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How much energy do LED lights save?

In a residential setting with ENERGY STAR-rated products, LED landscape lighting uses 75% to 90% less energy than standard incandescent lighting.  How long do LED landscape lights last? Studies have found that LED landscape lighting last mover than 20 times longer!  

Is LED landscape lighting less expensive? 

The initial cost to install the LED landscape lighting fixtures typically costs more upfront. However, the ROI comes from the long lifespan of the bulbs and energy savings. 

What type of LED lights are best for outdoor use? 

If you’re a DIY homeowner, you may wonder if any LED lighting be used outdoors. The answer is yes if the LED landscape lighting you choose to install is properly housed and sealed. An important fact about LED lighting you need to know is the IP rating or the Ingress Protection.

Ingress Protection is the degree of protection for outdoor lighting against liquids and solids infiltrating. The higher the IP rating, the better protected the LED outdoor lighting fixture. 

What types of LED landscape lighting are available for the outdoors?

The right LED landscape lighting can transform your basic boring backyard into a luxurious, wonderful area of entertainment and relaxation. Like a lot of things in life, less is more with LED landscape lighting. It can be easy to get carried away, lighting up every aspect, corner, and detail of your yard, but it isn’t necessary and tends to create a washout look. 

Using the following types of LED landscape lighting sparingly and positioned in the ‘right’ place can provide the same results of a well-lit yard that can accent your home:  

• Floodlights / Spotlights.
• Inground Lighting.
• Outdoor Post Lighting.
• Path / Walkway Lighting.
• Deck and Steps Lighting.
• Underwater Lighting.
• Hardscape Lighting.

What color temperature is best for LED landscape lighting? 

A few facts about LED lighting that you should understand when choosing your LED landscape lighting bulbs and fixtures. Starting with the amount of light that comes from LED lighting is measured in lumen. The higher the lumen number, the brighter the lighting. And vice versa, the lower the number, the dimmer the lighting. 

Next is the color of the LED lighting. Color temperature is how the lighting is measured in a blueish or yellowish tint. High-temperature lighting is bluish and low-temperature lighting is yellowish. The differences in color temperature have an effect on how the color is rendered and the mood, setting the emotional impact of the environment.

The various colors of LED lighting include: 

• Very Warm White 2200K: The lowest color temperature for white lighting. Often installed outdoors around fireplaces and hot tubs.

• Warm White 2700K:  the most commonly installed for LED landscaping lighting. It provides a soothing and welcoming environment. 
• Natural White 3000K: This provides cooler lighting that accentuates the blues and greens in the landscaping vegetation.
• Cool White 4000K:  This bluish LED lighting is used when blue-tone landscaping is the focus, like blue spruce, and where a simulated moonlight appearance is desired.

If you’re going to be installing LED landscape lighting for outdoor living and entertainment areas, professional lighting services recommend 2000K to 3000K for a warm lighting effect. This rate of lighting is easy on the eyes and still puts out enough lighting for safety and seeing what’s around you. 

Is LED landscape lighting waterproof?

LED landscape lighting that is rated at IP65 is sufficiently protected from liquid, solid, or other foreign objects infiltrating the lighting fixtures. If the outdoor lighting you have installed is to be left illuminated semi-permanently, it should be rated at IP65 or higher. 

What is the main purpose of outdoor garden lighting?

The definition of outdoor garden lighting is fixed artificial lighting that illuminates areas around the home. They provide a lit visual for outdoor activities and a safety feature with a strategic pathway while giving your lawn a golden glow. There are three main purposes for having professionally installed outdoor gardening lighting:

• Security: 

Today, we may be more aware of making our homes secure. Outdoor garden lighting around your home can provide a layer of security, a decrease of over 30% fewer crimes according to studies by law enforcement. 

• Safety:

Choosing outdoor garden lighting not only provides a layer of security, it also provides safety around the exterior of your home. Placed in the right areas, it can light up pathways and walkways, entrances, gates, and more.

• Ambiance: 

Good outdoor garden lighting gives your home an inviting feeling for visitors. With low-voltage string lights across the patio or in the trees, your home can quickly become a  place to be a cookout, party, and visit.

What are the key areas for placing outdoor garden lighting? 

