Posted on: November 23, 2016
By: Alan O'Neill
Posted in: Electrician
Many homeowners and inexperienced contractors make the common mistake of replacing bulbs only as they go out. At first glance, this practice seems to make perfect sense. However, maintaining a system this way has several key disadvantages.
This video shows landscape lighting maintenance.
Though purchasing LED outdoor lighting eliminates the need for costly bulb changes, all landscape lighting systems need maintenance due to plant growth, voltage fluctuations, dirt and debris build-up, root growth, contractor/landscaper damage, and unavoidable failures.
Although we use the highest quality American made CREE LED products available, they are still an electronic component subjected to a harsh outdoor environment. Over their rated lifespan, we project a 3 – 9 percent failure rate on LED products, depending upon a variety of uncontrollable factors. Any contractor or landscaper who promises that a customer will never experience an LED failure is either misinformed on this new technology or is being patently dishonest.
All of our new LED installations and upgrades include a 2 years complete warranty on the LED driver and LED chips. Fixtures, transformers, and wire are all covered under our standard 10 years warranty.
If you have an older halogen system set up in your yard, it’s important to replace burnt out bulbs as quickly as possible. Just one blown halogen can result in an increase in voltage pushed through to the other bulbs. This will lead to a shorter lifespan for the remaining halogens.
A LED lamp has an internal voltage compensator, which will correct for slight increases and decreases in voltage. Most fixtures can be retrofitted to LED just by changing the lamp. It’s a simple operation and can save you money and aggravation in the long run. If you choose to do this yourself, use a reputable supplier of lamps that are designed to be used in an outdoor environment.
That, coupled with the fact that there is a very small chance that you’ll ever need to replace a LED lamp makes maintenance an easy step to skip over in your list of landscaping chores. If the bulbs will last practically forever, there’s no need to check them, right?
If you’ve opted to install tree lights, you must check them regularly. Remember, a tree is a living, growing element of our environment. We originally set all of our trees mounted lights away from the trunk. Over time the tree grows but the light stays in the same place. Eventually, the tree can grow around the light making repairs very difficult.
Have you ever tried turning on your headlights after a snowstorm, when the roads have been salted and the snow is a grimy black slush? The muck from the road always splashes up onto your headlights, dimming them so much that they are practically useless unless you give them a quick scrub.
Sometimes the light fixtures need no more than a quick swipe with a towel and some Windex. More often, and especially in yards with irrigation systems, light fixtures might need a deeper scrub to remove lime build-up. CLR is the perfect remedy for these tough build-ups.
Expert installation is the first important step in creating a great landscape lighting system. However, maintaining your lighting system investment is just as important. Maintenance of a lighting system can help prevent costly repairs in the future and keep your system looking it’s best. Maintenance also allows for adjustments to your system as your landscape matures. Call (713) 812-7070 us for your home service and repair needs.
For more related articles and info visit Blog.
Open Including Holidays
ALAN O'NEILL M-20628 | TACLB82488E | TECL 30557
© 2024 Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical. All Rights Reserved