Simple Solutions When Your Landscape Lights Won’t Come On

You look outside and your landscape lighting hasn’t turned on as it should. Now what? Being able to troubleshoot simple problems can save you an unnecessary service call and can get your lights working again quickly.

If the lights haven’t come back on in the spring, always check the simplest solutions first. Are the lights plugged in? Is the timer set correctly? Has the daylight savings time change left your lighting to come on too early or too late? This sounds like a no-brainer, but these are really easy first steps you can take that might save you a service call.

Have you had any lawn care done recently? Frequently, mulch can cover or obscure recessed or well lights. The lights are still working, but you’ll have to remove the mulch from on top of them. This is especially common when previous layers of mulch aren’t removed and new mulch is added on top. The additional thickness is enough to obscure or dim lights.

On occasion, landscape lighting wires can be unintentionally cut by landscaping workers. Shovelling, power edging and other tasks of this nature can slice through a wire without anyone knowing. A way to avoid this is to have the landscape wiring flagged or located prior to having this type of work done. If the wires have been cut, you’ll need to have a service technician come and fix the problem.

Has there been inclement weather recently that caused a power outage? Sometimes the breakers can be flipped for the outdoor outlets causing the lights not to come on. Test the outlets by plugging a small appliance like a radio into them. If they still don’t work then you know the outlet isn’t receiving any power. Often all that’s required is to hit the reset button (common in most newer homes) or flip the breaker to fix the problem.

Over time, over a winter even, lenses can become dirty with dirt, debris, mineral deposits, etc. Clean the fixtures according to manufacturer’s instructions and see if things brighten up. Depending on the age of your lighting, lenses can burn out and need replacing. During the course of normal yard use, lights can get knocked or nudged out of place by lawnmowers, pets, children or snow, so make sure the light is in fact not working instead of pointing at the ground or something similar.

When Did You Last Have Your Landscape Lights Serviced?

It is possible over time for wires to work their way to the surface of the soil and be damaged there. The insulation around wires can harden and crack allowing moisture in. Connections are especially vulnerable to moisture, and this corrosion can cause lights to go out. If you notice your wires have come to the surface, or bare wire, call a technician to have it repaired.

Finally, remember that the technicians at Landscape Lighting Ottawa are specially trained for low voltage landscape lighting transformers and wiring. To be safe, call our experts to have repairs and maintenance done right the first time. Learn more about our service you can trust here and request an estimate.