Landscape Lighting Maintenance

The addition of outdoor landscape lighting is a great way to add curb appeal and comfort. Once you’ve made the investment in your lighting system, it’s a good idea to perform routine landscape lighting maintenance checks to keep it functioning properly.

Preventative maintenance includes visual inspections and identifying hazards that lead to lighting failures. Extend the life of your outdoor lighting by including our recommendations in your checklist.

Before you begin your maintenance check, remember to disconnect the power supply to your outdoor lighting to avoid injury. Read the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning and maintenance specific to your lighting system and accessories. If Mobile Illumination installed your system, our trained professionals are available to help.

Landscape Lighting Maintenance Checklist

Stroll Your Property

A practical way to get started is to take a walk around your property at dusk. This is a great time to see your landscape lighting in action and have a clear visual of the area. Take notes of obvious issues so that you can make corrections and do a more thorough examination. Always document the details of your site inspection.

Clean as You Go

Maintaining clean fixtures and equipment is important and cleaning is one of the best ways to get-in close to spot any faulty elements. Harsh weather can leave your outdoor lighting accessories dirty and soiled. Regularly remove debris that has made its way on to your equipment. Take a close look while you are cleaning to ensure there is no damage or corrosion that can impair proper functioning of your outdoor lighting.

Replace Burnt Out Bulbs

While this may seem like a no-brainer, it’s important to replace a bad bulb to weed out any underlying issues like corrosion or bad connections. Additionally, when a bulb burns out, it affects the electrical current that is being drawn. This can increase the voltage directed to the other bulbs, making them burn out sooner than usual. Manufacturers recommend group replacement when a bulb goes out, to ensure proper lighting quality throughout.

Clear Your Cables

Your maintenance check should include inspecting the cables leading up to your lights. Look for exposed or damaged cables. Keep your outdoor cables sheltered from the elements and cut back plants or branches that may get in the way. Be sure to rewire fixture cords that have grown into surrounding trees.

Perform Transformer Checks

You’ll want to inspect your transformers for damage and exposed wires. Look for loose screws and ensure they are securely tightened. Also, check your transformer time clock and replace the battery so if you lose power, it will maintain all your programs that have been preset.

Upgrade Dated Features

At some point, you might want to consider upgrading dated features of your outdoor lighting system. For example, installing the right energy efficient bulbs not only saves you money, but means you use less power which allows you to run more lights with your existing transformer. By updating and replacing specific elements of your system, you can increase durability and efficiency, while lowering your costs.

Re-aim Adjustable Lights

Your adjustable lights are a key element within your landscape lighting. Due to the weather and normal wear and tear, your adjustable lights may not be pointing where they should be, and this can greatly impact your outdoor experience. Re-adjust your lights as needed to make sure the illumination is not too wide or too low. Double check your motion sensor lights to ensure your motion detector is working with accurate sensitivity and range.

Outdoor lighting maintenance goes beyond a checklist. Having familiarity of equipment and light manufacturers, fixture types, and power consumption are essential when maintaining your system. Need advice? Have questions? Click here to speak to one of our professionals at Mobile Illumination.

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