Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights
is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
Many thanks for any insights.
Phil
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights
is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
Many thanks for any insights.
Phil--
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights
is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to
thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights
is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a
separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
If running a SELV[1] then it does not have or require an earth (the of
the "transformer" is floating with respect to earth)
[1] https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Mains_Voltage#Extra_Low_Voltage_or_ELV
Many moons ago I dealt with a mains-powered pond pump problem with a
couple of back-to-back transformers. The pump was rated at around 30W,
and was about 30 feet from the mains plug.
I had a pair of identical toroidal transformers with several taps on the secondary. So I connected one of the secondary taps to the cable which
ran down the garden, then connected the far end of the cable to the
other toroidal tranny in reverse, and with the pump connected up and working, measured the voltage across the pump. When it was near to 230V,
I made the connection permanent. I seem to remember that the voltage was about 30V at the first secondary, and I used the 20V (or maybe 24V?) connection at the other end, so the voltage drop along the cable became unimportant.
It worked without problem 24/7 for at least 5 years.
On 08/08/2026 12:58, Jeff Layman wrote:
Many moons ago I dealt with a mains-powered pond pump problem with a
couple of back-to-back transformers. The pump was rated at around 30W,
and was about 30 feet from the mains plug.
I had a pair of identical toroidal transformers with several taps on the
secondary. So I connected one of the secondary taps to the cable which
ran down the garden, then connected the far end of the cable to the
other toroidal tranny in reverse, and with the pump connected up and
working, measured the voltage across the pump. When it was near to 230V,
I made the connection permanent. I seem to remember that the voltage was
about 30V at the first secondary, and I used the 20V (or maybe 24V?)
connection at the other end, so the voltage drop along the cable became
unimportant.
It worked without problem 24/7 for at least 5 years.
Built your own 'garden grid' Neat!
Bur with LEDs you dont need to go back up to 240V...
On 08/08/2026 13:19, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/08/2026 12:58, Jeff Layman wrote:
Many moons ago I dealt with a mains-powered pond pump problem with a
couple of back-to-back transformers. The pump was rated at around 30W,
and was about 30 feet from the mains plug.
I had a pair of identical toroidal transformers with several taps on the >>> secondary. So I connected one of the secondary taps to the cable which
ran down the garden, then connected the far end of the cable to the
other toroidal tranny in reverse, and with the pump connected up and
working, measured the voltage across the pump. When it was near to 230V, >>> I made the connection permanent. I seem to remember that the voltage was >>> about 30V at the first secondary, and I used the 20V (or maybe 24V?)
connection at the other end, so the voltage drop along the cable became
unimportant.
It worked without problem 24/7 for at least 5 years.
Built your own 'garden grid' Neat!
All I had to was to be particularly careful to remember that was that
there was no RCD-type protection available at the pump's terminals - especially as the pump was of the submerged type and soaking wet!
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
On 08/08/2026 12:21, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But
these have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the
downstairs lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
how about MICC? or that old fashioned. I did learn how to use it in 1960!
--
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y TeamOne disadvantage is that there can be high voltage drops in the low
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to
thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
voltage wiring.
Do yer Ohm's Law shit before forking out money to lay inadequate cabling
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property. But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights
is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switchedPretty ideal if its a well isolated PSU and the cables are thick enough
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a
separate light either side of the drive.
LED lighting has made it a lot easier as the current demands are only
30% or less of tungsten
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Fucking big ones.
Even for just a couple of 5W LEDs
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Not at 12V or less
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage lowMe I like fake traditional fittings, so Victorian lampposts...:-)
intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
https://www.lampandlight.co.uk/classic-black-outdoor-standing-lamp-170-cm-ip44-new-orleans
You can get E27 low voltage LED bulbs for them
Actually looking at suitable bulbs...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Low-Voltage-Degree-Edison-DC12-36V/dp/B07XSG23WF/ref=asc_df_B07XSG23WF
...I note that they will run from 36V down to 12V which means that
something like a 24V supply could drop a ton of voltage before it dimmed
the bulbs
My earlier warnings were on account of experience with 12V halogens
Ok,. I wrote this and did the research simultaneously...
TLDR summary:-
==========
Use 24V supply or thereabouts
USE LED LV bulbs
Use whatever lamp style you fancy
Use as thick cable as you can get away with. Personally I'd use 2.5mm
three core armoured buried at least 600mm if I was young and fit...Its
not earth shatteringly expensive and is the de luxe choice
Earth not needed at 24V, but can be added for extra safety
--Many thanks for any insights.
Phil
When burying things, there is nothing better than a duct. You never
know what you might want to pull through it later.
