While the popular belief about electricity is that it is the amps that can cause injury not the volts is mainly true, it is actually a combination of the two that can cause serious injury or even death. In an outdoor garden, amp outdoor lighting rating is an important consideration where safety is concerned. If you look at electricity like water through a garden hose, voltage pushes water through the hose, the flow rate is the current, or amps, and the hose represents the resistance.

With low voltage systems used in the garden, amp outdoor lighting ratings are too low to cause any serious problems. Another way to look at it would be a car battery with 12 Volts and a 12 Volt flashlight battery delivers only 12 Volts of power. You can touch them both and not feel a shock as the amperage rating being delivered is only going to be about 12 micro amps, due to the resistance of the body. Although many car batteries can provide close to 750 amps when the car’s starter is engaged there is more resistance increasing the current flow.

In the garden, amp rating for outdoor lighting will usually be in the extremely low milliamp range as the resistance in the bulbs is very low, similar to the bulbs in the lights of a car. The low voltage, under 50 in low voltage systems, do not have the amps available to cause any physical harm.

Low Voltage Lights Safer For Surroundings

Many use low voltage garden, amp outdoor lighting ratings to help reduce the cost of operation on a daily basis. Others, with children and pets that think the lights are toys, use them to eliminate the risk of injury. Additionally, high higher voltage systems, the potential for sparks and fire is always present, especially if used near water or other areas prone to heavy moisture.

When designing a lighting scheme for the garden areas of the home, take into consideration the needs for bright lights as well as where low voltage lights will do the job. In the garden, amp outdoor lighting ratings do not have to be high unless there is a need for brightness, but it can still be in a limited area. In most localities, higher voltage systems will require wiring to be placed in conduit while low voltage systems can often be simply weatherproof wire buried in a shallow trench.

Another consideration is solar power, which requires no wiring to each individual light as well as having and insignificant amperage rating so as not to cause damage or injury.

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