Asheville sits about 2,100 feet above sea level. Thought that may not sound like much when you compare it to the elevation of a mountain town in Colorado, if you’re installing outdoor lighting, it makes a big difference. This isn’t Charlotte—the winters are colder, the rain is heavier, and the freeze-thaw cycles have taken out many a crop of tomatoes. If you have Asheville outdoor lighting on your property, the climate is working against you in ways other homeowners closer to the coast simply don’t have to deal with.

The good news is that none of this has to be a problem. It just requires some extra attention at certain times of the year.

Asheville outdoor lighting maintenance by season

By early spring, once the ground finally stops freezing in Asheville, you’ll be able to see what winter did to your lighting setup. Between the soil shifting from frost heave and the occasional icy branches crashing to the ground, fixtures often shift from where they started in November. It’s worth taking a quick lap around your property after that final freeze to see if your lights are still pointing where they should. 

The transition window of spring into summer is ideal for clearing out what winter left behind. All the wet leaves and winter debris tend to pack down around the base of ground-level lights. If left sitting there for too long, moisture and heat issues may soon become a problem. An afternoon spent pulling back the gunk and making sure lenses aren’t caked in dirt goes a long way toward keeping hardware happy.

By late July, the Asheville growing season is in full swing. So in late summer and early fall, you might find landscaping trying to eat your landscape lighting. Shrubs and groundcover can creep over fixtures at a moment’s notice. Beyond just blocking light, overgrown plants can trap humidity against housings, which isn’t great for the longevity of the bulbs inside. 

When the hardwoods around here finally drop their leaves in late fall, your yard will suddenly feel very different. A light that looked subtle and perfect when the canopy was full in August might suddenly feel like a searchlight once the branches are bare. This is the perfect time to tweak lighting angles so the light filters through the architecture of the trees rather than trying to catch the attention of planes passing overhead.

If there’s one deadline you don’t want to miss, it’s the first hard frost. This is your “last call” to check junction boxes and wire connections for any signs of water getting in. Once those freeze-thaw cycles start, a tiny gap or compromised seal is going to expand and contract until the connection snaps. And it’s a lot easier to find loose wires in October than to troubleshoot dead zones in a January hail storm.

When to call an Asheville outdoor lighting company

It’s not hard to rake leaves or straighten crooked stakes, but there are some situations where calling a pro is the way to go

If a whole section of lights goes dark after a cold snap, it’s probably best to leave that to the pros. 

Flickering is usually a sign of moisture creeping into a connection. If you ignore it, the ice will keep prying that gap wider until the whole run gives out.

Working with an Asheville outdoor lighting company means having eyes on your property that know exactly what mountain weather does to a system. They can spot subtle problems before they become big ones.

Asheville outdoor lighting services & maintenance programs

Annual tune-ups are worth every penny in a mountain climate like ours that ranges from hot and humid to cold for months on end. This is why we offer maintenance programs at several tiers.

If your system was installed by another company, that’s OK too. We service all outdoor lighting systems, not just our own.

Let’s light up your property the right way

Still planning your outdoor lighting? Our Asheville outdoor lighting installations are designed from the start with the mountain climate in mind. That means everything from fixtures to placement are chosen for the conditions you’re likely to see in your own front yard.

Ready to get started? Reach out today.
Contact us online

Asheville: 828-333-9772

asheville@carolina-light.com