It’s not your imagination. All outdoor lighting is not created equal. Having mastered the art for these many years, we know that to be true.

What Type Of Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Do You Have?

To help diagnose why your outdoor lighting seems inferior when compared to other homes in your neighborhood, start by taking a look at the outdoor lighting fixtures in your landscape and around your home.

Here are some questions to ask to help ascertain why you are feeling this way.

1. Do you still have outdated halogen lamps in your fixtures? If your answer is, “I don’t know,” or “I have no idea,” check the bulb itself first. Most bulbs will clearly say halogen or LED on the bulk itself, but this is not an industry requirement, just good practice. If it does not, it must display the power in the form of wattage. Generally, anything over 10W will most likely be halogen (25W, 50W, etc.) and anything under 10W would be LED.
2. Is your outdoor lighting system design and fixture placement not well planned and executed? If your system is low voltage and you still have halogen lamps, that could be part of the problem. LED outdoor light fixtures are now the best in class, and with their high level of efficacy, are the only outdoor lamps you should have in your system. If you purchased solar lights from a big box retailer and installed them yourself, then that’s a whole different story. Solar lights are dependent on sunlight to generate a nighttime glow. So, if your weather is spotty, that may be a part of the problem. On the other hand, in our experience, solar lights simply don’t do it. Many shine as dimly as an underpowered flashlight in need of new batteries. Truth be told, you would be better off with an energy-efficient outdoor lighting system installed with a low-voltage protocol, powered by a transformer. And that is exactly what Carolina Landscape Lighting does.
3. Does your outdoor lighting layout have a hodgepodge of different fixtures? If you answer, “Yes,” again, that could also be a big part of your problem. With a professional design and installation, our expert team would ensure that your fixture varieties all play on the same level in aesthetics, light broadcasting, and performance.

Was Your Outdoor Lighting Design Professionally Installed, Or Did You Or A DIY Friend Install It For You?

With all due respect, if your answer is the latter, then by now you most likely know the answer to your query. Like the cliché says, “Jack of all trades and master of none.” Outdoor lighting is all that we do throughout the Carolinas, and as such, we are truly experts. Testimony to that fact is regularly communicated to us by our clients throughout Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, and Asheville.

Only a professional outdoor lighting designer and installer know how to best deliver the look and feel you desire, night after night.

Did You Inherit Your System With The Purchase Of Your Home And Know You Need An Update But Don’t Know Where To Start?

We hear this a lot. A home on the market with outdoor lighting is a huge attraction to some new buyers. But once they move in, they discover it’s not up to par with what they expected.

That’s where we can be a huge help.

We will perform an in-depth analysis on your system and figure out what’s missing or what’s needed. Possibly a poorly performing bulb or two? Possibly a kink in the system’s wiring from a lawn mower mishap – or an exposed wire? Or possibly, it’s so outdated that it needs to be upgraded or retrofitted with LED outdoor lights. Knowledge that broad and precise is in our very DNA. And that you can take to the proverbial bank.

For a comprehensive list of our locations, click here to connect with us.

Has Your Outdoor Lighting System Been Maintained?

It is quite possible, through no fault of your own, that you always assumed that your system would light up each and every night like clockwork with no one looking after it.

Alas, nothing in life could be that easy.

Your best bet is to have Carolina Landscape Lighting perform annual maintenance on your system. Here is part of what our protocol includes:

1. Cleaning Lenses: Removing outdoor dirt and debris and hard water deposits from your bulb lenses is critical for maximum performance.
2. Bury Exposed Cables: Over time with lawn mowing, dog’s scratching your landscape surface, and roughhousing with the children outside, it is not uncommon for low-voltage lighting cables to work their way to the surface and become exposed, especially in high-traffic areas. We will make sure that everything is back underground which will also reduce trip hazards around your property.
3. Remove Fallen Leaves and Misplaced Mulch and Pine Straw: Fallen autumn leaves can end up anywhere and everywhere — especially in outdoor lighting fixtures with recessed bulbs. When leaves pile on, say on a halogen lamp, enough heat is generated from the light source to scorch leaves and possibly create a fire risk. The same is true with ground cover that shifts over time due to weather conditions and blowing wind.
4. Outdoor Lighting Fixture Adjustments: Trees can present a sneaky problem to your outdoor lighting by their root system encroaching on nearby light fixtures. For this reason, we adjust the downlights we use in trees once a year with regularly scheduled maintenance. This includes backing the hanger bolts out a couple turns as the tree grows and also resecuring any loose wires to the tree’s trunk.
5. Replace Burned-Out Bulbs: Thanks to the longer life cycle of an LED light, bulb replacement isn’t that much of an issue anymore. With LEDs, we are more concerned with their brightness. Are they shining as brightly as they were on the day of the installation? If not, then we will change them.
6. Trimming Plant Growth: Especially here in the Carolinas, shrubs and landscape greenery grow fast and can quickly fight for space. Cutting back foliage around fixtures will keep your lights unobstructed until next spring.
7. Brushing Off Your Lights: While LEDs are known for maintaining a relatively cool temperature, halogen lights are quite the opposite and have no problem melting away ice or even that rare snowfall. A light broom is a perfect tool to loosen up and gently brush away the accumulation.

Whether It Is A System Overhaul, An Upgrade, Expansion, Retrofit, Or A New System Altogether — We Can Bring Your Property Up To Par – Pronto

To upgrade, overhaul, or enhance your outdoor lighting system, or to have it maintained for optimum performance, we welcome your visit or call.

It would be our distinct pleasure to be of service.