--- title: "Halogen to LED Landscape Lighting Retrofit, Naples FL" description: "Convert an older halogen landscape lighting system to LED in Naples, FL: which fixtures stay, what the buried wire can carry, and when the transformer changes." canonical_url: "https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit" last_updated: "2026-10-22" language: "en" --- ![A large live oak over a stone terrace at dusk](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-tech-moonlight-off-1600.webp) Service and repair # Converting a halogen lighting system to LED in Naples An older halogen system rarely needs to start over. The layout and most of the wire usually stay. The decision is made at each fixture, and once more at the transformer. [Ask about a conversion](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#sv-book) Tell us about the system If your system is still halogen ## Can an older halogen system be converted, or does it start over? If your landscape lighting is still halogen and the lamps keep burning out, the system can almost always be converted rather than replaced. The layout and most of the buried wire usually stay. Each fixture is relamped, rebuilt or replaced on its merits, and the transformer is checked once the new, much smaller load is known. Halogen landscape lighting was the standard for decades, and a great many Naples properties still run on it. It works, it is warm, and it eats lamps: FX Luminaire’s 2021 design guide gives halogen lamps "just 2,000 to 4,000 hours." It also draws a great deal of power for the light it gives. Converting is mostly a matter of keeping what is good. Positions that were well chosen stay. Fixtures with sound bodies stay. Cable that is in good condition stays. What changes is the light source, any fixture that has failed, and sometimes the transformer. The first step is establishing what the system actually is. An old installation with no transformer anyone can find may be running at line voltage, which changes the job entirely. [Ask about a conversion](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#sv-book) [or call (239) 649-6940](tel:+12396496940) ![Trees uplit from a planting bed at night](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-job-palm-stand-night-960.webp) An established system: the positions are worth keeping. Usually stays The layout, the fixture positions, sound fixture bodies and most of the wire. Usually changes Every lamp, failed fixtures, every old splice, and often the transformer taps. First Confirm it is low voltage and find the transformer. - ![Illustration of a stone wall grazed by one fixture](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-tech-graze-on-960.webp) Illustration ### Relamp When A sound brass or copper body, a clean socket and a lens that seals. What changes The halogen lamp comes out and an LED lamp of matching beam and color goes in. What stays The fixture, its position and its aim. - ![Illustration of a single royal palm uplit from a fixture at its base against a dusk sky](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-tech-uplight-on-960.webp) Illustration ### Rebuild When The body is sound but the socket is corroded or the seal has failed. What changes A new socket or gasket, where the maker supplies one, and then an LED lamp. What stays The body, which is often the most durable part. - ![Illustration of a house front lit in warm white](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-tech-wash-on-960.webp) Illustration ### Replace When A pitted or cracked housing, a failed seal that cannot be renewed, or a fixture that never did its job. What changes An integrated LED fixture in the same place, chosen to match the light that was there. What stays The position and the cable feeding it. Example only: 22 fixtures on a transformer rated 900 W for the example. Lamp watts are FX Luminaire's table (design guide, 2021, read 2026-10-13). Current is watts divided by 12 volts. Tap a fixture to convert just that one. Load on the transformer ### All halogen In the example, eight fixtures across the front carry 35-watt halogen MR-16 lamps, six palm uplights carry 50-watt lamps and eight path lights carry 20-watt lamps: about 740 watts, most of the transformer's rating. The light is warm and slightly yellow, and every volt lost along the cable dims the lamps at the far end. ### A run at a time Each run from the transformer is converted as a unit: every lamp, every splice, then the tap measured. That keeps each run either all halogen or all LED, which is much easier to set correctly than a run of both. The front alone falls from about 280 watts to about 40. Convert a whole run, then measure its tap. ### All converted All 22 at FX's listed actual draw come to about 114 watts, from about 740. The look is matched to what was there, and the transformer now has most of its capacity free, which is how most systems grow afterward. ### Living with a mix For a while, some of the property will be LED and some halogen. As long as each view is one or the other, it is hard to notice. Where a converted run sits beside a halogen one in the same view, the lamps are chosen to match as closely as possible until the rest is done; see [matching beam spread and color across a relamp](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/landscape-lighting-bulb-replacement). At the cabinet ## When the transformer has to change Most conversions keep the transformer, with its taps re-measured. It changes when it was designed around a halogen load and does not behave under a much smaller one, when its taps were set high for halogen and now over-feed the run, or when it is simply corroded or failing. Each is checked once the new load is known. ![A drawn cutaway of a landscape lighting transformer with its taps and breaker](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-cabinet-diagram-960.webp) Illustration: the taps on the terminal strip are re-measured after a conversion. ### Magnetic and electronic Landscape transformers convert line voltage to low voltage; FX