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9 Tips for the Maintenance of Outdoor Lighting

by | May 22, 2018 | Uncategorized

Nothing is as exciting as seeing your new lighting system on the first night. Switching it on and discovering just how dramatic the changes are to your home and property after dark is a feeling that’s difficult to explain. To keep these beautiful effects consistently shining night after night, a small degree of system maintenance must be performed periodically.

This is where this quick yet in-depth guide comes in to show you just how easy the maintenance of outdoor lighting can be. Keep reading for some top tips and tricks to not only enhance your outdoor space but to keep it shining in the long run. 

Why Maintenance of Lighting Systems for Outdoor Spaces Are Important

Life outside in the elements is difficult for even the highest-grade fixture components that Lighthouse Outdoor Lights provides. Our lighting equipment must endure the punishing effects of seasonal rains, snow, dust and dirt, harsh weather conditions, overgrown plant material, and even physical abuse from time to time. 

Left unchecked, these factors can take a toll on the fixture’s finish, lenses, gaskets, and other components over time. This can cause the dramatic effects that you experienced on that first night to diminish over time.

However, with a little TLC, your landscape lighting system can remain looking and functioning like new indefinitely. Here is a rundown of how we recommend servicing your lighting system.

Also Read: The importance of hiring Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting for maintenance services

Top 9 Tricks for Outdoor Lighting System Maintenance

It’s time to dive into our top landscape lighting maintenance tips. 

1. Practice Consistent Electrical Lighting Maintenance

Lighthouse Outdoor Lights recommends a system tune-up and cleaning every six months or, at the very minimum, at least once per year. Neglecting your system any longer could have permanent negative effects. 

Some of these effects include irremovable mineral build-up on the fixture bodies, which can become unsightly over time, and diminished light output due to corroded and dirty lenses that block the light.

2. Keep Lighting Fixtures Clean

If you’re not sure how to clean outdoor light fixtures, we recommend wiping off dirt and mineral build-up with a soft cloth while also adding a small degree of surface protection against water and debris. 

Our Lighthouse technicians have found that WD-40 is a great way to revitalize the finish of your fixtures and protect them against the elements. Simply spray a small amount onto a cloth and wipe it onto the fixture. The fixture will appear shiny and new for a few days, but the protection will remain.

3. Clean the Glass Lenses

This is one of the most important parts of system maintenance. If the lens covering the light source gets dirty, it decreases the amount of light passing through the lens, thereby reducing the lighting effects on walls, plants, or trees. Sometimes a simple wipe down and application of Rain-X on the glass will take care of the issue. 

However, if you live in an area with hard water, your irrigation system may be applying a coat of lime or calcium that can be much more difficult to remove. If your once-clear lenses appear frosted from the hard water, a razor blade can be used to scrape the lens clear again. This takes a few minutes but is not overly difficult to do and is incredibly important to restore the full lumens needed as in the original lighting scene.

4. Make Constant Adjustments

Over a season, your soil can move quite a bit, especially in the northern climates where freeze-and-thaw cycles cause your dirt to heave. This constant movement of the soil will cause a misalignment of your lighting over time. 

Surprisingly, you may find that the adjustment screws on some of your lights have worked themselves loose, causing your fixtures to lean down. Your light fixtures can also be inadvertently kicked out of proper alignment if you employ a landscape company to install fresh mulch in your plant beds every season. 

Therefore, it is always a good idea to re-check alignments after new mulch has been installed or any landscape work has been done. Another thing to watch for will be lights that aren’t working after mulching. 

This is especially common with well lights that are used to uplight architecture. Not to worry, more often than not they have simply been covered with mulch and need to be cleaned off.

5. Look Out for Exposed Wires

As we mentioned in the previous section, your soil is constantly moving throughout the season, and wires can occasionally find their way to the surface as the soil pushes them out. Our technicians take a quick look through the beds to see if any have been exposed (especially in the spring after a hard winter). If some are exposed, simply rebury them as needed, but be careful not to damage the wiring when doing so.