John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:
When burying things, there is nothing better than a duct. You never
know what you might want to pull through it later.
While it's being dug up, run ducts for:
- Lighting
- Fibre broadband
(even if you already have that, perhaps another operator will turn up -
eg Virgin + Openreach or Openreach + Cityfibre)
- EV charging point(s)
(some of those can be the same duct)
And perhaps a bit more excessively:
- new water main (in case your old one is lead / knackered)
- three phase electricity (in case your current supply isn't adequate for
additional loads like EV charging or heat pump)
Check ebay and Facebook Marketplace, often bits of duct left over from building sites are available for cheap.
Theo
On 8 Aug 2026 at 12:20:30 BST, "The Natural Philosopher" <tnp@invalid.invalid>
wrote:
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y TeamOne disadvantage is that there can be high voltage drops in the low
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to
thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
voltage wiring.
Do yer Ohm's Law shit before forking out money to lay inadequate cabling
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property. But thesePretty ideal if its a well isolated PSU and the cables are thick enough
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights >>> is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a
separate light either side of the drive.
LED lighting has made it a lot easier as the current demands are only
30% or less of tungsten
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Fucking big ones.
Even for just a couple of 5W LEDs
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Not at 12V or less
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage lowMe I like fake traditional fittings, so Victorian lampposts...:-)
intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
https://www.lampandlight.co.uk/classic-black-outdoor-standing-lamp-170-cm-ip44-new-orleans
You can get E27 low voltage LED bulbs for them
Actually looking at suitable bulbs...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Low-Voltage-Degree-Edison-DC12-36V/dp/B07XSG23WF/ref=asc_df_B07XSG23WF
...I note that they will run from 36V down to 12V which means that
something like a 24V supply could drop a ton of voltage before it dimmed
the bulbs
My earlier warnings were on account of experience with 12V halogens
Ok,. I wrote this and did the research simultaneously...
TLDR summary:-
==========
Use 24V supply or thereabouts
USE LED LV bulbs
Use whatever lamp style you fancy
Use as thick cable as you can get away with. Personally I'd use 2.5mm
three core armoured buried at least 600mm if I was young and fit...Its
not earth shatteringly expensive and is the de luxe choice
Earth not needed at 24V, but can be added for extra safety
With an isolated 24V supply there is no extra safety with an earth, but if it is connected to a house PME supply there is actually a small extra danger.
Many thanks for any insights.
Phil
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
If running a SELV[1] then it does not have or require an earth (the of
the "transformer" is floating with respect to earth)
[1] https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php? title=Mains_Voltage#Extra_Low_Voltage_or_ELV
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage
low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
Bollard lights might do:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/tcl/search? query=bollard&footer_search=submit&sort_order=&category_id=&sub_category_id=&manufacturer_ids=
or perhaps "drive over" lights:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GLM07W.html
On 08/08/2026 12:21, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me to
thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside lights >>> is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to a
separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
If running a SELV[1] then it does not have or require an earth (the of
the "transformer" is floating with respect to earth)
[1]
https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?
title=Mains_Voltage#Extra_Low_Voltage_or_ELV
Many moons ago I dealt with a mains-powered pond pump problem with a
couple of back-to-back transformers. The pump was rated at around 30W,
and was about 30 feet from the mains plug.
I had a pair of identical toroidal transformers with several taps on the secondary. So I connected one of the secondary taps to the cable which
ran down the garden, then connected the far end of the cable to the
other toroidal tranny in reverse, and with the pump connected up and working, measured the voltage across the pump. When it was near to 230V,
I made the connection permanent. I seem to remember that the voltage was about 30V at the first secondary, and I used the 20V (or maybe 24V?) connection at the other end, so the voltage drop along the cable became unimportant.
It worked without problem 24/7 for at least 5 years.
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y TeamOne disadvantage is that there can be high voltage drops in the low
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
voltage wiring.
Do yer Ohm's Law shit before forking out money to lay inadequate cabling
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But these
have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the downstairs
lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switchedPretty ideal if its a well isolated PSU and the cables are thick enough
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
LED lighting has made it a lot easier as the current demands are only
30% or less of tungsten
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Fucking big ones.
Even for just a couple of 5W LEDs
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Not at 12V or less
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisageMe I like fake traditional fittings, so Victorian lampposts...:-)
low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
https://www.lampandlight.co.uk/classic-black-outdoor-standing-lamp-170- cm-ip44-new-orleans
You can get E27 low voltage LED bulbs for them
Actually looking at suitable bulbs...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Low-Voltage-Degree-Edison-DC12-36V/dp/ B07XSG23WF/ref=asc_df_B07XSG23WF
...I note that they will run from 36V down to 12V which means that
something like a 24V supply could drop a ton of voltage before it dimmed
the bulbs
My earlier warnings were on account of experience with 12V halogens
Ok,. I wrote this and did the research simultaneously...