Placing outdoor garden lighting enhances your home’s exterior once the sun goes down. They can also keep bugs at bay with the right lightbulb. The best places for garden lighting include:

• Deck
• Patio
• Hot Tub Area
• Swimming Pool 
• Pathways, Steps, Walkways
• Inside Tree Branches
• Floodlight Upward In The Trees
• In Flower Beds and shrubs
• Along Retaining Walls
• Around the Home Exterior 

What voltage is the best for garden lighting?

Outdoor garden lighting comes in line voltage, like when you plug a toaster or hairdryer into a wall socket. Here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, this is 120 volts. And it comes in low-voltage, 12 volts like your smoke detectors. It is the low-voltage garden lighting that is commonly used for two key reasons: 

• Easy to work with
• Easy to install

What is the best type of outdoor garden lighting? 

In simple terms, you want outdoor garden lighting that does what you need and want. This may be with solar lights, but keep in mind they aren’t bright and won’t last as long as hardwired lighting. For brighter lighting where you can have control over the timing, hardwired, low voltage is the better choice and is available in a variety of styles.

What styles does outdoor garden lighting come in?

When lighting up your garden, using pathway and walkway lights is a popular choice. The small post fits into the ground and the built-in light is capped with a diffuser. With perfect spacing, you can frame a certain area or feature in your garden, or light up around a garden pond or the driveway.

Transform the exterior of your home with these outdoor garden lighting properly spaced to brighten the garden, path, and yard. Some outdoor garden lighting can give the space a beautiful, warm setting with these seven types of fixtures:

1. Bollard Lights: This type of garden lighting will shine light in all directions. 
2. Flood Lights: These are the most useful garden lighting to brighten a large area with high brightness, great for illuminating above the driveway. 
3. Garden Lights: Installing these in natural areas where you can showcase your favorite flowers and plants with a mushroom-type of light shining downward. 
4. Spotlights: Available in different brightness to illuminate the patio, plants, statues, or walls. 
5. Step Lights: Installed on walls and beside the stairs and makes for a safe path. 
6. String Lights: When strung through trees and over hardscapes, these provide a subtle light that creates a picturesque scene.
7. Up/Downlights: These spotlights provide a wide range of use, like creating a pattern on a wall or bringing a statue to life.

Benefits to Water Feature Lighting

There are many benefits of water feature lighting that many people do not realize, some of which are: 

• Promotes a Healthier Environment: Water feature lighting provides soothing sights and sounds that can help de-stress the day. This de-stressing lowers blood pressure and helps improve your mental and physical health as you enjoy the therapeutic effects that Mother Nature has to offer.
• Provides Relaxation: The sound of the water running in a water feature lighting setting encourages and promotes relaxation. To sit by a water feature and listen to the water running or see nature swimming around in a pond can ease the mind into a relaxing mode, you can feel the stress leave the body. 
• First Impression: Water feature lighting creates a tranquil environment that is soothing for you and your guests. They may not realize they are stressed until they sit by your water feature lighting and feel the ease taking over their body and mind. 
• Define Your Garden: Water feature lighting in and around your garden and landscaping will provide a unique definition to your home. It creates a new focal point and interest. 
• A Stylish Effect: A water feature lighting in your garden will give it a designer touch to your property with movement, sight, and sound. 
• Wildlife Attraction: With running water accompanying your water feature lighting, your garden will become a sanctuary that attracts native wildlife. With songbirds adding to the beauty, it becomes even more relaxing and enjoyable. 
• Increased Value: Real estate experts have found that a home or business with well-maintained landscaping has increased value and when water feature lighting is added, it increases it even more.  A water garden with lighting adds curb appeal and increases your property value. 

Where should lights be placed in a waterfall?

To add enjoyment to your water feature and waterfall, water feature lighting is just what you need after the sun sets. Landscape lighting isn’t just for the deck, patio, or swimming pool. Position path lighting at the top of the waterfall, and water feature lighting behind the waterfall drop to give this beautiful addition to your home a focal point. What is a waterfall if you can’t enjoy the beauty after dark? 

What lights to use on a water feature?

It is a personal taste, but most water feature lighting systems are set up to highlight a pond and waterfalls. If your pond has a fountain or statue in the center where the water comes from, lighting that from the bottom will give the water flow a beautiful glow in the evening hours.

