Maintaining Your Outdoor Deck or Patio Lighting

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GardenGuru | Jun 16, 2010 |

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If you've installed outdoor patio or deck lighting, it's essential that you perform some maintenance on the lights to keep them in working order. Luckily, for most of today's lights, which use LED lighting, the maintenance that you have to perform on them is minimal because the light bulbs only burn out once every few years! There are still a few tasks that you have to perform however if you want your lighting fixtures to look the best.

The first thing that you have to do, regardless of what type of lighting system you've chosen to install, is clean your outdoor deck lighting twice a year. Most people skip this step for a long time and the result is that their lights end up looking dirty and disgusting. Instead of casting a soft, patterned glow, they slowly fill with dirt and grime that causes the light to look worse and worse. Outdoor lights are particularly susceptible to this because they are subject to winds and rains that can cause a large amount of dirt and dust to get inside the fixture.

Cleaning your lights is easy. All that is required is that you take apart that the shield that covers the light bulb and wipe it down with wet paper towels or a wet rag. If the stains are big or you just need some extra help making the fixture clear, a little bit of Windex or another similar cleaning solution can help as well.

If you've chosen to install solar patio lighting, about every two years you will need to change the rechargeable battery in the fixture. Any rechargeable battery has a limited life span and as it gets older, it loses its ability to hold a charge, resulting in decreased performance for the light. Newer, and more expensive lights come with better batteries, but they will still eventually need to be replaced. If your light isn't performing as well as it used to, consider changing the battery.

Finally, if you've install low voltage outdoor lights, every year in addition to cleaning you should take a little time to inspect the wires and the transformer. Make sure that the wires aren't bare and are still hidden. Also make sure that the transformer is still properly mounted and out of the way of any standing water. If you need to, replace any parts that have become old or worn out.

Patio lighting is a great way to add some beauty and functionality to the outdoor areas of your home, but if you don't maintain it, it will slowly but surely start to look worse and even lose some of its performance. Take care of your outdoor light fixtures the same way you would take care of your indoor lighting and you will be able to enjoy it for years to come.