TLDR summary:-
==========
Use 24V supply or thereabouts
USE LED LV bulbs
Use whatever lamp style you fancy
Use as thick cable as you can get away with. Personally I'd use 2.5mm
three core armoured buried at least 600mm if I was young and fit...Its
not earth shatteringly expensive and is the de luxe choice
Earth not needed at 24V, but can be added for extra safety
Many thanks for any insights.
Phil
On 08/08/2026 22:49, Theo wrote:
John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:
When burying things, there is nothing better than a duct. You never
know what you might want to pull through it later.
While it's being dug up, run ducts for:
- Lighting
- Fibre broadband
(even if you already have that, perhaps another operator will turn up -
eg Virgin + Openreach or Openreach + Cityfibre)
- EV charging point(s)
(some of those can be the same duct)
And perhaps a bit more excessively:
- new water main (in case your old one is lead / knackered)
- three phase electricity (in case your current supply isn't adequate for
additional loads like EV charging or heat pump)
Check ebay and Facebook Marketplace, often bits of duct left over from building sites are available for cheap.
Theo
Thanks John and Theo
What would you suggest for duct material/size?
On 08/08/2026 12:20, The Natural Philosopher wrote:Too Long Didnt Read
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y TeamOne disadvantage is that there can be high voltage drops in the low
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
voltage wiring.
Do yer Ohm's Law shit before forking out money to lay inadequate cabling
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a ButPretty ideal if its a well isolated PSU and the cables are thick enough
these have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the
downstairs lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
LED lighting has made it a lot easier as the current demands are only
30% or less of tungsten
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
Fucking big ones.
Even for just a couple of 5W LEDs
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
Not at 12V or less
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisageMe I like fake traditional fittings, so Victorian lampposts...:-)
low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
https://www.lampandlight.co.uk/classic-black-outdoor-standing-lamp-170- cm-ip44-new-orleans
You can get E27 low voltage LED bulbs for them
Actually looking at suitable bulbs...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Low-Voltage-Degree-Edison-DC12-36V/dp/
B07XSG23WF/ref=asc_df_B07XSG23WF
...I note that they will run from 36V down to 12V which means that
something like a 24V supply could drop a ton of voltage before it
dimmed the bulbs
My earlier warnings were on account of experience with 12V halogens
Ok,. I wrote this and did the research simultaneously...
TLDR summary:-
==========
Use 24V supply or thereabouts
USE LED LV bulbs
Use whatever lamp style you fancy
Use as thick cable as you can get away with. Personally I'd use 2.5mm
three core armoured buried at least 600mm if I was young and fit...Its
not earth shatteringly expensive and is the de luxe choice
Earth not needed at 24V, but can be added for extra safety
Many thanks for any insights.
Phil
Thanks NP
I like the TLDR Summary although not sure on that acronym.
Any recommendations on a suitable transformer please?Well I source that sort of stuff from China, which isn't a favourite
The low voltage cable runs will be around 12m to each light from the
(garage located) transformer.
Phil--
Generalie <Generalie@nospam.com> wrote:
On 08/08/2026 22:49, Theo wrote:
John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:
When burying things, there is nothing better than a duct. You never
know what you might want to pull through it later.
While it's being dug up, run ducts for:
- Lighting
- Fibre broadband
(even if you already have that, perhaps another operator will turn up - >>> eg Virgin + Openreach or Openreach + Cityfibre)
- EV charging point(s)
(some of those can be the same duct)
And perhaps a bit more excessively:
- new water main (in case your old one is lead / knackered)
- three phase electricity (in case your current supply isn't adequate for >>> additional loads like EV charging or heat pump)
Check ebay and Facebook Marketplace, often bits of duct left over from
building sites are available for cheap.
Theo
Thanks John and Theo
What would you suggest for duct material/size?
63mm (outer) / 50mm (inner) twinwall is the standard size for small jobs: https://www.drainageshop.co.uk/twinwall-cable-ducting-coils/black-twinwall-duct-63mm-x-50m-coil.html
You can get smaller but I'd not do that if you can help it.
What I did was buy a 30m offcut of the black stuff - black = LV electricity (ie 240V). Then I spray painted it for the service it was carrying - saves having to buy multiple rolls of different colours which gets annoying if you only need a few metres.
