They make a pole light that is about 6ft tall that would probably work good. Make sure your wire is rated for direct burial in the ground. The pole light should keep it weather proof and help with your light problems...shouldn't be to hard to wire in 2 if you needed it also.

Hi,

One other way is to have some love voltage landscape lighting. You can install yourself. Works off a transformer and runs at 12v so it is safe. You can get kits at Home depot / Lowes.

Note if you want a better set up than the kits, you can start with Multi-Tap transformers and go from there. The Multi taps typically go up to 22v. But no more for safety and code sake.

This solution is more expensive than flood lights, but is more pretty in your landscape.

Best, Mike.

I looked up the multi tap transformers. Not sure I understand how the multi tap transformer is used. Do you hook up the lights to it? I think the kit is what I own already. It plugs in to the outlet and you set them in the ground. There are 4 per strand. They never seem to be working. I don't think my subdivision would allow a 6ft pole unless not in view.

Intermatic/Malibu LV garden lights they used to, assume still do offer a rectifier/diode for the transformer LV side that most people say fixes the frequently burnt out bulbs.

Hi,

Landscape lighting is basically a 12v system and originally was based on car type components. It is safe for outdoor use because of the low voltage. You may get a slight shock if your hand and feet are wet but that is just about it.

Malibu and Intermatic are brands that you find at Home depot / Lowes ammongst others. The kits that you buy are good so long as the area you are trying to light up is small and near the socket where you have the transformer pluged into.

Multi-tap transformers, e.g. Vista-Pro, are what professional lighting guys use. You can buy them too. I saw a few on E-bay. There are also other transformer brands like these. The trasformers you buy at HD and Lowes usually have only one voltage output, usually about 13.2 volts unloaded (nothing connected to it). A Multi tap transformer has voltages 12.5, 13, 14, 15, 22v.

Unlike a mains power system running at 120v, a 12v system will draw more current. Note more current not more energy. This current means that there is a voltage drop in 12v systems in your wires, in comparison to 120v systems where voltage drops across conductors is negligable. A multi-tap transformer helps you in that you can use higher volt taps, e.g. 14v to allow for a 2v drop in your wires. So at your lights you get 12v.

Bulbs blowing in low voltage systems are quite common. The trick is to replace a burnt out bulb as soon as you can. If you do not there tends to be a chain reaction causing all other bulbs to blow out. This chain reaction is because a bulb blowing out causes less current to be drawn, and lower volt drop accross the wires. Hence more volts at the bulbs, these burn brighter and blow out sooner.

There used to be a web site called LowVolt.org. Not sure how active it is now. LawnSite is another forum site which has alot about 12v systems. Usually the guys on it are Pro installers. I found most of the info there useful.

Best, Mike.