Lawn & Landscape recently reported that the number of options available for landscape lighting has increased dramatically in the past few years. With so many more options, performing basic outdoor lighting maintenance yourself can become increasingly important. 

Meanwhile, as you plan a simple, seasonal routine that aligns with the Midwest’s weather, try to also ensure it addresses the unique needs of each season. However, what exactly does this entail, and what steps can you take to ensure you get it right every time?

Read on to find out how to keep your system safe and efficient throughout the year. Protect your property’s curb appeal and enhance your sense of security by maintaining outdoor lighting, a bright home, and an illuminated garden. Finally, learn how Landscape Illumination can take much of this work off your hands, allowing you to enjoy your evenings instead.

Key Elements of Outdoor Lighting Maintenance

Maintaining your outdoor lighting needn’t be especially challenging. The basics include:

• Keeping your fixtures clean
• Protecting any wiring and connections
• Testing the system to ensure it works as expected
• Repairing or replacing anything that malfunctions

To help you in this endeavor, make sure you know the key facts, including whether it uses older bulbs or energy-saving LEDs. You should also seek out a diagram or explanation of all system components. If you have worked with a professional in the past, look for the blueprints or plans they provided so you can use them as an annual maintenance checklist.

Year-Round Lighting Maintenance Checklist

In addition to following best practices when planning a well-designed lighting system, you should prepare a maintenance checklist to run throughout the year to keep every element in optimal condition.

We recommend keeping the following steps in mind:

Power Off at the Transformer

No matter the season, start by turning off the transformer. This box draws power from your home, reduces it, and distributes it to your lighting installation. Doing this before opening fixtures minimizes the risks of shock and accidental shorting.

However, if you have a range of outdoor lighting, including timers and sensors, you may need to reactivate power before testing.

Weather and Seasonal Checks

After any landscape work, recheck cable paths and fixture angles, as systems often shift during such work. Then, look for anything else that may have changed since your last check. What you look for will be different, depending on the season:

Spring: Earth shifted from freezing and thawing, which may tilt lights or loosen ground stakes.

Summer: Dust and pollen covering sensors and lights.

Fall: Leaves and organic debris that can trap moisture and cover lighting.

Winter: Keep snow and ice from fixtures. Also, avoid shoveling near cables to prevent accidents.

Check the System After Storms

Following any storm, walk around the system and look for:

• Washed-out areas
• Standing water
• Exposed cables
• Affected fixtures

Once you have resolved the above, reset and test the system. However, if you notice damage to the system, look for a provider of outdoor lighting maintenance near you, such as Landscape Illumination, before proceeding for safety.

Finally, over time, remember that moisture can accumulate regardless of whether a storm passes through. Check any sealed connectors and replace any waterproof fittings that appear cracked or loose. Doing so will help your system repel moisture.

Repairs and Replacements

As necessary, prioritize repairs on the most safety-critical areas of your lighting installation. For example, on steps and pathways, where poor lighting can increase the risk of accidents. 

Then replace any damaged connectors or hardware to prevent recurring failures, such as intermittent outages or heat at a loose connection.

When you do this, keep a simple maintenance log. You can use this to speak with a technician or your insurance company about your system’s status.

It’s important to think about maintaining your outdoor lighting seasonally – our quick checks can help you make this an easy process.

Spring Lighting Maintenance Checklist

When spring arrives, inspect the route the cables run, looking for exposed cables or areas that may have been damaged by maintenance or animals. Then, as you go around, check whether the cables are particularly tight and reattach them if they need extra slack to prevent tugging from earth movement caused by a freeze-thaw cycle.

Open a few of the accessible connections to check for loose cables or discoloration. You should also inspect the insulation to ensure it hasn’t become brittle due to age or UV exposure. These can cause outages if left unchecked.

Also:

• Confirm the waterproofing on any connections and seals
• Find and shift any connections or splices away from standing water or puddles
• Clean and check for fogging inside lenses
• Ensure water doesn’t pool inside lights set into the ground
• Inspect brackets and screws for rust
• Look for green and white corrosion buildup on connectors

Moisture and Greenery

In general, checking for drainage and moving parts away from collected moisture will help prevent the need for more severe action later due to damage.

You will also need to check all the seals around the system. In areas where they have become insecure, you should either reseal them or seek out replacement parts.

Ensure fixtures are free of overgrowth, such as lawn or ivy, which can push apart connections and obstruct light paths, creating shadows or other issues. Also, while LEDs are typically not as warm as halogen bulbs, fixtures and damaged connections can heat up when electricity passes through them. Hence, keeping vegetation away from them is imperative to prevent a fire hazard.

Electronics Checks

Check that the device that automatically turns lights on and off is working. Put it into manual mode, verify the lights activate, and then confirm it returns to a programmed state by entering a brief lighting schedule.

You should then clean any photocells that confirm dawn or dusk changes. If they are covered in dirt, they may not notice the difference. Then, if they turn on early or stay on too long, you may need to update them further.

Finally, make sure to check that the lights are all pointed in the right directions, not at windows or neighbors, or at potential drivers.

Summer Checks

Following spring, start by inspecting all the power sources for:

• Rust
• Insect nests
• Signs of vermin infestations
• Heat damage
• Potential blocked vents

Much like in the spring, you should clean any lenses and ensure they continue to function, as well as perform other regular steps, including:

• Trimming vegetation
• Testing timers and sensors
• Checking each light works

If you find this process time-consuming, partnering with a landscape lighting maintenance provider like Landscape Illumination can save you from significant effort.

Fall Checks

After inspecting the wiring and connections in your system, it is wise to check the waterproofing and seals following any fall weather. This fact is even more true after a storm, as mentioned above.

You should also:

• Recheck the timers and sensors
• Trim the vegetation

When the fall season causes large amounts of leaves or debris to fall from the trees onto your property, you must perform more frequent checks, as they may pose a significant hazard if left unchecked around fixtures.

Winter Checks

If you think your system may be covered in snow, turn it off temporarily while you check it for safety. This step is even more critical if you’re aware of broken glass or exposed wire. Then use a soft broom to remove any snow buildup after a snowstorm, as a shovel can cut into cables.

When not taking advantage of our holiday offering, take extra time to perform winter checks, which should also include:

• Inspecting power sources, as in summer
• Looking for water intrusion or signs of corrosion following autumn weather
• Watching for signs of frost and ice that could cause damage to your system

We understand that many people want to invest in a great holiday display over the winter months. With this in mind, you should investigate our seasonal offering, which includes takedown and storage for those who cannot perform this role themselves.

Ask about our holiday lighting services too!

Maintenance as Necessary

Work with a qualified technician to test your system’s safety. While not exhaustive, you can often expect this to include:

• Measuring the voltage throughout your system for consistency
• Confirming transformer loading against capacity
• Diagnosing any voltage drop
• Documenting any readings and changes for your records

Based on their recommendations, you may then need to take further actions. Landscape Illumination offers a year-round service team of technicians who can handle this for you, and our professional annual maintenance package can keep your system performing at its best throughout the year.

Hiring a Professional Outdoor Lighting Service

Outdoor lighting maintenance needn’t be tough. We can perform routine maintenance or plan a new system built from the ground up to be as hands-off as possible. Either way, cleaning and inspecting your home’s lighting should always be as stress-free as possible.

Whether Landscape Illumination’s experts installed your system or it came from another business, our year-round service team can take the burden off your hands. Talk to us about a customized maintenance effort to ensure you get exactly what you need today.