6. Check the Power Center (Transformer)

We also like to do a visual inspection of the transformer or “power center” to ensure there are no signs of damage or overload. Open the transformer case and look inside. Visual inspection should reveal no signs of wire burns or physical damage. 

Wire burns can happen if the system is neglected for a long period of time. Micro-vibrations from the electro-transference of power in the transformer core itself will tend to loosen the lug clamps over time, causing the loose wires to arc and create burn marks against the back of the transformer wall — or worse! 

It is important to check and re-tighten these lugs as needed at every service. It is also a good time to evict any critters or bugs that have taken up residence inside your transformer. Spiders are the most notorious for finding a way inside a warm power center when the cold nights of fall descend on us.

7. Check the Timer/Photocell

While you have the transformer open, now is a good time to check the controller to ensure the current time is accurate and that it is functioning properly. Some black electrical tape can be used to cover the photo-eye if your transformer is equipped with a photocell on the outside of the transformer itself. It usually takes 1-2 minutes for the photocell to activate the lighting once covered.

8. Trim Back Plant Material 

It’s a good time to check if any plant material has overgrown your light fixtures in the past 6-12 months since the last service call. For lights that are lighting the architecture of your home, you will need to trim plant material that is covering the light. 

Architectural lights are generally set in a very precise location and, therefore, can’t be moved without dramatically changing the effect on the walls. Fixtures that are lighting trees or plant material can be moved slightly as needed or you can opt to trim. 

As your landscape matures and grows over time, fixtures will need to be moved to more effectively illuminate plants and trees in their more mature state of growth. Our technicians will often recommend adding additional lighting to better illuminate trees that have grown into much larger specimens.

9. Adjust Down Lighting

At Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting, we are always creating unique lighting designs that call attention to the beauty of your landscape. One of the effects we love to use is “moonlighting” from luminaires placed high in trees that gently illuminate the ground and flora below. These fixtures and cables have been cunningly concealed on trees but do require adjustment occasionally to account for tree growth. 

Every two years or so, we are required to back out the attachment screws about two to three turns to leave room for branches and tree trunks to grow and expand without swallowing up the lighting equipment. Some trees are ever-growing, so we must adjust the lighting fixtures over time to keep our trees healthy.

Never Worry About the Maintenance of Your Outdoor Lighting Again

FAQs About Outdoor Lighting Maintenance

If you still have some lingering questions, hopefully, these FAQs and quick answers can help. 

What Is the Best Sealant for Outdoor Light Fixtures?

Silicone is the best sealant for outdoor fixtures because it’s highly water-resistant, mold-resistant, and less likely to expand and contract than caulk.

How Often Should You Perform Maintenance on Outdoor Lights?

We recommend doing light maintenance at least twice a year to ensure proper illumination levels, ensure safe electrical standards, and maintain energy efficiency. 

Is it OK to Leave Outside Lights on All Night?

Generally, it’s safe to leave your outdoor light bulbs on. Then, the illuminated lights can serve as a signal to show that your home is occupied. It also offers practical value, making it easier to navigate around the house at night. Plus, a well-lit garden is a great crime deterrent.

Final Thoughts on Exterior Lighting Maintenance

The above outdoor lighting tips are basic maintenance details that must be addressed on a regular basis to keep your system operating at 100% efficiency. It is not overly difficult to maintain your system. However, if you’re like most busy professionals, it is not something you think about doing and will be neglected for two, three, or even more years.

Generally, most people remember to service their lighting after it’s too late and an obvious problem with the system emerges. Thankfully, our Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting® teams across the country offer a simple lighting system maintenance program to our clients.

If maintenance isn’t high on your priority list, but you would just like to enjoy your system looking great all the time, then our simple maintenance plan is for you. We schedule your cleaning and tune-up service on an automatic six-month rotation (or more frequently if you require it). 

Call your local Lighthouse representative today, and let’s get your lighting tuned up and looking good again.

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