Integrating landscape lighting with your sprinkler system can create a beautifully illuminated yard while maximizing convenience. With some thoughtful planning and execution, you can have lighting that comes on automatically with your sprinklers to prevent watering in the dark. Here are some tips for successfully combining these outdoor systems.
Evaluate Your Existing Sprinkler System and Lighting Needs
Walk around your yard during the day to identify key areas that would benefit from accent lighting. Pay attention to where sprinkler heads are installed so you can leverage those water lines for power cables.
Choosing the Right Lighting Types
Once you know where you want lights, determine the types needed. Options include low-voltage path lights, stake lights, rope lights, or uplights hidden amongst foliage. Consider the purpose and scale for each area. Paths may need spaced lights every few feet, while trees can have one brighter decorative uplight. Many brands offer kits with lighting, transformers and various stake, rope, or post options for flexible designs.
Installing the Lighting System
With light locations mapped out, it’s time to access the sprinkler system. Locate the controller box and shut off the main water supply. You’ll need to trench narrow channels a few inches deep beside existing sprinkler lines to bury low-voltage cables that will power the lights. Rent a trencher or consider hiring a pro for this part if you’re uneasy about damaging buried pipes or wires. Protect cable connections from moisture by sealing them in outdoor-rated junction boxes.
The key is feeding lighting circuitry through the same paths as sprinkler lines so they can share the same buried trenches. Surface-mounted wire concealers can discreetly and tastefully cover cables if needed above ground, too. Group lights on a circuit based on planned timer settings so they activate together. Just be careful not to overload circuits—refer to manufacturers’ recommendations.
Automating the Lighting System
Integrate a photocell to the timer inside the controller box so lighting automatically activates at dusk. Some controllers have accessory modules for running additional low-voltage circuits in sync with your irrigation schedule. Or add a separate photo control timer near the box to operate lighting zones independently of sprinklers. Either method achieves unattended illumination.
Completing the Installation
Once wiring is complete, re-bury cables, refill trenches and restore any disturbed grass or landscaping. Test that connections are secure and that lighting functions as planned before closing it up. Then, sit back and enjoy your thoughtfully lit oasis, knowing it takes care of itself without manual intervention every night. Periodic maintenance like replacing bulbs or adjusting light position keeps your integrated system performing beautifully for many seasons ahead.
With some initial legwork designing and installing your landscape lighting coordinated alongside sprinklers, you’ll appreciate the automated convenience for years. Nothing beats returning home to a brilliantly lit yard, whether just watered or not. Take pride in knowing your welcoming entrance is professionally designed and carefree, creating a sense of arrival every time you pull into the driveway after dark.
The right lawn sprinklers can transform your lawn, and you can rely on Simcoe Trenching LTD for professional installation. We help customers all over the Simcoe area. Contact us today to have your lawn sprinklers installed swiftly!