Offering Deck Lighting Maintenance
The lights are installed, the deck project is finished, and the lawn is seeded—off to the next job—BUT are you offering a lighting maintenance? In our world of ‘low maintenance’ landscapes and everlasting LED lamps in our lights—we often forget nothing is maintenance free.
As a manufacturer, we get many calls from homeowners looking for assistance with the lighting system, sometimes it can be as simple as a transformer reset, maybe a loose connection, but often a little preventative maintenance will curb such issues. As a result, this can provide the homeowner with years of hassle-free enjoyment.
One easy way to provide a profitable maintenance contract is extending the warranty with annual checkups of the system.
Recommendations
Check the transformer—clean out the bugs and wipe it down. Check wire connections and make sure the timer is set correctly. If it uses a photocell, be sure it is tight and facing the correct direction to be effective.
Straighten Out Fixtures
With old lighting systems, the cap lights can be crooked and other lights may have been bumped. It is also very possible that plant material has grown and they need to be moved on the deck. You may even recommend a lamp output increase due to plant material growth.
Clean The Fixtures
Hard water and environmental materials can dirty up nice fixtures. Use a product such as CLR, or a strong glass cleaner, to clean the glass on deck lights. Wipe down deck lights to freshen up the finish. Check caps to make sure they are tight.
Click on the transformer and check that all LED lamps are working—replace any faulty lamps.
Follow the wire runs and be sure it is not exposed. If possible, check wire connections. Most of the service calls we get relate to poor or loose connections. Therefore, when installing and making wire connections—ensure you are following the correct procedures.
Conclusion
Finally, when you are done, LOOK AROUND for additional opportunities on site. A few more lights will accentuate new or changed landscape features. We also now offer technology with RGBCW color changing lamps. Depending on the fixture style it can be an easy, and profitable, upgrade while on site. Be ready with lamps in the truck!
Moral of the story, nothing is maintenance free. Be sure to take care of your customers with annual maintenance. It will pay dividends in the future when they are ready for more work! Last but not least, we wish you the best in maintaining your installed lighting systems.
