Keeping the Night Bright: Landscape Lighting Maintenance

You’re sitting on your deck, drink in hand, enjoying the beauty of a summer’s evening in the soft glow of your landscape lighting. While your lights have been designed to tolerate the wind, rain and snow, like anything else, maintenance is necessary for long-life and lasting effectiveness. Here are some ways to keep your landscape lighting shining bright, and are a great idea to do as part of your spring cleaning regimen.

Cleaning
It’s amazing how quickly dirt, water scale and calcium deposits building up on your outdoor lighting fixtures. Dirty lighting can reduce the light output by as much as 40% and can make your system wear out sooner. After disconnecting the power and making sure the lights are cool to the touch, taking soapy water, some sponge brushes and a soft cloth to the lights can make all the difference. Using sponge painting brushes is a great way to get into the crevices of the lighting fixtures, making sure to rinse with clear water before using the cloth to dry them.

Broken & Burnt-Out Fixtures
As you are cleaning your lighting fixtures, take a look for broken or damaged sockets, lenses and screws. Have these fixed or replaced as soon as possible. Also be sure to follow instructions for changing burnt-out light bulb as your outdoor lights are specially designed to withstand wind and rain and don’t want to improperly break those seals.

Wiring & Electrical Components
Ensuring the electricity is off before touching, take a look at the visible wiring and junction boxes to make sure there isn’t any corrosion from the harsh elements or nicks from careless mowers or weed-eaters. Though well-sealed, bugs or other creatures could have gotten into junction boxes during the winter, so these need to be cleaned out and inspected for damage.
It’s a good idea to get the voltage and amperages tested to ensure your lighting is working most effectively and safely.

Prune Plants
As plants grow and mature, they not only impede or change what the lighting was meant to feature, but the growth could cause damage to the fixture itself. Trim branches or plants as necessary, or if needed, move the entire fixture to protect its integrity.

Not only could the plants block the light, they could actually move the fixture enough to adjust where the light is shining. It’s a good idea to take a wander around your yard at night, taking note of any off-kilter beams and how they may need to be adjusted so you can make those changes during the day.

Lighting Maintenance Packages
Since it’s a good idea to give your lighting a closer look at least once a year, hiring a landscape company such as Landscape Lighting Ottawa to maintain your lights is a good idea. It will save you time and give you peace of mind with their maintenance packages. Leave the elbow grease to the professionals.