Winter Maintenance for Ottawa Landscape Lighting

Keeping your Ottawa landscape lighting sparkly and new doesn't end with the onslaught of winter weather. Winter maintenance involves some of the most important aspects of a good Landscape Lighting Ottawa routine – you definitely don't want to have the snow melt away on damaged and broken fixtures. Winter maintenance isn't arduous, and is something that you can easily incorporate into your other winter landscaping chores. To keep those fixtures damage-free, and the bulbs unscathed, here are a few tips from Landscape Lighting Ottawa.

Careful with the shovel
Of course you want to shovel your driveway and paths to make sure that there aren't any nasty accidents, but are you being extra careful when you hit the edges of the concrete? One wrong swing of the shovel and your landscape lighting fixtures can be pushed seriously out of order.

It's usually safer to bring out the snow blower on those areas where lights are close to traffic zones. That way, you'll clear the area without scratching the lenses or knocking your fixtures out of place.

Be smart with salt
Salt and sand are great for your driveways, but it's no secret that they can do serious damage to other landscaping and to your cars. If the undercarriage of your car can be damaged from salt, think of what could happen to your Ottawa landscape lighting fixtures.

When you lay down your salt, be conservative with it on the edge of your sidewalk and driveway. Salt can erode your fixtures and the lenses if they are exposed to large portions of it over an extended period of time. You want to lay down enough to make sure there aren't any nasty accidents, but avoid allowing excessive amounts of salt onto your Landscape Lighting Ottawa fixtures. But don't fret too much – a little salt won't hurt your fixtures if you keep on top of wiping them down every day or two.

How can I get the ice off?
Ice isn't as large an issue for Ottawa landscape lighting as it is for other aspects of your winter maintenance. Professional grade LEDs will mostly melt the ice off the fixtures. In fact, many LEDs are built to melt ice to keep it off the fixtures and therefore increase the lifespan of the fixture.

In the off chance that you DO get ice on your fixtures, just clear it off the lenses or metal. You can use a cloth that's soaked in hot water to melt the ice and rub it off. Sometimes, the ice may just break away easily with your hand, as well.

Before winter comes on, treat your lenses with protective glass treatment if you haven't already. This solution will prevent scratched and fogged glass.

Winter can be a tough time for your Ottawa landscape lighting. If you have any questions about winter maintenance, don't be afraid to bring in a Landscape Lighting Ottawa professional to help you adjust your routine. Request a quote from a Landscape Lighting Ottawa expert today!