A common mistake made by many is to replace existing lamps with lamps of higher wattage than those originally installed.
Example: If you have an FX system with a PX-600 watt transformer, 25 fixtures illuminating the landscape and all of the original fixtures have 20-watt lamps in them for a total load on the transformer of 500 watts, when it comes time to replace the lamps 20-watt lamps must be used. The system has already been sized to take into account voltage drop and individual tap output with those 20-watt lamps. If larger 50-watt lamps are installed the design variables that were originally taken into account are now void.
The larger lamps will cause the transformer to overload, and the transformer’s circuit breaker to trip thus shutting the system down. This is a safety measure to insure the transformer survives these maintenance accidents.
Solution: Reinstall lamps with the same wattage as the originals or upsize to a larger transformer.
Finally, if you’ve replaced all the lamps and your system still isn’t working, either the wires have been cut or you'll need to check the transformer and the electrical components on the high voltage side for issues.
