of the transformer (8). Plug the transformer into a switched socket outlet, which will also act as the lights' on-off switch. If the transformer is in an outbuilding or a weatherproof enclosure, the socket outlet supplying it must be protected by a high-sensitivity (30 milliamp) residual current device - the type normally installed for supplying garden power tools.
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