Landscape lighting is a terrific approach to achieving perfection for your property’s exterior. Landscape lighting ought to be able to withstand the most extreme weather conditions. These conditions include rain, heat, invasive plants, and bug nibblers. There are some measures to identify the problem if you find that your landscape lights have gone out. The majority of bigger problems necessitate the skilled eye of a nearby technician. But you can usually pinpoint concerns with a little experimenting.
Look For a Short in Landscape Lighting
A short in a lighting system occurs when electricity flows where it shouldn’t, and nothing can stop it. It can occur in multiple locations at once, which is what renders troubleshooting it so challenging. Finding shorts takes a lot of time and effort.
Look for landscape lighting cables that have been cut, frayed, incorrectly linked, or pulled out by roots or rocks to identify shorts in landscape lighting. Also, check for rust, faulty, or defective sockets. Look around for any potential wet spots where cables or lightbulbs may be exposed. These can all cause issues with your landscape lighting.
Reset the Timer
Your landscape lighting timer can be the cause of any malfunctioning outdoor lighting. Use the Restart, Reset, or R key on your transmitter to try rebooting it first. Then try your lighting once more. A new timer could be necessary if resetting it doesn’t work.
Check for a Severed Power Line
Plumbers bury most of the outdoor lighting cabling in tiny trenches. Pointed landscaping instruments like tillers and shovels may scratch your cables. It’s crucial to know the location of electric lines before beginning any significant landscaping tasks.
Electrical cables can tear or fray over time when weakened by roots, moisture, or even fire ants. If there are any warning indications or frayed wires, check the line once you’ve turned off the electricity to your outdoor lighting. If you have buried lines, an electrician might be necessary.
Determine if the Photocells Have Obstructions or Are Damaged
Older systems use photocells to determine when to turn on your outside lights after sundown. With time, these cells may deteriorate and signal your system incorrectly.
Check to see if dense vegetation is blocking any of these photocells. A different landscape component, such as an overhang or parasol, may also obstruct the photocell and prevent it from working effectively.
Determine Why the Light Bulb Went Out
Even though it can appear to be a straightforward fix, inspect the light bulb first. Often, the only problem with your landscape lighting is the lightbulb itself. When discarding or changing the bulb, shut off any electric charge to the circuit, mainly if you’re operating outside.
If you want to save time, cash, and energy, switch from incandescent to LED lights because they tend to last longer, which means less work for you.
Check for Connector Deterioration
In comparison to their interior equivalents, landscape lighting sockets handle more of the elements outdoors, such as rain and snow. When you don’t waterproof a structure, moisture and debris can damage the link over time. Get an expert to check your sockets if you believe you have a healthy lightbulb but just one of your lights will turn on.
When a Few or All of the Lights Are Dim
If you notice your landscape lights are dim, ensure the lamp of your landscape lighting is appropriately inserted into the adapter. Also, you may have a lot of lights, in which case you need to remove some lights or raise the wattage.
To be sure you are using only what is available for your landscape lighting, check the wattage as well. Check the voltage for the headlight at the end of the cluster if you’re utilizing halogen lights. You may have difficulty if the voltage is below 10 volts. Switch to LED bulbs; they are the best available for several reasons. If it’s something else, ensure you insert the connectors into the copper strand at the power cable connector.
Check Your Landscape Lighting Transformer for Issues
Check the wire’s ends to ensure the copper lines are not overlapping. If not, look for shorts at the attachment connection locations. You can recalibrate the wattage to ensure you aren’t going above the transformer’s wattage.
Upgrading Is Necessary
Besides beautifying your porch, an effective and durable lighting system has many purposes. Lighting improves attractiveness and helps house safety. It might be time to upgrade your system if you frequently fix electrical problems, like changing bulbs constantly or eternally pressing the circuit refresh buttons. To enhance your present style and give your home the lighting it needs, contact a local expert in landscape lighting. You may also want to upgrade your lighting system to use less electricity. For example, many landscape design companies choose to use LED lighting or solar lights to save on electricity and help the environment as well.
Quick fixtures if Landscape Lighting Is Not Working
Here are some things to try if none of your outside lights are functioning:
- Check the outlet’s functionality by plugging a cell phone into it to determine if it receives power.
2. Turn it on and then off. If nothing happens after you try turning it off and on again, contact an electrician.
3. Inspect the terminal connectors to ensure the lighting technician fastened the wires feeding into the transformer tightly.
4. To ensure that the transformer still receives electricity, measure the voltage and amps.
5. If you realize the transformer is defective, you will need to buy another one.
6. Reset the timer or circumvent the photocell if you’re using one. If not, you could require a new one.
Conclusion
Outside landscape lighting is essential to the home’s nighttime scenery. You can make the necessary maintenance and repair for your lighting system to ensure it lasts as long as possible. But once the lighting fails in any way, it is mandatory to take the required action. You must also consider issues with the control system’s application process. You can fix some issues carefully without calling an expert. But it is advisable to contact a lighting expert to identify and resolve major electrical issues with your landscape lighting. Are you confused with your most recent landscape lighting project? Not sure what type of landscape lighting will be great for your environment? We can help. Why not get in touch with Cortada Landscape Design and let us come up with a plan to make your landscape lighting genuinely spectacular.