Landscape Lighting Maintenance Checklist (Seasonal)

A well-built low-voltage system asks very little of you, but the difference between a yard that looks designed and one that looks neglected often comes down to a few simple seasonal habits. Lenses cloud, plants grow, frost nudges fixtures, and timers fall out of step with the sun. Run through this checklist each season and your lighting will look as sharp in year ten as it did on installation night.

Spring: reset and re-aim

Spring is the big tune-up. Winter heaving and snow equipment almost always knock a few fixtures out of position, so walk the property after dark and re-aim anything pointing wrong. Clear winter debris, mulch, and matted leaves away from fixture bases. Wipe lenses clean of salt film and water spots so light reads crisp again, and confirm every fixture is firing.

This is also the right moment to step back and judge the whole scene. As beds wake up and trees leaf out, the picture you designed for last fall may need small adjustments. A fixture that lit a bare branch in March can be aimed too low once the canopy fills in, so think a season ahead as you re-aim.

Summer: manage the growth

Plants are the number one enemy of a clean scene in summer. Fast growth swallows path lights and blocks uplight beams within weeks. Trim back foliage around fixtures and check that uplights still wash the trunks and canopies they were aimed at. As beds fill in, you may want to relocate a fixture or two to keep the design intent intact.

Fall: prepare for the dark season

Fall is about getting ahead of winter. Clear fallen leaves off well lights and out of fixture wells before they pack down and trap moisture. Inspect visible connections and the transformer while the ground is still workable. Most importantly, update your timer for the rapidly shortening days so your home is never dark at dusk.

Year-round basics

A few checks apply in every season. Confirm the timer or photocell is switching on and off at the right times. Look for any fixture that is dimmer than its neighbors, which can signal a failing lamp or a connection issue. Keep lenses clean, since a thin film of grime can cut output noticeably. And note any fixture that has been bumped, tilted, or buried so you can correct it.

When a whole zone goes dark or output drops across the system, the cause is usually electrical rather than the fixtures themselves, and that is worth a professional look. Likewise, if several fixtures along one run have all gone dim, suspect a wiring or transformer issue before you start swapping lamps.

None of this is difficult, but it does take time and a good eye for the design. If you would rather your system simply stay perfect without the work, our seasonal maintenance program handles cleaning, re-aiming, trimming oversight, and connection checks on a schedule. Reach out for a free consultation and we will keep your nights looking their best, year after year.

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