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I just had my landscape cleaned up and some trees replaced but the lighting system I had is defunct and the irrigation system is 20+ years old and in need of replacing. I need drip lines and lighting around my pool that follow a near-identical path and figured it'd ease the workload and maintenance to dig a single trench for both the polyethylene tubing and 12v power line.

Is there any danger in this? With such a low voltage I figured not, and wiring lighting systems often goes through ground that can get really wet, but thought it prudent to ask. I'm relatively new to DIY work for both irrigation and lighting.

Thanks

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  • This question is in the wrong section, but as long as you have the proper insulation on the wires and don't run water when you run the electricity it should be just fine. On maritime vessels we actually used electrical sensors inside of the pipes at times, and never ran into the problem of electrical shock inside of the ship.
    – black thumb
    May 13, 2017 at 19:32
  • Thanks. I'll make it a point to ensure the lights aren't on during irrigation times. How is this the wrong section, though? Lawn lighting and irrigation seems to undeniably fall under landscaping, and even apply to gardens, too...
    – Rikaelus
    May 14, 2017 at 0:19
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    there's a DIY site on SE
    – black thumb
    May 14, 2017 at 4:06
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it should be on diy.stackexchange.com
    – J. Chomel
    May 15, 2017 at 6:18
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    And I vote for some common sense. diy.stackexchange.com is specifically for home improvement. My question is about outdoor wiring and piping in a landscape that has nothing to do with a home or structure. And by the logic being demonstrated here, every question from every person who's working on their own garden or landscape should be similarly moved, yet I see many such questions with nobody complaining. There's literally a topic called "Drip irrigation system" about someone wanting to build one... and no complaints.
    – Rikaelus
    May 15, 2017 at 16:17

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So in answer to this question - I have 27V wiring for the irrigation system, which runs along the irrigation pipes. This is common practice. So lighting at 12V, should be fine.

As a recommendation though - run your wiring through conduit - This conduit can simply be irrigation pipe! I would paint it or mark it if possible though, just so you know what it is. Then you can simply lay wiring conduit (irrigation pipe) and water-irrigation pipe into the same trench. I also have this in part of my backyard also.

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