I have to say that when it comes to outdoor lighting repairs, going with a landscape lighting specialty company is a must. When outdoor lighting is all you do, you know what can go wrong and how to find those problems when they arise.
We probably get a call about once a month from someone who says that they’re having problems with their Austin area outdoor lighting that just can’t seem to be fixed. One company tried this, another company tried that; but the problem is still there. The frustrated homeowner may say that they just need to replace the whole thing and start over. “Not so fast,” I tell them. We have two technicians who are certified by the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (the only company in central Texas with certified technicians); and they really know their stuff when it comes to outdoor lighting repairs.
It has been my experience that, in most cases, the problem is fairly easy to find and fix. It’s usually a connection issue somewhere, a nicked wire, an overloaded circuit or a wire that is too small for the load that was placed on it. Those are the most common things we find but we’ve come across a variety of other problems as well. We really try not to replace an entire system unless there is no other choice.
When it comes to troubleshooting problems in an outdoor lighting system we use some pretty specific tools. It amazes me to see how many workers out there who install lighting that don’t even use a volt/amp meter to check simple voltage and amperage readings. We do this on all of our systems and document those readings at the time of installation. If we go back to the system and take readings and they don’t match up, we know that there is a problem somewhere. On a landscape lighting system that we didn’t install, an amp reading can tell us a lot; it can single out a wire that may be overloaded or have a short circuit which can narrow our search for problems. Another tool we like is the wire locator which helps us trace wires so we don’t have to pull up or replace wires unnecessarily.
There are times when an installation company uses cheap products and then installs them poorly creating situations that could not be rectified without major expense to the owner. In that case, we may suggest replacement with a new system might be a better investment of their money.
I am proud to say that 100% of the times that we have been asked to look at a troubled outdoor lighting system in the greater Austin area, we have resolved the problem or made the recommendation to the client of what it would take to restore their lighting without complete replacement. When we have made the repairs necessary, those repairs have endured, and the clients tend to use us for their future lighting maintenance.
If you have a professionally installed outdoor lighting system that is giving you fits, and you are here in our central Texas service area, please contact us here and we can find the best way to take care of you.