Luminaire describes them converting "120 V in North America" to "low-voltage current (12 V)." Most are magnetic, and they carry on happily under a lighter LED load. Some older electronic units were designed around a halogen load and do not always behave well under a much smaller one. Flicker, or a unit that shuts itself off, is the sign. ### Taps that were set for halogen A multi-tap transformer exists to make up for voltage lost along a run; FX Luminaire says its "12 V to 15 V multi-tap outputs minimize voltage loss." A long halogen run was often put on a high tap to push enough voltage to the far end. After conversion the same run loses far less, so the high tap can deliver more than the fixtures want. FX says the input at each LED fixture "should always be between 10-15 VAC." Every run is measured again. Converting changes the load, so every tap is measured again. ### Sizing for what comes next If the transformer is being replaced anyway, it is sized for the system as it will be, including anything you plan to add, not just for what is there today. The cabinet itself is covered on our page about [taps, load and controls inside the cabinet](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/landscape-lighting-transformer-repair). Sources, read 2026-10-13: FX Luminaire, [Landscape lighting design guide (2021)](https://www.fxl.com/sites/fxl.com/files/fx-229-dg-lightingtraining-us-web.pdf); FX Luminaire, [PX transformer](https://www.fxl.com/product/transformers/standard/px); FX Luminaire, [LED fixture voltage support note](https://www.fxl.com/support/luxor-led-fixture-flashing). Underground ## The wire already in the ground Most of the cable in a halogen system can be reused. LED draws far less current, and less current means less voltage lost along the same wire, so fixtures at the far end of a run often do better than they did. Splices are remade during the work; cable that was cut, or copper gone dark under the jacket, is replaced. FX Luminaire notes that voltage drop still has to be designed for even with LED. A dark run that needs tracing first is covered under [tracing a dark run before it is converted](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/landscape-lighting-repair). [Ask about a conversion](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#sv-book) The existing wireNightScapes Landscape Lighting 1. Reused Sound cable in the ground usually stays. LED draws far less current through it. 2. Less voltage drop Lower current means less voltage lost along the same cable, so far fixtures get more. 3. Splices remade Every old connection is opened and remade during the work, not trusted. 4. Cut cable replaced Anywhere a run was cut, by landscaping or irrigation, is repaired properly. 5. Dark copper replaced Copper that has gone black under the jacket has lost its conductivity and comes out. 6. Line voltage? Stop An old system with no transformer may not be low voltage at all. That is checked first. Reused where sound, remade at every splice. ![An estate at blue hour in warm light](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-job-motor-court-bluehour-palms-960.webp)![Palms along a drive lit at dusk](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-job-curving-drive-palms-dusk-960.webp)![An estate drive at dusk with palms and planting lit](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-job-curving-drive-palms-night-960.webp) Warm light kept warm through the conversion.Beam matched fixture by fixture, so each palm stays lit the same way.One area converted and compared at night before the rest. 1. ### The warmth of the light Halogen is warm, and a property lit by it for years has a look people are used to. LED lamps are chosen in a warm white that sits close to it, so the house does not suddenly turn cooler. Kelvin and beam are explained on our page about [how LED is specified on a new system](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/led-landscape-lighting). 2. ### The beam width A 35-degree halogen lamp lit a palm a certain way. Its LED replacement is chosen with the same beam, or the crown it used to reach goes dark. Where a better beam would improve a fixture, that is decided on purpose, not by accident of what was in stock. 3. ### One area first, at night Before the whole system is converted, one area is done and checked beside what remains. If the new light reads differently, it is adjusted then, while it is one area and not the whole property. The details of matching lamps are on our relamping page. For one run on your property, tick what is true **0** of 4 ### Convert this run first It fails, it is seen, or both. Every lamp and splice on it is done together, and the tap is measured after. ### Convert it next Worth doing in the same season once the first runs are done and checked. ### It can wait a season A run that works and sits out of sight loses little by waiting. Keep it all halogen until its turn, rather than mixing. Runs that are working and out of sight can wait a season. Until a run's turn comes, it stays all halogen rather than half and half. ![An aerial view of a waterfront house at dusk: drive and entry, palms, planting beds, a screened pool and a lit seawall on a canal](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-scene-pillar-off-960.webp) ### As it was: the front only Many halogen systems lit the entry, the face of the house and the drive, and the transformer was close to full doing it. After conversion The same fixtures draw a fraction of what they did, so most of the transformer is free. ### Palms that were never lit A row of palm uplights was a large part of a halogen load. On the capacity a conversion frees, the palms can be added without a new transformer. Checked first The run they would join, and its voltage at the far end. [Lighting palms](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/tree-palm-uplighting) ### A pool or lanai added since Pools, lanais and patios are often built after the lighting went in. They are the commonest addition on freed capacity. [Pool