If you are using waterproof strip lighting or your installation doesn’t need lots of straight sections aided by lighting channels, you can use mounting clips instead. With that type of lighting, you can just stick the lights wherever you need it to go. There are some types of strip lighting that have adhesive backing, also known as “tape light”. You can mount rope light or strip lights using lighting channels made of aluminum or plastic. Regardless of how powerful your driver is, the NEC can still limit the amount of lights per driver in order to prevent voltage drop from happening. The amount of lights you can have in one continuous run is determined by the maximum wattage rating of your transformer or LED driver and National Electrical Code (NEC). You’re going to have to exchange that driver for a bigger one to ensure all of your lights stay lit. Total Wattage = Length of Light (in feet) x Wattage per Footįor example, you might buy an LED driver with a 24-Watt maximum but your 16 feet of strip lights uses 3.5 Watts per foot for a total of 56 Watts.

Take the total length of lights you want to use and multiply that by the wattage per foot listed by the manufacturer. To determine how many Watts your lighting uses, you’re going to need to do a little math. You should pay particular attention to the maximum wattage rating to make sure your device can handle the wattage of the length of lighting you’re using. Just find the nearest outlet and plug it in with the, typically included, power cord.Įach driver or transformer is rated for a specific wattage range. Lighting Tip: Rope light that is rated to handle 120-Volt power sources doesn’t need an LED driver or step-down transformer to operate. Without this device, the uncontrolled power will fry your LEDs or incandescents.

The driver and the transformer both lower the high voltages of main power sources, like the American standard 120 Volts, to the needed voltage of 12 or 24 Volts.

You can only use a step-down transformer to manage 12 or 24-Volt incandescent rope light. The very low power consumption of LEDs make them incompatible with today’s transformers. Both 12 and 24-Volt LED strip lights or rope lights will need an LED driver. This device acts as a manager of the power being supplied to your lighting. The most important part of your setup is the driver or transformer.

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