How do you light water features?

There are two key reasons for adding water feature lighting to your gardens and landscape. The first is a perfect solution for deafening noise pollution from the neighbors and street traffic. The other reason is to give your landscape an added element of tranquility. 

 Water feature lighting should feature the things of beauty and inspiration in your garden and landscaping. This includes your aquatic plants and life, the unique statuary, and the hardscaping you’ve installed. And there are two types of water feature lighting that should be used for the perfect ambiance: 

• Downlights:  This creates moonlight when installed above the water feature and is installed in the surrounding trees. It creates a diffused, natural look that mimics the moonlight.
• Underwater: With this submersible water feature lighting facing upward is ideal for your aquatic areas. The waterproof light fixtures should be positioned under the surface, directed upward to create an effect with up lighting that is beautifully backlighting the aquatic life. 

Do you leave water features on all the time?

When you have a water fountain that operates on gravity, simply keeping it clean of any debris is your only concern. Water features today are installed to recycle the water, so it isn’t wasting a natural resource. You can turn it off if you’re going to be away for an extended time. 

Lights, Camera, Action!  When should water feature lights be turned off, or should they? Water feature lighting will be installed with a timer. That time can be set for the lighting to be on from dusk to dawn because there is no reason to have the lights on during the day.

Enhance outdoor appeal with water feature lighting in Fort Worth and Dallas, TX! Majestic Outdoor Lighting is who to call at (817) 345-3696.

As a retail business or restaurant, commercial outdoor lighting for signs speak volumes for advertising your business. If your restaurant is one of several on a block and your signs are partially lit and there is no outdoor parking lighting, chances are, hungry patrons are going next door or down the block. Why? With poorly lit commercial outdoor lighting, including your logo signage, it appears you’re not open. Or worse – your service may be as poor as the lighting! 

How much does commercial lighting cost?

Well, that depends on what type of commercial lighting options you choose. Today, while businesses are wanting the commercial outdoor lighting that tells everyone “Hey! We are open! Shop here! Eat Here!”, they know they need to be environmentally conscious. To that end, we recommend going with LED lighting. 

It isn’t cheap to retrofit commercial outdoor lighting but keeping your eye on the prize of increased business, the ROI is on the horizon. An average small business can spend between $10,000 and $20,000 for a led retrofit. A mid-sized business can spend as much as $60,000 with a large business spending up to $500,000. When you consider that if you keep the standard light bulbs replaced as they burn out, you’ll spend as much as $20,000 a year. A LED retrofit for your commercial outdoor lighting will save you up to $5,000 annually just in light bulbs. And let’s not forget the manpower to change out those light bulbs! 

What other reasons are there to switch over to LED commercial outdoor lighting? Commercial LED lighting can reduce your utility costs significantly. There are many different options that will light up your parking lot, store front, and signage without pulling a lot of energy. Even better, they last longer, so you won’t have to be changing out light bulbs every 30 days or so in your commercial outdoor lighting fixtures and signage. 

LEDs are employed for indoors lighting and commercial outdoor lighting, providing safety and security in several styles and types: 

• LED Shoebox Lighting: LED shoebox lighting is ideal and common in parking lots, typically pole mounted, but a lighting professional can talk to you about alternatives. There are sensors available today to take away the task of remembering to turn the lights off when you close. In addition to timers, there are motion sensors and photosensors for afterhours security purposes too. 
• LED-wall Pack Lighting: Wall mounted or wall packs are the commercial outdoor lighting that is installed on the exterior sides of a building. They light the exterior of the building and the parking area.
• LED Outdoor Flood Lighting: LED outdoor flood lighting provides a high-intensity lighting for wide areas that can attract attention to your commercial business’s landscaping and monuments. LED commercial outdoor lighting is excellent for those pathways, sidewalks, and walkways so that your customers can see where they are going. 

Any commercial or public use building that has nighttime activities, like a sports venue, LED commercial outdoor lighting is ideal! With area style or directional style, choose what suits your building and the immediate area best. 

What is the best outdoor commercial lighting to attract business? 

