Low lighting & transformer

[Aquaman7]

Hello all,
I'm planning to install LED landscape lighting through the yard. Thinking four different areas. 1. Outdoor kitchen. 2. Pool deck/waterfall. 3. Pool lights. 4. Illuminate the surrounding trees.
I will be going with 12v lighting for pool.
Is there a way that I can use one transformer and split it in 4 zones? And a bonus would be to operate them via cell phone. Is this possible?
Thanks,
Joe

 

[PoolGate]

This is dependent on the transformer you buy. Mine has 2 zones. But I do control it with my iaqualink and even have it scheduled using the dusk to dawn timer.

 

[Aquaman7]

This is dependent on the transformer you buy. Mine has 2 zones. But I do control it with my iaqualink and even have it scheduled using the dusk to dawn timer.

So they do sell transformers with multiple zones?

 

[PoolGate]

Mine doesn't have multi-zone control sorry. It has multiple taps to allow more distance with the transformer. I have seen a couple products that might do what you want but I don't think any can integrate into your pool automation.

Here is one:

Fixtures

www.unvls.com

 

[Aquaman7]

Mine doesn't have multi-zone control sorry. It has multiple taps to allow more distance with the transformer. I have seen a couple products that might do what you want but I don't think any can integrate into your pool automation.

Here is one:

Fixtures

www.unvls.com

Mine doesn't have multi-zone control sorry. It has multiple taps to allow more distance with the transformer. I have seen a couple products that might do what you want but I don't think any can integrate into your pool automation.

Here is one:

Fixtures

www.unvls.com

Thank you for the zone control link. I’m going to look into it.
I’m wondering if you have one large multi tap transformer and an on and off switch for each zone, Will it work?

 

[PoolGate]

Thank you for the zone control link. I’m going to look into it.
I’m wondering if you have one large multi tap transformer and an on and off switch for each zone, Will it work?

That would only work if the transformer was designed for it to work that way. Not sure you'd find a transformer that does this. I am guessing yes once you get into commercial grade stuff but instead of hundreds for the system you are talking thousands.

Personally if it was me I would put individual lines and power outlets into each "zone" that I wanted and control each zone independently from my pool control system. This requires a pool control system with enough capacity to do that. Mine is maxed out so I could not add any more lighting zones. But I could replace my system board for a system with enough capacity which would run around $600. Then I'd need to get individual lighting transformers and connect each transformer into an aux port (relay) from the pool system. when activated, the power outlet the low voltage was connected to would turn on. The way that one I listed above works is it goes between the transformer and the low-voltage line to provide an on/off switch for that particular leg. It is an imperfect solution where a solution doesn't really exist.

You can see below I assigned my single unused aux port to my "garden light". That controls a relay in my pool control system that simply turns on/off the 110 volt outlet that my low voltage lights are plugged into.



I then added that into my pool control system's "dusk setup" which tracks the changing dusk times to turn the outlet on at dusk. Once on, the transformer uses its own photo detector to turn the lights on.



I can also override for manual control.

 

[PoolGate]

I think you could use the pool's automation system relays to control the flow of low-voltage electricity through individual runs from the lighting transformer. So theoretically, you could put the lighting transformer at your pool control system and route each leg you wanted to control through a pool system controlled relay. This would have limitations since low voltage runs are distance limited. Anything too far from the transformer simple will not work. It seems to work in theory however!

 

[Aquaman7]

Wow. Very detailed. I will look into it.
thank you Poolgate