We receive many phone calls from people that had an exterior lighting system put in by someone that either went out of business or does not provide service after installation. This leaves the homeowner with the task of trouble shooting any problems that may occur. If you have found yourself in this situation and you want to know some basics for fixing simple problems this post may be helpful for you. I would recommend purchasing a simple digital volt meter. This can be purchased at any hardware store and it typically ranges between $15-$50. If you cannot find an answer to your problems on this post, then I suggest you visit our website to locate your local Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise and contact them for service. If you live inside Northern Virginia you can contact us via email.
Below, I will list out the most frequent service problems for outdoor lighting systems and take you through the most logical and easiest solutions.
Problem #1: One of my lights is not coming on.
Suggestion: First replace the bulb. It is important that if it did not come on, to wiggle the bulb around a little as many companies do not properly grease the sockets and the springs inside and the socket can become weak. If the bulb did not come on, test the voltage. If you are not getting power, or your voltage is very low (under 6 volts) it may be a bad connection. Many fixtures have small quick connectors within 18″ of the fixture (attaching the fixture wire onto the main wire). Dig up the connection and see if you have power there, if you do not then it is probably a cut wire. The easiest solution is to either pull up the wire or check spots where it may have been cut.
Problem #2: I recently noticed that none of my lights came on in the evening.
Suggestion: Make certain the transformer is plugged in. We have had many service calls where someone simply unplugged the transformer. If it is plugged in, make certain there is power at the outlet. If there is no power, it is either a tripped circuit or a tripped GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter). A GFCI can be located almost anywhere inside or outside the home, so search the house outlets and look for one that has tripped (press the “reset” button to restore power to the outlet).
Additional Suggestion: If there is power at the outlet, check the timer. Often times it can be as simple as replacing a timer to get your system running again. There is also the possibility that inside the transformer there is a circuit breaker near the timer. If everything seems to be working at this point, check and see if there is power coming out of the transformer with your voltage meter. The final thing to consider would be that someone accidentally cut all the wires. This does not happen often, but it can happen it there has been extensive digging on your property.
Problem #3: A section of lights did not come on.
Suggestion: First open the transformer and see if there is a tripped circuit on the secondary/ low voltage side. If none of the circuits are tripped, then check and see if there is power at the fixtures. If there is power running out to the fixtures, then the following situation could have occurred: the voltage of the lights were a little too high (11.8 volts or higher) and one light burnt out on a wire, then causing the voltage to increase to the rest of the lights on that wire. This has been known to burn out every single light on a wire.
Problem #4: My lights stay on all the time and do not shut off.
Suggestion: Check the timing device that was used. This problem is most common with photo cells. When they stop functioning, they have a tendency to fail and leave the lights on. You’ll need to replace this with a new timing device.
Problem #5: The lights are burning out very quickly (within a year of installation or replacement).
Suggestion: Test the voltage at the fixture. Many times the people installing the system did not understand some basic principles of lighting. If they did not test the voltage at the fixture it could be up a little high. Typically you want the voltage to be between 10.8-11.6 volts, with 11.1-11.4 volts being ideal.
Additional Suggestion: If the voltage tests out, then check the socket. If the bulb comes on with a little pressure or when you wiggle it, it could be a bad socket. Always use lithium grease on a socket when putting in a new light bulb.
Those are the main problems that we have encountered in servicing exterior lighting systems, both residential and commercial. If you have any questions or have already tried everything you want to try, then contact us at Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Northern Virginia and we will see what we can do for you. Again, if you live outside of Northern VA, USA, you can contact the location closest to you out of our 80 locations across the Continental USA, the Bahamas, Ireland, and Kuwait.