Today, LED light bars are a good choice., They provide accent and task lighting with built in functions that give you multiple flashing  colors and fading effects that grab attention of potential customers passing by. Some great outdoor commercial lighting ideas to consider are: 

1. LED strip lights provide a thin profile, high output with little energy consumption. Ideal for signage and windows.
2. LED light bars are excellent for accenting indoor displays or outdoors signage. 
3. LED commercial outdoor lighting is perfect for outdoor displays and exhibitions at parking lot sales and trade shows.
4. LED lights are ideal for your display cabinets, providing a natural appearance. Be creative and use multicolored LED kits with multiple colors, dimming, and flashing. 
5. For bars and restaurants,  LED commercial outdoor lighting is ideal for outdoor dining and patios, creating an ambiance that traditional lighting can’t without increasing the power usage. 
6. LED commercial outdoor lighting won’t infringe on nearby residents, but still provide a properly illuminated exterior for advertising and safety. 
7. Commercial electric outdoor recessed lighting will give your business exterior a smooth appearance and keep it lit up for attention and safety. 

Don’t close the door on the holidays with professional commercial outdoor holiday lighting! While commercial outdoor lighting is important all year long, now with Thanksgiving and other holidays, up until after New Year’s Day, is crucial in drawing in more business. A professional commercial holiday lighting installation will give your business that boost you need this year! Get started on your business lighting today when you call (817) 345-3696.

The key purpose of security lighting is for protection from potential intruders. It is also a safety feature for entering and leaving your home or business in the dark. For dark areas, it eliminates any concern about what or who could be lurking. This makes it safer for you and your customers or visitors, minimizing the chance of falls and injuries. 

For a business, when connected to motion detectors, security lighting is great for after hours, or for your home when you’re If. This means the lighting will illuminate if there is any movement in certain areas. When the exterior of a home or business is suddenly illuminated around the exterior, a potential intruder will likely move on to the next property. 

Security lighting also makes the outdoors around your home more functional. With ambient lighting, your home offers a more welcoming environment. This adds to the aesthetics and property value of your home. Though it may appear to be primarily for security purposes, security lighting adds to the landscape of a property too. 

What are different types of security lighting?

In general, there are four types of security-lighting systems.

Continuous Lighting

This more commonly used security lighting system consists of fixed lights that are arranged to flood a specific area continuously. These systems provide overlapping cone-shaped light during darkness with up to a 50% overlap. With that overlap, when one light goes out, the lights on either side still have that area illuminated. A continuous security lighting system works via two methods:

• The Controlled Lighting method has a limited width of the strip lit outside the perimeter, like that along a highway. The security lighting is controlling the strip and width of the light, adjusted for a particular need.
• The Glare Projection security lighting method is used when the lighting glare is directed across a surrounding terrain without annoying neighbors or the operation or neighboring businesses. It is a strong deterrent for potential intruders because seeing inside the lit area is difficult.

Standby Lighting

This type of security lighting type is like continuous lighting in the layout but without continuous lighting. The lights illuminate automatically when movement is detected or with the engagement of an alarm system or it can be turned on manually. Often referred to as crash lighting, standby security lighting can impact an intruder with a devastating psychological effect when their “cover” is suddenly gone. 

Movable Lighting

This type of security lighting is manually operated and can be moved around when and where it is needed. Often used to supplement the continuous or standby security lighting described above, it is typically mounted on telescoping poles and mounted on trailers that are powered by generators, providing maximum flexibility.

Emergency Lighting

This system duplicates any of the first three security lighting systems described but with limitations when there is a power failure or other emergencies that leave normal security lighting systems inoperative. It uses an alternative power source from installed generators, portable generators, or those powered by batteries. 

Which is the most common type of exterior security lighting?

The previously described Continuous Security Lighting is the most common type, offering a series of fixed lights positioned to flood a certain area endlessly with each light overlapping the others in a cone shape. 

Which security lighting is best?

Today, thanks to the doorbell systems that come with a camera and audio built-in, connecting security lighting with doorbell cameras offers the best security lighting you can have for your home. You can also place motion-detecting lights all around the home along with additional cameras. These security lighting and doorbell systems are programmable with cell phone apps that can alert you when you’re not home as well as alert local law enforcement if there is an intruder.

Do motion sensor lights deter burglars?

Yes, a system that includes security lighting with motion sensors will not only startle the suspected criminal, but systems today can alert you by phone as well as alert local law enforcement. Some systems will have an alarm sound when the light is activated, further startling the would-be criminal to make them run, though only after a camera has caught them in action. 

