10 Aug No such thing as a 100% maintenance free landscape lighting system (PS- and there never will be)
By Mike Gambino
Ever since the introduction of 12 volt garden lighting equipment designed specifically for outdoor use, produced from fruit and juice cans in the 1950s, product manufacturers have been steadily producing technology intended to reduce the physical effort required to operate and maintain landscape lighting systems.
Nowadays, almost every aspect of outdoor lighting system operation can be automated. From basic on/off system operation, dimming, scenes, vacation modes to solar or astronomical automatic adjustment for day light savings and seasonal changes both professionals and homeowners can manage their systems with the push of a few buttons.
Much heralded in recent years, that level of control has now been applied using PCs, smartphones and iPads, an evolutionary step that affords close to comprehensive control from virtually any location.
For all of that pioneering innovation, however, there remains a conundrum of sorts: The more automated functions one has, the more complex the control systems become — the application and management of which in itself becomes a design and maintenance challenge.
The issue is not whether or not today’s systems should be automated, but instead how sophisticated and complicated control systems should be, a factor that largely depends on clients’ wish lists of features. With the advent of systems that require multilayered control beyond simple on/off functions, the challenge of integrating automation systems becomes ever more complex.
And that can be challenging and time consuming for the system builder and especially frustrating for homeowners who want everything to be simple to use and work perfectly all the time.
The most serviceable, low maintenance landscape lighting there is really comes down to ‘less is more. If you can limit automation to simply turning things on and off, it’s going to be far more serviceable and less prone to problems.
Even the most vocal proponents of automation technology embrace the caveat that no matter how sophisticated automation becomes, there will never be a completely maintenance-free landscape or outdoor lighting system.
Although the industry has made tremendous strides in technology, landscape lighting system service is in no danger of going the way of the video store.
We’ll never achieve absolute maintenance-free operation. That’s a fact. However, when you look at LED light source technology, for example, the systems today are really good and getting better. In a residential application, you can dial it in and walk away for maybe 6 months at a time, depending on a variety of factors.
But ultimately, everything made by human hands breaks down. In the case of timer controls they can become out of sync. In the case of LED lamps, the drivers and LED diodes have a finite life and eventually will have to be replaced at some point. Even before that happens, the glass fixture lenses have to be cleaned and the system will have to be calibrated and adjusted, tree mounts in and on trees must be inspected and occasionally loosened so even when a system is working perfectly there will be some maintenance involved. That’s just one example of how you’ll never remove maintenance from the big picture.
Clean lens after all sprinkler residue and debris has been thoroughly cleaned from it.
Even rain can’t stop Gambino landscape lighting from servicing an important client’s system for a Christmas party.
We’ll also never be completely maintenance free because there will always be someone or something interfacing with the system. Gardeners, tree trimmers, window cleaners, pool cleaning services all of these trades can potentially inadvertently create service calls to the system designer.
Regardless of how simple or complex a project may be I see fixture and transformer durability every bit as essential as LED lamp longevity.
First off when we speak of maintenance we are assuming that there is something viable and worthy of paying to maintain. Many of our clients come to us after experiencing a major failure with a lighting system installed by someone else.
We install die casted from molds, copper and brass fixtures on every single project. When I tell the client what he or she would go through again without these well built products, it’s a no brainer. I explain how the fixtures take a beating from sprinkler spray, the UV rays of the sun and other environmental conditions and how labor costs the same whether we install the highest quality or inferior products. I don’t think I’ve ever had a client seriously think about putting in low quality again after they have experienced failure. And since garden lighting fixtures are meant to be concealed and integrate seamlessly with their surroundings they never go out of style.
Mike Gambino in February 2012 cleaning a first generation copper Gambino “torino” spreadlight fixture that was installed 30 feet from the Pacific ocean. One of the most brutal environments possible. Besides some bird droppings on its cap the fixture is in excellent condition with no signs of degrading.
In regards to maintenance and repairs you’ll want to call the original installer. Therefore you should never hire an installer who doesn’t service their systems. If there’s an issue itt’s comforting to be able to say- Hey, come check it out, because there’s no substitute for inspecting the system in person. So even in those scenarios, you still need a human being managing and overseeing the systems operation.
If a lighting company gives control of the maintenance portion of the lighting system to a third party, it’s going to potentially end up causing more problems unless they have some sort of relationship with the original installer and have a vested interest in the project. That’s why, regardless of the work manufacturers are doing to improve their systems, service and maintenance are likely always going to be part of the equation.
One thing that will never change is that every lighting system is different and will need to be treated individually. We’re never going to come to a place where one size fits all. In my opinion, have we come a long way? Absolutely! Is there room for improvement? Sure — that’s true of just about any type of technology. What does that mean for the future of landscape lighting systems? I really don’t know because what we have today is pretty darn good.
As for the original question about achieving a truly maintenance-free landscape lighting system, at least for now it seems fair to say that although the industry has come a long way from the days of the first garden fixture fashioned from an old juice can, the human touch will, in all likelihood, always remain irreplaceable.
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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