Just after the time change we receive some calls from our lighting customers wanting instructions or help adjusting their timers. We are always happy to help walk you through the programming over the phone. We have also placed
Does Your Timer Need Adjustment?
timer instructions online for your easy access. See the options at the top of this page for more information.
We are always looking for better ways for our lighting systems to be as maintenance free as possible. There are two or three things that homeowners should do to keep their outdoor lighting looking its best.
1. Replace old bulbs – the halogen bulbs we install are long life (4000 hour and now 6000 hour) bulbs. Many times these can last 3 to 5 years or more. We don’t recommend leaving these bulbs in that long because they will lose their intensity long before they burn out. Since all bulbs have been installed at the same time we recommend changing them all out at once. Some people think that this is a waste, however once bulbs have aged over the recommended life the intensity the light will quickly dim. Much like a flashlight with an old battery. You can actually look at the lights and they will give a yellow look and not the bright white light.
2. Keep shrubs and plants trimmed back from the fixtures – Many times we try to place the fixtures with the best place to get the customized look for the clients. This may be right next to shrubs, bushes and trees. With heavy
Glass Lens Cover
summer growth this can quickly diminish the effects of the lighting system. Five to ten minutes of quick trimming can quickly have this problem resolved. Keeping leaves and mulch of the lights is also very important not only to lighting but also for safety, especially when drought conditions are prevalent. We have glass lens covers that are very nice at keeping leaves off the angled well light fixtures. Please feel free to contact us about these options. We can ship these directly to you if you would like.
3. Keep your time properly adjusted – Many of the older systems have timers that do not automatically adjust for time changes. At this time of year dusk times have quickly changed from our summer season. This happens very quickly and occasional adjustment will make sure that you don’t drive home to a dark house after work. Daylight savings change is also going to affect your timer. Many clients like the systems to turn off at midnight (or some other designated time). With the change this will also be something that you will want to adjust.
For those of you that don’t want the hassles of keeping up with any of the above we have service plans that can shift the burden of the maintenance to us. We offer two plans scheduled service plans and time and material service calls. Please feel free to contact us to ask about these so you don’t have to get in the bushes to do this maintenance.
We also now offer a very low “Set it – Forget it” timer. This new timer will adjust daily for the changing sunrise, sunset times and it will also change for daylight savings automatically. So if you like your system to come on when it gets dark and go off at midnight this can easily be set and you shouldn’t need to adjust your timer again. This even has a long-term battery backup so if the electricity goes out for an extended amount of time the settings remain the same.
We are always looking into ways to make your home lighting system more maintenance free. Please call or email us with any questions or concerns. With proper care your lighting system should give you years and years of very good, high quality lighting for your home.