How bright should an outdoor security light be?

While you want your home to be illuminated for safety, you don’t want to create light pollution with lighting that is misdirected or misused.  Nothing makes enemy neighbors cranky faster than floodlights shining into a bedroom window. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to set up security lighting for you that won’t anger the neighbors.

First, accent and pathway lighting shouldn’t be any brighter than 180 lumens.  Select light bulbs with warm light and aim the light fixtures away from neighboring houses. Eliminate anything that can create a glare from the lighting. Security lighting is meant to alert you to a potential intruder while starting the intruder. It isn’t meant to make enemies of your neighbors.

With LED lights, is it safe to leave them on all night, can led lights cause a fire? 

Simply put, well-manufactured LED lights have a longer lifespan, even when left on 24/7/365 than the conventional light bulbs. LED lights produce a minimal amount of heat, so the horror stories you’ve heard about house fires started by a light bulbs, it was probably a conventional, standard lightbulb. 

However, there are various circumstances, that can determine a fire starting from a light bulb, like the type and quality of the light bulb. Another important factor to be considered in a light bulb causing a fire is the ambient temperature. 

So, because LED lights burn cooler, it would only make sense the traditional type of light bulb would be the more hazardous of the two types. The conventional light bulb generates 90% heat and 10% light. Yes, it is that much hotter than LED lights. 

Another factor in the safety of LED lights or traditional lights is if they are in an enclosed fixture and have any air circulation. The traditional light bulb shouldn’t be left on indefinitely when the light fixture itself doesn’t allow air circulation. 

What is the level of LED lights energy consumption? 

LED lights have an annual energy consumption thirty times lower than an incandescent light bulb according to the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy). This accounts for a one-fifth of the American household’s energy consumption! If you’re used to comparing in wattage, LED lights use six watts of electricity and produce the same amount of lighting that a sixty watt incandescent light bulb. 

Can LED lights be replaced?

Not in the same way a traditional light bulb can be replaced. LED lights are typically and integrated lighting that is built into numerous electrical circuit boards. This makes it almost impossible for the everyday homeowner to replace the lighting, so instead, the entire integrated LED lights fixture will need to be replaced.

Are LED lights dimmable? 

Yes, but it isn’t a standard feature, all the different models of LED lights are available in a dimmable version. Simply read the packaging to make sure they state “dimmable” in the specifications.

Interested in installing LED lights for your outdoor lighting needs in Fort Worth and Dallas, TX? Call Majestic Outdoor Lighting at (817) 345-3696 today!

Absolutely, yes! Pool lighting, anything electrical, near water is dangerous. Simply because it is in your backyard doesn’t negate the dangerousness of pool lighting.  From 2002 to 2018, there were thirty-three people injured by electrocution from swimming pool lighting, and thirty-three people died from swimming pool lighting electrocution. 

How does that happen if the pool lighting is installed by a professional lighting contractor? There are three common possibilities that could cause pool lighting electrocution:

• Faulty electrical wiring to filters, pumps, vacuums, and underwater lights
• No Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCI), electrical circuit and outlet protection
• Electrical appliances and electric extension cords getting in the pool

Are pool lights dangerous?

As the homeowner, you want your family and guest to have fun in your swimming pool, but you also want to them to be safe. This can be done by making sure that you have the swimming pool lighting and all things electrical related to the pool  checked annually by a professional. This includes the pool lighting and all the equipment associated with the swimming pool. 

Interior swimming pool lighting, the filter, and the pump are an invisible danger. The electrical voltage from these invisible dangers can severely injure, paralyze, even kill a person in manner of seconds. Faulty wiring in a swimming pool is a hazard that can be avoided by having your pool maintenance contractor check and test annually. 

You should also establish rules and maintain monitoring of those rules that there is no electrical appliances near or in the swimming pool. However, just in case the one second you turn your back, and somebody brings a radio into the pool, make sure you all the electrical outlets around and hear your pool are GFCI.

These are basic common sense policies for in-ground pools or above ground pools. Electricity and water do not mix and can be deadly. There are ways to enjoy having music and pool lighting, safely. 

How to add pool lighting to an existing swimming pool?

