Cleaning and Adjusting Outdoor Lighting for the Fall Season

The arrival of the Fall season is a perfect opportunity to clean up the yard and take care of your outdoor lighting at the same time. Here are some tips for cleaning and adjusting your outdoor lighting for the Fall and preparing them for the Winter season.

Clean Around Light Fixtures

Begin by trimming overgrown plants and foliage. Greenery grows quickly and can overcome in-ground landscape lighting or wind around and over lighting installed on buildings, under eaves or in trees. Next, cut plant material back so your lights can shine unobstructed all winter.

As leaves fall from trees, they pile up and over outdoor light fixtures. When they disintegrate, dirt and debris can smudge the fixture's lens, causing the illumination to become dull, or dirt and debris can become trapped inside, interfering with wiring. In addition, if your fixtures still contain older halogen or incandescent light bulbs, these sources emit heat which could cause a fire risk from surrounding dry leaves. Clear all leaves from outdoor lights, then clean the lenses to keep them shining clear and bright throughout the winter season.

Adjust Lighting Fixtures

Throughout the spring and summer, in-ground lighting fixtures can dislodge as people mow or garden around them, and children run and play near them. Check that spotlights, path lights, well lights and bollards are secured and aimed correctly to highlight the areas you want to be illuminated.

If you have any downlights or uplights mounted in trees, check those as well. As trees grow or branches fall, the wire can loosen, changing the light beam's angle or blocking the light's lens. Make sure everything is secured, and the light is directed where desired.

In addition, consider the effect of the lighting with and without leaves on the trees. Fewer leaves on the trees highlight the branches more, creating a stark effect. However, in most cases, you can simply lower the angle of the light to still show off the trunk without emphasizing the bare branches.

Replace Your Light Bulbs

Replace any non-working bulbs in preparation for long winter nights. If you're still using incandescent or halogen bulbs, Now is a great time to consider switching to LED. These light sources are long-lasting, with an average lifespan of 10 years (10,000 to 50,000 hours), so they rarely need to be changed. And since they are extremely energy efficient, they save you money in the long run. In addition, many landscape lights have LED modules integrated right inside the fixture for added convenience and efficiency.

Get ready for the fall season and shop the latest in outdoor lighting from Progress.