3 LED Light Maintenance Tips For Outdoor Lighting

When you invest in an outdoor lighting system, you want to make sure it lasts a long time. Systems are expensive, and the right design can take time to map out. How can you ensure your lighting system outlives your investment? LED light maintenance can protect your lighting, and through preventative steps, you can keep your system in high functioning order. There are many ways to maintain your outdoor lighting system, but our experts have highlighted 3 steps in particular. 

LED Light Maintenance For Outdoor Light Fixtures

Outdoor light fixtures are like any investment. They require energy and care to keep them up and running. Hiring a professional landscape lighting company who can help you with maintenance is key for a light’s longevity. What exactly does a landscape lighting designer do to maintain a system?

There are many steps to LED light maintenance, and you should be getting an all-inclusive package when you hire a professional. Changing bulbs and replacing sockets are some of the most important steps you can take when caring for your lighting fixtures. 

1. Changing Bulbs & Sockets

A light socket is something you might not recognize from the name, but you would know what it was if you saw a picture of it. To a homeowner who isn’t experienced in installing lighting, a light socket is the base that a bulb screws into. A socket conducts electricity through the base and out through a wire. One of the most obvious ways to tell if a socket is bad, is if a light bulb goes out but you know the bulb is still good. This is a tell tale sign that your socket needs replacing. While outdoor and indoor sockets serve the same function, they are different in the ways that they are made to account for weather conditions and durability. An outdoor lighting installation company can replace all your sockets for you with a compatible part. 

In addition to sockets, bulbs also need to be changed out. Houston Lightscapes prefers using interchangeable lighting fixtures in their designs which makes switching out a bulb easy and cost efficient. Instead of replacing the whole fixture, you just need to replace the bulb. LED light bulbs last much longer than their halogen counterparts, and they’re safer, so having a preventative annual maintenance visit can ensure your system lasts for many, many years. 

2. Reburying Wires

Wires can naturally become exposed over time due to weather conditions and the natural erosion of the soil. This process can be sped up in extreme weather conditions such as storms, intense rain, and snow. Exposed wires are dangerous and create tripping hazards and fire hazards. Houston Lightscapes maintenance team visits once a year and walks the property, checking to see if any wires have become unburied. If you notice a wire needs to be reburied at any time between your annual visits, you can call and we’ll come out and service your lighting system at any point throughout the year. 

3. Dealing With Overgrowth & Foliage

This is a type of LED light maintenance that homeowners can do themselves if they don’t wish to hire a lighting company to do it for them. Overgrowth and foliage such as fallen leaves can camouflage your lighting fixtures, creating a dangerous chance of falling or breaking the fixtures. This can also lead to overheating of the fixtures if enough foliage is left unchecked. Pulling weeds around a fixture, trimming the grass and plants, and removing dead leaves can help maintain your fixtures for the foreseeable future. If you don’t want to do this, an outdoor lighting company, such as Houston Lightscapes, can clean up the overgrowth around your property. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to preventative LED light maintenance for outdoor lighting. Houston Lightscapes offers maintenance to clients who have had their system installed by us, but we also serve systems installed by other companies. If you have a question about if we can help maintain your property, or if you’d like to set up a visit, contact us here.