There's also somebody on ebay selling colours by the metre but they're in Devon and that's too far to collect.
Before installation, I used the included (thin) drawcord to pull
through some 6mm polypropylene rope as my pull cord.
(although I actually fed the two cables of SWA through before installing the duct, as it's quite heavy)
Theo
On 08/08/2026 12:58, Jeff Layman wrote:
Many moons ago I dealt with a mains-powered pond pump problem with a
couple of back-to-back transformers. The pump was rated at around 30W,
and was about 30 feet from the mains plug.
I had a pair of identical toroidal transformers with several taps on the
secondary. So I connected one of the secondary taps to the cable which
ran down the garden, then connected the far end of the cable to the
other toroidal tranny in reverse, and with the pump connected up and
working, measured the voltage across the pump. When it was near to 230V,
I made the connection permanent. I seem to remember that the voltage was
about 30V at the first secondary, and I used the 20V (or maybe 24V?)
connection at the other end, so the voltage drop along the cable became
unimportant.
It worked without problem 24/7 for at least 5 years.
Thanks Jeff
But that sounds way too electrical techy for me!!
Generalie <Generalie@nospam.com> wrote:
On 08/08/2026 22:49, Theo wrote:
John R Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:
When burying things, there is nothing better than a duct. You never
know what you might want to pull through it later.
While it's being dug up, run ducts for:
- Lighting
- Fibre broadband
(even if you already have that, perhaps another operator will turn up - >>> eg Virgin + Openreach or Openreach + Cityfibre)
- EV charging point(s)
(some of those can be the same duct)
And perhaps a bit more excessively:
- new water main (in case your old one is lead / knackered)
- three phase electricity (in case your current supply isn't adequate for >>> additional loads like EV charging or heat pump)
Check ebay and Facebook Marketplace, often bits of duct left over from
building sites are available for cheap.
Theo
Thanks John and Theo
What would you suggest for duct material/size?
63mm (outer) / 50mm (inner) twinwall is the standard size for small jobs: https://www.drainageshop.co.uk/twinwall-cable-ducting-coils/black-twinwall-duct-63mm-x-50m-coil.html
You can get smaller but I'd not do that if you can help it.
What I did was buy a 30m offcut of the black stuff - black = LV electricity (ie 240V). Then I spray painted it for the service it was carrying - saves having to buy multiple rolls of different colours which gets annoying if you only need a few metres.
There's also somebody on ebay selling colours by the metre but they're in Devon and that's too far to collect.
Before installation, I used the included (thin) drawcord to pull
through some 6mm polypropylene rope as my pull cord.
(although I actually fed the two cables of SWA through before installing the duct, as it's quite heavy)
Theo
On 08/08/2026 12:21, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But
these have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the
downstairs lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
how about MICC? or that old fashioned. I did learn how to use it in 1960!
On 08/08/2026 12:21, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/08/2026 22:12, Generalie wrote:
Hi D-I-Y Team
Within the next month, I hope to have a new drive laid, so it got me
to thinking about the possibility of lights at end of the drive.
Full disclosure, the drive is only about 2 cars long so this is not a
grand affair.
Reading supplier web sites, it seems that low voltage lighting is
preferred which has the advantage of being outside Part P.
I currently have "outside" lights attached to the property.-a But
these have no exposed wiring and are powered/connected to the
downstairs lighting ring.
It just so happens that the junction box for the existing outside
lights is located in the garage.
So I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to take a switched
live from that JB to a transformer and from there run 2 feeds each to
a separate light either side of the drive.
Further questions.....
What spec of cable should be used, buried under the new drive sub-base?
For direct burial, SWA is the only real option without some other form
of protection. Double insulated cables like HiTuff can be run on the
ground and exposed to sunlight etc, but is not designed to be buried
without additional protection like conduit or a duct.
Any additional earth requirements necessary?
If running a SELV[1] then it does not have or require an earth (the of
the "transformer" is floating with respect to earth)
[1] https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?
title=Mains_Voltage#Extra_Low_Voltage_or_ELV
Recommendations on light fittings would be appreciated - I envisage
low intensity bulbs mounted on short posts to highlight the drive
extremities will be good enough.
Bollard lights might do:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/tcl/search?
query=bollard&footer_search=submit&sort_order=&category_id=&sub_category_id=&manufacturer_ids=
or perhaps "drive over" lights:
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/GLM07W.html
Thanks John
I reckon the bollard lights will be suitable here.
By the way, I'm the same guy that you and Adam helped out with the
cooker circuit and local East Yorkshire building inspector fiasco in
2012 - still grateful!
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