and lanai lighting](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/pool-lanai-lighting) ### Beds and a path that always needed light The planting and the walk to the door, lit low and soft, on the same run as the drive or one of their own. [Path lighting](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/pathway-lighting) ### The seawall and the water On a waterfront lot, the seawall and dock are often the last thing lit, and the easiest once the load has come down. [Dock and underwater lighting](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/underwater-dock-lighting) Illustration of one waterfront house: the front lit as a halogen system often was, and what is usually added once a conversion frees the load. Who does the work ## Who does the conversion: NightScapes Landscape Lighting, Naples NightScapes Landscape Lighting has worked on Naples landscape lighting since 1998, through the whole change from halogen to LED. Todd and Sherry own and run it, outdoor lighting is the only work it does, it is a Hunter Preferred Contractor, and its Google Business Profile shows 63 reviews at 5.0. Conversions are judged fixture by fixture. Having lit properties with both technologies is useful here: we know what a halogen system was trying to do, and how to keep that look in LED. We work across Naples, Port Royal, Pelican Bay, Grey Oaks, Old Naples and Marco Island, and through Lee and Collier counties. We will tell you plainly which fixtures are worth keeping and which are not. Where the answer is to keep them, that is what we recommend. [Ask about a conversion](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#sv-book) ![Sylvester palms lit in front of a courtyard wall](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/img/ns-job-courtyard-wall-fountain-960.webp) An established system, with positions worth keeping. Since 1998 Lighting properties in Naples and Southwest Florida. Todd and Sherry Family and locally owned. The owners are the people you deal with. 63 Google reviews Rated 5.0 on the NightScapes Google Business Profile. Hunter Preferred Contractor Hunter Industries is the maker of FX Luminaire fixtures and Luxor controllers. Choose a question - [Can I keep my existing transformer and mix LED and halogen?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-0) - [If a new transformer is needed, what do you recommend?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-1) - [What if I already have halogen fixtures? Should they be replaced?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-2) - [How much of my transformer is my current system using?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-3) - [My old system has no transformer I can find. Can it be converted?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-4) - [What should I watch out for when replacing halogen lamps with LED?](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/halogen-to-led-retrofit#hr-questions-5) Ask us about converting to LED. Choose a question, or call and we will answer it on the phone. ### Can I keep my existing transformer and mix LED and halogen? Often for a while, if it is a transformer that behaves well under a lighter load and the taps are re-measured. Mixing halogen and LED on one run makes balancing the voltage harder, because the two draw so differently, so we convert a run at a time where we can. We check the transformer before saying yes. ### If a new transformer is needed, what do you recommend? One sized for the system as it will be after conversion and any additions, with multiple voltage taps and a controller that suits how you want to run it. We use FX Luminaire equipment and specify the unit for the property, not from a catalog. ### What if I already have halogen fixtures? Should they be replaced? Not automatically. A sound brass or copper fixture with a clean socket can take an LED lamp. A corroded socket can sometimes be rebuilt. A pitted or failed housing is replaced. The decision is made fixture by fixture, and a typical system ends up with some of each. ### How much of my transformer is my current system using? Add up the lamp wattage on each run and compare it with the transformer’s rating. With halogen it is often most of it. FX Luminaire notes halogen landscape lights use "anywhere between 10 and 50 watts of power each." The same figure after conversion is usually a small fraction, which is the capacity a system can grow into. ### My old system has no transformer I can find. Can it be converted? It may not be a low-voltage system at all. Some older installations, especially in South Florida, run fixtures at line voltage from the house supply. That changes the conversion completely and is the first thing we establish, before any lamp is touched. ### What should I watch out for when replacing halogen lamps with LED? Three things. The beam, because a different spread changes what is lit. The color, because a cooler white changes how the house looks. And the transformer, because some were designed around a halogen load and do not behave well under a much smaller one. Each is checked on one area first. [Ask us on the phone: (239) 649-6940](tel:+12396496940) Close to this - [LED lighting How LED is specified on a new system](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/led-landscape-lighting) - [Transformer and timer Taps, load and controls inside the cabinet](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/landscape-lighting-transformer-repair) - [Relamping Matching beam spread and color across a relamp](https://www.nightscapeslandscapelighting.com/landscape-lighting-bulb-replacement) Free Consultations and Estimates ## Ready to keep the look and lose the halogen? Tell us about the system: roughly how old, how many fixtures, where the transformer is, and how often lamps fail. We look at it with you and tell you which fixtures stay and what changes. - Fixture by fixture - The look kept, the load cut - Free consultation and estimate [or call (239) 649-6940](tel:+12396496940) Tell us about the system