Offering Landscape Lighting Maintenance
The lights are installed, the patio 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 path lights are often crooked and the accent lights have been bumped. It is also very possible that plant material has grown and they need to be moved in the landscape. 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 accent and well lights. Wipe down path and accent lights to freshen up the finish. Check hardscape lights and 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.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.
Thank you, Mark. We enjoy supplying information for consumers, contractors, and installers. Our team will continue supplying beneficial information regarding our products. Stay tuned for future articles. Have a wonderful day! —Best, The Tru-Scapes Team
How can I dim the paver lights?
Hello Ed,
Currently, our paver lights are not dimmable. This is a feature we will be exploring in the future. Thanks for checking out our blog and reading. Have a great day!
Thanks,
The Tru-Scapes Team
I have two of your pillar lights and a question for you.
How do you clean out the bugs? It’s not obvious how to access the glass in order to clean it.
Thanks!
Hello, Donna. This is a great question! Thank you for asking. There are two phillips head screws under the lid that hold the lid to the glass on the fixture. After undoing and removing the screws, you can lift the lid off the glass and clean the inside. Please let us know if you have any further questions. Have a great day! —Best, The Tru-Scapes Team
Can you change the bulbs on the TS-HPL-8 ?
Hello, Mike. You are not able to change the bulbs on the TS-HPL-8. These are sealed units. We appreciate you asking a question about the products! Have a great day.
If the bulbs on the TS-HPL-6 are not replaceable, what is your solution for when the bulbs die?
Great question! This requires full fixture replacement. They are likely under warranty at this time. If any customers have an issue they can submit their information on our warranty page for review.