06 Dec Last minute project
By Michael Gambino
Just wrapped up a long weekend of work. We don’t normally do new project installation maintenance or repair work on Sundays (only for special occasions or emergencies) but when someone is in a pinch and they are a great client we bend over backwards to accommodate them. In this case the client is a custom home builder/property developer whom I’ve been working for for more than 10 years. He has been loyal to me and we are currently working on a very large project for him, have another one just about to start and a few more in the pipeline. Yes, he is very busy and in demand because he and his company does everything first class just like us so we are very much compatible.
It’s not a very large garden so having all the trades there at once would not be an option on this one. As it was we had to share the space with the electricians who were installing their pipe and wire for the new custom fountain, outdoor speakers and of course 120 volt switched power for our transformers. Also there were trades entering and exiting the space as the interior remodel is ongoing.
There are 3 switches conveniently located inside the building that will control the uplighting, down and pathlighting and architectural facade lighting independent of one another. This option offers the client the most flexibility regarding the operation of the lighting.
There are a total of 51 fixtures and four transformers installed on this project. 22 independent cable runs were required to power the fixtures due in part to the remote location of the transformers and higher wattage load demands of the larger trees.
Most people have no idea what goes into building a high performance landscape lighting system and the amount of cable other materials and labor demand required. When you are dealing with such a large number of cables you’d better know what you are doing as costly mistakes can be made if you find out in the end when you hook everything up that you’ve crossed wires and fixtures are not connected in the sequence that you require in order to have proper balance of your low voltage loads.
Even worse dead shorts and overloads which can be very time consuming and costly to troubleshoot and repair.
If you do everything the same way every time and systemize your installations following the same proven steps and procedures over and over then these troubles will rarely occur.
Deviate from that and you can guarantee lost time and added costs that come right off the top of the job namely from your profit.
When working on systems with tight schedules such as this one delays and mess ups not only cause your own company money but affects other trades who are waiting for you to complete your work so they can start theirs.
Project managers and general contractors do not take kindly to it and may not look your way on the next project.
I’m happy to say that things went smoothly and we completed our work on schedule.
reverse angle of the space. Intimate gardens look great when well designed
We shall go back again in the middle of the week to finish 95% of our work and back one more time after the landscapers are done to double check everything, make sure no fixtures are covered in plant materials, soils etc. Check for anything knocked out of place and proper operation of the system.
Some of the 22 main cables (homeruns) waiting to be placed inside an 1 1/2" rigid conduit for protection and placed in the trench and backfilled with soil
Blowing off some steam at the end of the day. Just because it's work doesn't mean we can't have some fun. The pizza box which contained our lunch doubles as a cheat sheet and assists us with wire connection inside the transformers. Two transformers down two more to go!
We color code our wires to make things easier and allow for future expansion and or ease of troubleshooting.
I’d like to thank my helpers who are available 24 hours a day for me if need be. I don’t know how I did things before without them. Their consistency, dedication to producing a quality end product and reliability have made my company much stronger and better.
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