This could be a real dilemma. Let me paint the scenario for you: Daylight Savings Time has ended – weeks ago. It’s hard to believe but around 5 pm it’s already getting dark outside. And before you know it, your home’s exterior and landscape are cloaked in total darkness, except for a faint glimmer of shadow cast from the streetlamp down the block. But, this shouldn’t be because you have an outdoor lighting system already installed? Problem is, it just isn’t working, or may be working incorrectly.
Right to left – before and after professional outdoor lighting.
To help you better understand what the problem may be – and what the solution is – here are some of the most commonly asked questions when landscape lights no longer turn on like they used to.
MY LANDSCAPE LIGHTS DON’T WORK – CAN YOU FIX IT OR SERVICE MY SYSTEM?
Being the recognized outdoor lighting expert in the Clearwater, Tampa Bay and St Petersburg we are pleased to respond with a resounding “Yes, we can fix your landscape lighting system. Period.” This year, in 2021, we are celebrating over two decades as the premier outdoor lighting suppler, designer, installer and service professional.
Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Clearwater and Tampa Bay only does outdoor lighting and landscape lighting and maintenance – and we do absolutely everything connected to it.
Once a homeowner contacts us and says, “My landscape lights won’t work,” the very first thing we do upon arriving at the home is conduct our diagnostic and comprehensive landscape lighting analysis performance testing.
Our proactive maintenance plan is free to new landscape lighting clients for one full year once they purchase their new system or system addition from us. For landscape lighting clients whose lights were installed by someone other than us, this service is extremely reasonably priced as we diagnose the problem.
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And our preventive annual maintenance is proof that this is true.
HOW DOES YOUR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING REPAIR SYSTEM WORK?
Our landscape analysis performance test protocol works like this:
First, we literally walk around your landscape to spot any obvious problems.
Do you have landscape lighting bulbs that are burned out and need to be replaced?
Are there any low-voltage wires that have been inadvertently damaged or cut by your landscape company?
Has your landscape material grown to the point where it is hiding your lights?
Is your automatic timer working correctly or does it need to be reset due to a power surge or power outage?
And then there is your low-voltage transformer that operates and controls the landscape lighting system. Are your connections in tact to operate efficiently? And are your voltage levels where they need to be to illuminate your landscape properly?
Once the problems are diagnosed, we will review them with you and spring into action to remedy the problem areas. In fact, while we are at your home with your landscape lights working again like they should, we’ll spruce up the area to gently trim back any plant growth that may be impacting beam spread or is in danger of growing so quickly that it will soon diminish light – with your approval, of course.
And better yet, when our repair and fix up work is done, your landscape area will look better then when we found it on our arrival. And that’s a promise.
ONLY HALF MY LANDSCAPE LIGHTS ARE WORKING – WHAT SHOULD I DO?
You probably have already gotten down on your hands and knees and tried to figure out the problem. But to an untrained eye – no offense – chances are slim that you will be able to figure the problem out.
Your best course of action is to contact us immediately to prevent future damage to your landscape lighting system. The last thing you want to do is make any issue worse by exposing buried wires that power your system – or possibly damaging any landscape light fixtures, bulbs or lens covers.
MY ORIGINAL SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED BY ANOTHER COMPANY – CAN OLP SERVICE IT?
Yes, OLP -- Outdoor Lighting Perspectives – can service your landscape lighting system and most likely significantly improve its performance from the original installation. In fact, we are proud of the fact that we service, enhance, and repair the majority of landscape lighting systems in our vast coverage area.
MY LANDSCAPE LIGHTING SYSTEM IS OUTDATED – WHO SHOULD I CONTACT FOR HELP?
Call Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Clearwater and Tampa Bay. That’s a great question and the answer may be a revelation to you. Back in the day, outdoor lights may have been powered by line voltage. In addition to using more energy than low-voltage landscape lighting systems, older line voltage fixtures severely corrode and become less efficient over time, especially in our coastal climate.
We can convert your line voltage system to low voltage using the existing infrastructure that is already in place – eliminating much of the typical installation work.
Connected to a transformer or power pack that plugs into a regular household 120-volt outlet, our LED low voltage system then converts it to just twelve to eighteen volts.
The illumination bulbs in low voltage landscape lighting use significantly lower voltage over line voltage. As such, our LED low voltage landscape lighting clients enjoy greater energy efficiency and lower pricing on the outdoor lighting fixtures used in the design plan along with lower bulb costs. And, unlike line voltage outdoor lighting installations that require deep trenches to be dug, LED wiring is installed a mere few inches below the soil or landscape line. This installation protocol allows the easy addition of more fixtures over time if desired and makes adjusting them and moving them a breeze.
I WANT TO EXTEND MY OUTDOOR LIGHTING SYSTEM – WHO DO I CALL?
Contact us at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Clearwater and Tampa Bay. The best way is to connect with us right here – online – as we may be out installing or servicing someone’s landscape lighting system. We’ll get back to you in a flash once we see your request.
If your existing system was installed years ago, you will be pleasantly surprised with the broad range of landscape fixture that are now available to include in your extended lighting design plan.
Handcrafted to blend into your landscape over time by transitioning to a lovely verdigris patina, our landscape lighting copper and brass landscape lighting fixtures are works of art in themselves – but truly “shine” as they cast their warm, magical glow when the nighttime sky beckons their illumination effects.
HOW CAN I MAKE SURE I WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY LANDSCAPE LIGHTING AGAIN?
With everything that you have on your plate dealing with day-to-day life issues, we can take that proverbial monkey off your back. Our landscape lighting insurance policy is our Annual Maintenance Plan, our AMP as our clients refer to it.
Using our checklist, we can ensure optimum performance without interruption in service. We can fix all of the landscape lighting problems we may eventually encounter and make sure your lighting design looks as amazing as it did on the first day it was installed.
There are many reasons why it’s a good idea to regularly maintain your landscape lighting installation. In addition to the weather, there are numerous other factors that can affect your lighting. It’s perfectly normal for your lights to need an adjustment, a quick fix, or a bulb change. We’re always here to help so that you don’t have to lift a finger.
Your landscape lights may need attention due to:
- Rough kid’s play that impacts your fixtures
- Landscape overgrowth that often diminishes the illumination effect
- Low voltage wires being disrupted by seasonal planting
- Damage from lawn mowers and trimmers
- Pets or unwanted animals digging up wires and fixtures
We will professionally fix and repair all of these landscape lighting problems and make sure your illumination design looks as amazing as it did on the first day it was installed.
WHO SHOULD I CALL TO GET MY LANDSCAPE LIGHTS WORKING AGAIN?
Ready to get your landscape lights running in tip top shape? The experts at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Clearwater & Tampa Bay can bring your property out of the darkness and into the light! Remember, we also service landscape lighting systems that were installed by other companies.
Robert van der Putten, owner Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Clearwater & Tampa Bay.
