Maintaining Your Outdoor Landscape Lighting

Maintenance of landscape lighting is essential if you’re trying to avoid repairs. All outdoor lights require some maintenance to keep burning as brightly as the day you installed them. Most outdoor lights are designed to operate in harsh conditions, so the support that is required is usually minimal. If you intend to DIY your outdoor lighting maintenance, then you should have a checklist of the crucial things that you need to do:

1. Check Exterior Bulbs

Bulbs will blow from time to time. Replacing them is a necessity, but which lamp is the right one. Smart homeowners would have recorded the type of bulb their outdoor system uses, but for those who didn’t, solving the problem may be simple. Unscrewing the lamp and taking it to an electrical supplies place works. Unscrewing the bulb might even allow you to get a glimpse of the model number that you can then quote for the supplies place. In any case, when you get your replacement bulbs, make sure and record the model number for future reference.

You may want to be prepared to replace bulbs that are on the brink of going. But how can you tell which ones are on their last legs? There are a handful of telltale signs:

• Lights are Flickering: his can be due to a loose connection, or it might be that the bulb needs replacing. Before replacing the lamp, try tightening it in the socket and see if it works.
• Lights are Making a Humming Noise: The humming noise comes from the internals of the lamp becoming disconnected and vibrating because of the passage of electricity. The bulb most definitely needs to be replaced in this situation.
• The Light is Too Bright (or Too Dim): Both of these may be due to voltage fluctuations within the circuit as well as a defective bulb. If all the other lamps display the same behavior, then the circuit is at fault. If it’s just the one bulb, then it’s time to replace it.

2. Check Wiring

The wiring is the most critical part of the system. A fault in wires could cause an entire section of lights to lose supply. Tracing the installation and making a note of any cracks, breaks, or kinks in the cable enables you to tell when the wiring you need to change out. If the faulty installation isn’t dealt with, it can lead to exposed live wires. The incidence of broken cables could lead to either a fire in dry environs or electrocution in wet locations. It’s nearly impossible to spot damage to wiring casually, so you will have to trace the lines to find where the problems are.

3. Check Outlets

If the outlet has a burning scent to it, then you may need to get a professional electrician to upgrade your panel. Outdoor bulbs should be connected to a GFCI outlet when available because of the incidence of moisture outdoors. If the outlet is one of the older ones, then there could be problems inside the outlet that may cause a fault. Dealing with the issues with the outlet should be a priority, and the lights should remain off until you complete this task.

Consulting a Professional

While most of the maintenance can be done yourself, there are times when you need an expert to come in and take a look at things. New outlet installations or wiring replacements are two of those noteworthy times. If you need to deal with your outdoor lights and would prefer having a professional do repairs, then you should consult LiveWire. With expert technicians with years of service under their belt, we can provide top-notch service and even diagnose other problems that you might have missed. Contact us today!