Swimming pool lighting is attractive and beautiful, creating an appeal for a summer night of relaxation. While it is ideal to have poo lighting installed when the swimming pool is being installed, they may not be enough or what you want if you’re a successive homeowner. 

With an inground pool, lighting provides more than just aesthetics and gentle sophistication. Even if you’re not swimming, lights glistening from under the water is relaxing and soothing. It is the next best thing to being on the beach in the moonlight. 

So, if you purchase a home that has the basic pool lighting, the safety feature is there, but maybe not the ambience you want. You can have pool lighting added after the fact, but it will require a level of construction. This would be the time to evaluate your swimming pool and determine if there are changes you’d like to see overall. 

Perhaps the pool is the older style with a deep end and a shallow end. Swimming pools installed in homes today typically do not have the 20 foot deep end. They have gradual slope from the center to both ends, one a bit deeper than the other, especially if there a diving board. 

So, while you’re having swimming pool lighting added and upgraded by professionals that know how to design pool lighting in today’ style, get the deep end filled some, maybe new tile or replace missing tile. You may consider having the pool bottom changed with a design in tile embedded.  The possibilities are endless. 

Closing out this piece on pool lighting with one more suggestion: Solar Pool Lighting. These will a colorful splash of fun to your nighttime pool parties. They aren’t a full pool lighting system but can work with the halogen or fiberoptic pool lighting. No matter which type of pool lighting you choose, have an authorized pool lighting contractor install them. This will give you a guarantee that they are installed correctly and safely. Need pool lighting installation in Fort Worth and Dallas, TX? Call (817) 345-3696 today!

1. Breaker Box

Check the outdoor light transformer and see if it is flipped OFF. Flip it back to ON and try the lights. If that doesn’t get them back on, check the breaker box and see if any breakers have flipped OFF. If any are off, flip them to ON and see if your outdoor lights turn back on. If not, take the next step. 

2. Electrical Short

Check the wiring to your outdoor lighting for broken, cut, frayed or unconnected wires. Check the light sockets that are bad, corroded, damaged, or wet.  This should be a routine outdoor light maintenance routine to check the bulbs, sockets, and wires and replace them as needed. If you find anything questionable or you can’t find any problem, call your professional landscape lighting specialist. 

3. Timer Not Working

If the landscape lighting timer has quit working, press the reset button on the transformer. If that doesn’t get your outdoor lights back on, you may need to replace the transformer.  This may be an area you’re not comfortable with, call your professional landscape lighting professional. 

4. Some Lights Aren’t Working

If there are just some of the outdoor landscape lights not working, try these steps: 

• Incandescent bulbs – check the wire filament inside the bulb for breaks.
• Proper Fit to Socket – make sure the bulb is in the socket firmly. 
• Cable connector – check the pins went through the insulation and connected to the copper strand.

5. Lights Won’t Turn On

If the total outdoor landscape lighting system won’t turn on at all, try these step: 

• Inspect the power outlet to make sure it has power. 
• Check that the transformer is ON.
• Check the circuit breakers is ON. If it flips back to OFF, call your outdoor lighting specialist.
• Make sure the wires at the transformer are tight and secure in the terminal lugs.
• Check the transformer amperage & voltage are getting power, if not, replace the unit.
• If your outdoor lighting is on a photocell or timer, reset the clock. If that doesn’t get your lights back on, replace the photocell or timer.
• Check the GFCI and press the reset button.

6. Outdoor Lights Are Dull

Check all the light bulbs are in their sockets firmly. You may need a professional landscape lighting specialist increase the voltage to your outdoor lighting system. This is a step that should be a part of your regular outdoor light maintenance routine. 

How do you maintain an outdoor light fixture?

 When it comes to your outdoor lighting, what is best way, or the right way to maintain them? For outdoor activity and safety, the recommended level of lighting is forty-five lumens per yard. For a home’s entry way, the light should show the address but not be blinding.  

Outdoor lighting is reduced by bugs, and dirt build up. Part of an outdoor light maintenance should include cleaning to maintain the brightness. Special care is needed for some lights with special lenses, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Your routine outdoor lighting maintenance should take place twice a year to maintain their appearance and prolong the lifespan of the lights. These few steps can walk you through the process.

