BROKEN OUTDOOR LIGHTING? CALL THE RIGHT EXPERT.
Who do you call when there’s a problem with your outdoor lighting? Most people would jump straight to calling an electrician, but that’s not always the right choice. Sometimes, you need an expert who focuses solely on exterior illumination problems.
But how do you decide who to call? It boils down to one simple factor: Is it an issue with the power source or the fixtures?
WHEN TO CALL AN ELECTRICIAN
Some jobs really should involve an electrician rather than a lighting expert. Generally, these jobs involve fixing some sort of wiring or power issue unrelated to the actual fixtures themselves.
For example, if multiple lights are having problems but work fine when plugged into a different outlet (either indoor or outdoor), you need an electrician. In this situation, the problem isn’t with the lights or wiring to them, but with the building’s wiring or the power source.
WHEN TO CALL AN OUTDOOR LIGHTING EXPERT
In most other cases, you’ll need someone who focuses solely on outdoor light fixtures. After all, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong in the elements, like defective wires, malfunctioning lights, or plant overgrowth.
- Defective Wires: If you have wires that run from your house to your fixtures, they can end up dug up and exposed to extreme temperatures, frayed, or cut for any number of reasons. Sometimes they’re dug up by an animal or through human actions like landscape work. An electrician probably could splice the wires back together, but wouldn’t have the necessary equipment to properly re-bury and protect the wire from further damage.
- Malfunctioning Lights: It’s also possible for the fixtures themselves to develop a fault or get damaged. Although an electrician may be able to help, they wouldn’t be familiar with the fixture so any repair work would take longer and be more expensive than if you called a company that specializes in outdoor illumination.
- Plant Overgrowth: There’s always the possibility your lighting system isn’t damaged at all. Plants can grow over your system, obstructing your outdoor lighting systems. A proper lighting plan will reduce the chances of this happening. If it does happen, a lighting expert would be familiar with plant overgrowth and identify the culprit quickly. A little pruning is far cheaper and faster than troubleshooting electrical equipment for faults that don’t exist.
THE POWER OF LIGHTING MAINTENANCE
Truth be told, you might not even need to decide who to call. Outdoor lighting can easily be maintained if you’re signed up for a maintenance plan with Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. Any problems with your lighting equipment would be automatically handled, leaving only true electrical faults behind and making your problems that much simpler.
