People often underestimate the power proper landscape lighting can have on your property. With good outdoor landscape lighting, you can improve your house’s curb appeal and aesthetics and stand out from the crowd. It is also considered essential for navigational and safety purposes. A well-lit house is easy for your guest to locate while also deterring home intruders. Nowadays, you can have good outdoor landscape lighting and not worry about the electric bill because of modern motion sensor lights that light up only when they detect motion.
You must maintain our outdoor landscape lighting properly to ensure you receive all the numerous benefits it provides. Neglecting and not doing proper upkeep makes the lights look dull and shabby and can contribute to frequent replacement issues.
What Damages Your Outdoor Landscape Lighting?
There are numerous reasons why outdoor landscape lighting ends up being damaged; some of the reasons are:
- Harsh Weather
- Dust And Dirt
- Overgrow vegetation on wiring
- Dry Rot
- Animal chewing on the wiring
- Overdue Care and cleaning
Damaged or faulty landscape lighting might not seem like much of a concern to a lot of people, but it can end up being dangerous. One of the biggest risks of damaged outdoor landscape lighting is the frayed wiring, as there is always a chance of electrocution and shocks.
Outdoor Landscape Lighting Inspection and Maintenance Checklist
If you want to safeguard your outdoor landscape lighting, you must conduct regular inspections and maintenance. The frequency usually depends on your location, the climate, and more. Establishing a routine makes the maintenance process less cumbersome. Here are the following things you should do during your landscape lighting inspection and maintenance service:
Ensure Your Reflectors Are Clean
Did you know that cloudy or dirty reflectors,i.e., the area around the bulb, can result in clarity problems and improperly directed lighting? The bulb’s reflector should ideally be clean of all dust, dirt, water sports, debris, bugs, cobwebs, and more. In your maintenance checklist, cleaning the reflector and the entire bulb lens is one of the primary steps.
Clear The Area Around The Lighting Fixture
An overgrown landscape is one of the biggest threats to outdoor landscape lighting. Grass, tree limbs, shrubs, and bushes, depending on the light’s placement can usually cover the landscape lighting fixtures. This area is of concern because it generally leads to wiring damage and the light not functioning correctly. Ensure that you trim and clear out the area around your light fixtures to deter this problem. If any spaces around the fixtures accumulate water, then fill them with dirt or other filling materials, as water near lighting fixtures can be dangerous.
Inspect Your Light Fixtures For Damage
Do you know what a potential safety hazard is in your landscape? Damaged, dented, corroded, and broken outdoor landscape lighting. When you have lighting fixtures like in-ground, spotlight, and more that are on ground level, there is a high chance it has sustained some damage. This includes being stepped on, kicked, or accidentally hit by lawn equipment or even damaged by animals. If you notice substantial damage to the landscape lighting, then you ought to replace it even if the lighting functions. Taking this safety measure reduces the risk of electric shock, electrocution, or even electric fire.
Pro Tip: Damaged lighting fixtures must be replaced with a fixture of the same wattage.
Change Bulbs That Do Not Function Properly
When you do your inspection, take note of all the bulbs that do not illuminate the area properly or are on the brink of burning out. Ensure to replace the bulbs before they burn out. Replacing the light bulbs is a way to upgrade and prevent any lights from being burnt out in the middle of the night, creating a potential safety risk. When you are changing your light bulbs, consider investing in a more energy-efficient alternative, such as LED bulbs, as they last longer and are gentler on your electric bill.
Align Your Fixtures
The primary goal of outdoor landscape lighting is to illuminate and highlight certain sections of your yard. Environmental factors such as rain, storms, heavy winds, snow, and other factors such as people and animal movement can cause your lighting aliment to be out of order. When you inspect your lights, check if they are aligned properly or require any repositioning. Aligning outdoor landscape lighting can be done by a simple push and merely takes seconds. When aligning, ensure that your lighting focuses on the areas it intends to highlight.
Inspect for Exposed and Damaged Wires
Exposed and damaged wires are dangerous to everyone and must be addressed as soon as possible. If there is no damage to the wires, it is safe to bury them. However, if you see signs of frayed or exposed wires, contact a professional lighting technician to resolve the issue.
Choose Land-Con For Your Outdoor Landscape Lighting
Design an exceptional yard with Land-con and their excellent outdoor landscape lighting solutions. Land-Con is Toronto’s most trusted and preferred landscape designing company. With over 25 years of experience in beautifying properties, no matter the size of your yard you wish to transform, Land-con’s professionals are ready to help you achieve the best outcome for your front yard and backyard space. Our highest priority is customer satisfaction, which is why we offer a 5-year warranty to cover our craftsmanship to ensure you are protected. Our service areas include Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Barrie, Kitchener, and the surrounding GTA. Contact Land-con at 416.504.5263 or drop us an email at info@landcon.ca to learn more.