1. Turn off the light switch and breakers.
2. Safely position a ladder for high placed lighting.
3. Choose a bucket that is large enough to submerge the light globe with warm soapy water, adding a bit of white vinegar.
4. Remove light globes, guards, or grills, and the light bulbs, working on one light fixture at a time.
5. Set the bulbs aside bulbs.
6. Use a clean soft rag, dip in the bucket of water, wring the water out and wipe down the parts that can’t be placed in the bucket. Keep water out of the electrical sockets, then rinse with clear water.
7. Wipe the screws and bulbs with a clean, damp, soft rag
8. Spray the screws with a silicone lubricant.
9. Rinse and dry each globe as finished and re-assemble the light.

How often must the exterior light fixtures be cleaned?

Outdoor lightning specialist recommend outdoor light maintenance to be performed twice a year. Once in the spring and again in the fall. This will keep the bugs, dirt, and dust off so that your outdoor lighting is as bright as always. 

So, what all does outdoor light maintenance consist of, how hard can it be? We’re going to answer some questions on the subject for you: 

Outdoor light fixtures provide decorative ways to make your home safe and secure, and too often, they are forgotten, taken for granted. Like anything around and inside your outdoor lighting will need attention, care, and upkeep from time to time. This means you should establish an outdoor light maintenance routine or hire a professional lighting contractor. 

When your outdoor light fixtures are clean and in working order, they are more attractive. They are providing that safety and security lighting you desired. To get the best performance your outdoor fixtures can provide, bi-annual outdoor light maintenance that includes adjusting, bulb replacement, and cleaning is recommended. 

Fortunately, there isn’t special equipment or skills needed for outdoor light maintenance.  An extending ladder, clean rags, bucket of clear water, and replacement bulbs. Along with being alert and cautious with electrical sockets and wiring, it isn’t hard, but it can be time consuming, so plan a full day on a Saturday for your outdoor light maintenance project.

 Keep your eye on the prize that you’ll have clean, properly adjusted light fixtures when you’re done to enhance the beauty of your home with improve outdoor light quality. The following are basic steps that will guide you through your outdoor light maintenance: 

• Make sure all of the outdoor lights are turned off.
• Position and secure a ladder for the outdoor lighting that is out-of-reach.
• Remove any light globes, grills, or shields, some of these may require a screwdriver. 
• Remove the light bulbs from each fixture as you clean them and set it aside.
• Have two buckets filled with hot water and sudsy dish soap and one bucket of clean, clear water.
• Place the removed light globes, grills, or shields in one bucket.
• Wet a clean rag or  sponge  in the second bucket, wring it out and wash off, wipe down the light fixture part that couldn’t be removed, keeping the water out of the open socket. 
• Rinse the fixed lighting pieces and the removed pieces with the clean, clear water.
• Wipe down everything with clean, clear water and sit aside to finish air drying. 
• Apply the correct type of polish or wax to any metal parts if needed. 
• Replace burnt out light bulbs and gently wipe off with a damp rage all working light bulbs.  
• Reassemble the lighting fixtures, turn them on for testing,  and sit back to enjoy your outdoor light maintenance job. 

A Few Additional Tips for Outdoor Light Maintenance

• Check the lighting fixture manufacturer’s website for advice, hints, tips, and cleaning product specifications for outdoor light maintenance. 
• Any copper outdoor light maintenance should be one using a lemon cut in half and dipped in salt to scrub the copper lighting fixture. The acid will loosen the tarnish and the salt scrubs off the tarnish. Use a clean damp rag to remove the lemon and salt, the cover the fixture with copper polish. Let that sit for a minute or two, then wipe the polish off. 
• Remember, detergents can discolor bronze and copper lighting fixtures. They should be cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions or with a clean, damp cloth. Never submerge bronze or copper lighting fixtures in water. 

How often must the exterior light fixtures be cleaned?

Review the manufacturer’s suggestions in the manual with each lighting fixture is always best. An annual outdoor light maintenance routine is sufficient, but lighting experts recommend a bi-annual outdoor light maintenance routine, following the tips we listed above. 

Depending on the number and placement of your outdoor lighting, it may be easier to have the lighting contractor that installs the lights do the bi-annual outdoor light maintenance. Most lighting contractors will have maintenance programs that include burnt bulb replacement in between the maintenance appointments. 

