Electrical – 12 Volt DC wiring in existing home for under soffit LED lights

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I am toying with the idea of putting in down facing LEDs under the soffits in an existing vinyl sided home. I have an old 300 W landscape lighting transformer I wish to use for this. What kind/gauge of wire should I use? How do I run the wire? It is not a huge home, but by the time wire runs up over and around to all the points I need it, I can see it being 80 to 100 feet from the transformer.

Best Answer

In the US, the NEC is very liberal with respect to wiring methods used for 12VDC, things that are verboten with 120VAC such as splices in open spaces are allowed.

When determining the wire gauge, it needs to be big enough to handle the current and prevent voltage drop below the operating range of the lights. For example for the six half-watt lights in the OP's link, and the distance mentioned, a 14 gauge wire will keep the voltage drop to 5%.

As far as what type of cable is allowed, ideally you want something CL2 / CL3 outdoor rated which will be suitable for in-wall installation including in outdoor / wet locations.

There are lots of speaker cables available with CL2 / CL3 outdoor rating in #14 gauge. Since the difference in price for #12 is minimal, I'd upsize so the light level is more even between the lights closest to the power source and those furthest.