How to Prepare my Landscape Lighting for the Winter Season
Now is the best time to preserve the landscape work that you have done in the spring and summer. Also, take precautions to make sure your lighting is ready for winter. You may need to fix some aspects of your landscape lighting in order to avoid snow, freezing temperatures, and/or lack of sunlight.
It is a good time to inspect your lighting system and make any necessary repairs before it freezes solid. It is worth hiring a professional to service your lighting system for landscape lighting and winter preparation.
These are some tips to help you prepare your landscape for winter.
Examine for exposed wire
Examine exposed wire
Keep wire underground
Over time, wires from lighting fixtures can be found. As the leaves begin to fall, you should take the time to inspect your property for exposed wires. You will need to properly bury any wires in your landscape if you find them.
Exposed wires could lead to failure.
For two reasons, wires should always be properly buried: 1) Unattractive wires can detract from your yard’s beauty, and 2) exposed wires are more susceptible to becoming damaged.
What causes wires to become damaged? We’ve seen it all! Wild critters, family pets chewing on wires, or your gardener accidentally damaging the wires while trimming the shrubs.
Always bury landscape lighting wire. The minimum depth that your 12v wire should go is 6 inches
Why is it so important to have your wire buried before winter?
Answer: Freeze-thaw cycles. Each winter, the ground experiences hundreds of freeze-thaw cycles. This is where the ground freezes near the surface and then thaws. Frost Heave occurs when this happens.
Frost heave refers to when the ground moves and heaves slowly or slightly. Frost heave is when a small amount of landscape wire is left exposed. This can cause the wire to become more exposed. It is crucial to make sure all wire is properly buried before winter.
It is a good idea for you to contact a professional landscape lighting company to repair any wires that have been damaged in your investigation.
Clear Snow Covering Fixtures
A portion of your lighting fixtures might be submerged in the snow after a severe snowstorm.
LED bulbs do put out heat. It is enough to melt a little bit of snow (a few inches). However, if fixtures are completely submerged under more than a foot of snow, they will need help.
Because LEDs don’t emit enough heat to melt snow, it is important to clear the snow from your landscape lighting fixtures.
You might not have to get out yet to clean your driveway or walkways.
It is simple to clean your light fixtures. To let the light shine through, all you have to do is use a broom to sweep the snow off your lens.
When you are removing snow from fixtures, take extra care. Let snow removal companies know that you have fixtures close to their snowplows. Flags can be purchased at your local hardware store if you are concerned about the location of the fixtures.
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Outdoor Lighting Fixtures to Adjust in Winter
Your lighting fixtures may become damaged by wind, snow, or landscaping over time. To align fixtures that are crooked, you can spend some time walking through your yard.
Avoiding accidental damage to your landscape lighting system will be the best way to protect it.
Landscape Lighting: Moisture-Related Issues
Outdoor LED lighting can be sensitive to water and moisture. As with all electronic devices, LED lights will shorten if they come in contact with moisture. The bulb is sensitive and should not be exposed to moisture. It is therefore important to use high-quality fixtures to keep moisture away.
LD Lighting has vetted many models in order to select landscape lighting fixtures that will last a lifetime. To protect the bulb from damage caused by moisture or other elements, we only use the best fixtures. We offer a lifetime guarantee on all fixtures in the event of a problem. You’re covered!
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Get an annual service
Service your landscape lighting system every year is the best thing you can do. No matter what type of lighting system you have, no matter how well-engineered or built it is, it will always be fighting the elements. It is important to service it every year to keep your lighting system in peak condition and provide long-lasting performance.
Our team inspects all LED bulbs and readjusts and cleans lenses and fixtures, reburies wire exposed wire, and inspects transformers and reset timers. Make sure you schedule your annual service so that your lighting system will be ready for the evenings in your outdoor spaces.
This article was written by a lighting specialist at LD lighting. LD Lighting was Established in 2017 and is located in Central Florida, LD Lighting offers services in screen enclosure lighting, pool lighting, outdoor entertainment, and Outdoor Lighting In Land O’ Lakes FL. We promise to give you the best quality of work and bring your ideas to life.