How do I clean oxidized outdoor lights?

Outdoor lighting oxidization can be cleaned by mixing two teaspoons of baking soda with a squeeze of lemon juice, creating a paste. With a clean, soft cloth, spread the paste over the light fixture. If tough stains are on the fixture, sprinkle backing soda over the fixture and rub with clean, damp, soft cloth. Then wipe the paste and baking soda off with a clean, dry, soft rag.

If you have checked all of these and still can’t get your outdoor lighting on, time to call a professional lighting contractor.  There could be something in the wiring and that isn’t something you want to handle yourself unless you’re experienced with electricity. 

Your Outdoor Lighting Maintenance

Just like your HVAC system and the appliances in your home, you have made an investment. Keep that outdoor lighting investment in proper working order with a outdoor light maintenance agreement with the contractor that installed your lighting system. Getting the most you can from your investment for the beauty of your home and your own enjoyment. Call (817) 345-3696 today for outdoor lighting maintenance for your home.

• The Attraction – with proper installation and placement, outdoor lighting benefits include creating that pleasing ambiance on a deck, a front porch, and patios. The exterior of your home becomes appealing, adding to the curb appeal that can make the entire neighborhood envious. One of the biggest outdoor lighting benefits is the added touch of elegance.
• Safety and Security – One of the best outdoor lighting benefits you can expect is the safety and security it offers your home. Properly placed at each doorway and gateway, illuminate the darker pathways and walkways, making your trip from the garage to the house safer. A guard from abnormalities and potential intruders. One of the most important outdoor lighting benefits is making your guest’s arrivals and departures safer in evening hours.

Simply because winter has arrived doesn’t mean your home won’t have outdoor lighting benefits as it did during the summer. Yes, the spring and summer months are wonderful times to be outdoor. Lighting benefits keep the deck and pool area well-lit and safe, a party atmosphere, and ease for cooking and enjoying guests.

The biggest outdoor lighting benefits may be in the fall and winter months.  The days are shorter, meaning we not only need lighting in the evening when we get home, but we also leave our homes in the dark each morning. With proper outdoor lighting at each door, at the deck, or front porch, the trek to your vehicle is safer and adds great value to your home.

Where should outdoor lights be placed?

The light needed during the day is different than the light needed at night. The most important focus of course is proper lighting in the evening hours. Outdoor lighting benefit  principles to keep in mind as choosing what outdoor lighting benefits you want and needed so that you can choose the proper  brightness and size would be the emitted quantity, color, and intensity, and should include three layers:

• In Whole: The illumination provided for an entire room and space.
• The Mission: To light up a pathway.
• A Pronunciation: Drawing attention to a specific area or a particular object using floodlights or spotlights.

Within these layers, there are a  variety of bulbs that can provide several outdoor lighting benefits that are appropriate for outdoor lighting fixtures:

• Incandescent light bulbs to emit a pleasing light but are known for a short lifespan, yet use more electricity
• Halogen bulbs are like incandescent bulbs, making them more efficient and have a longer lifespan while consuming less energy
• Fluorescent lighting is available in a variety of colors and offers a longer lifespan while consuming less energy
• LED bulbs are the more expensive lighting but with the longer lifespan and using less energy, the ROI is higher.

What type of outdoor lighting is best?

It all depends on what your intended goal and desired outdoor lighting benefits you desire. Outdoor landscape lighting will transform a home by brightening the garden paths, the walkway through the yard and create a beautiful, warm, and welcoming oasis of light.

Seven types of outdoor lighting benefits with these fixtures:

1. Spotlights – set a focus on a specific area of your home’s exterior décor.
2. Flood Lights – set your beautiful garden and trees to stand out.
3. Up/Downlights – give your home’s exterior look with lights alternating up and down.
4. Step Lights – making your guest safer as they walk up and down the steps to the spa and swimming pool.
5. Garden Lights – give your handy gardening a glow
6. Bollard Lights – add a touch of elegance to the front of your home.
7. String Lights – across the outdoor kitchen and around the gazebo for a look of elegance.

How bright should outdoor lights be?

Again, this is a personal choice. Are you looking for a bright area in the backyard around the grill and swimming pool? Or are you looking for ambient and soft that makes your home safe?