Flooding rain, electrical storms, and power surges can all cause an outdoor lighting system to stop working. While it might feel like a catastrophe, and we sure don’t mind you calling us, we have a few quick things for you to check out before you call us. Waiting on a service call can leave you in the dark for a few days if it is during our busy months, an unnecessary burden if one of these common causes turns out to be the cause.
Did You Try Restarting It?
In the land of Microsoft, I can’t help but throw a little I.T. humor your way! While it is not quite apples to apples, there are a few common reasons for your lights being out that you can test yourself.
GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER
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Did you try resetting it? A tripped Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) is the most common cause for an outdoor lighting system to be non-functioning. A GFCI is set to trip easily to keep you safe. If it trips, electricity is not running to it and you’re not getting electrocuted. Check the outlet where your transformer is plugged in. If your transformer is plugged in (don’t laugh, sometimes things get unplugged) and the lights are not working, try pushing the red reset button. If it resets and the lights come back on, you are good to go.
BREAKERS
If you don’t have a red button, your GFCI could be on a different outlet. GFCIs can usually be found in kitchen, bathroom, laundry rooms or the garage. When in doubt, find all of the outlets in your house that have GFCIs and make sure they are all reset. If the outlet still doesn’t have power, you may need to check your main circuit board for a tripped circuit breaker. If you have a GFCI or a breaker that won’t reset, you may need to call an electrician to replace the GFCI or breaker.
TIMERS
Once it appears you have regained power to the outlet where your transformer is plugged in, make sure your timer is properly set and also plugged in. If all of this is done and your lights still won’t turn on, try taking the battery backup out of your timer to reset all programming. (Now this is more like restarting your computer). Competing programs can cause issues and a battery pull is a quick way to see if that is the issue. Once you put the battery back in lights should run normally.
If your Seattle outdoor lights are still off, call us. We’ll be happy to come out and inspect the entire outdoor lighting system from A-Z. We’ll find the culprit get your lights back on for you in no time. (425) 414-8885
