07 Aug Low Voltage LED Landscape Lighting Requires No maintenance- THINK AGAIN
By Mike Gambino
The thought that Low Voltage LED landscape Lighting systems require no maintenance is a major misconception and kind of reminds me of the days when I was a kid back in NY when my parents bought aluminum siding because they were told by the salesman that it was maintenance free. Maintenance free in that it didn’t need to be painted nearly as often as wood siding but Maintenance free absolutely not. In fact it needed pressure washing quite frequently to keep it clean and looking its best. The product was good and its benefits stood on their own without the need of embellishment by the salesperson in order to get homeowners to buy. The same is true of low Voltage LED landscape Lighting systems.
Overstating and exaggerating benefits to help sell something is unfortunate and inappropriate. And in most cases unnecessary. That being said, I saw it happening early on in this industry as well. There were those service providers promoting LED lighting by using the maintenance Free hype and in addition making claims that LED lamps would last forever and never need changing.
Both are patently false statements. I’m sure those who made those proclamations are paying the price now.
Low Voltage LED Landscape Lighting Products are not immune to getting dirty, covered by dirt and leaves and live plant materials or getting knocked out of position and place by garden
maintenance service personnel. All of the before and after photos below came from a project that was only 15 months old.
As you can see from the before service and after service photos on this one 15 month old project dirt, leaves and obstructions can totally block the light output of your system diminishing its spectacular effects. We recommend service intervals on a 6-12 month basis for Low Voltage LED landscape lighting systems. Generally speaking the more fixtures, trees, shrubs and plants you have the shorter the service intervals should be. It really can only be determined on a project by project basis as no two properties are ever the same. Your original designer/installer is the best one to consult with and to put on retainer for ongoing maintenance of your system. If your original system builder doesn’t offer service then they probably shouldn’t have been hired in the first place.
Quality professional designer/builders have a vested interest in keeping your system performing at its peak as your job should help sell future similar jobs.
This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.Gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .
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