troubleshoot your landscape lighting
Here at Dazzle Lighting Co, we know it can be frustrating when your outdoor lights don’t work. Sometimes it’s frustrating for us too, and we have years of lighting experience and troubleshoot outdoor lighting systems every day! Maybe it’s just a single light with an issue, or perhaps a whole section of your yard is not illuminating, or sometimes nothing is working. Well, we’re here to help. This article will walk you through the same methodical process we use to get your lights working again.
CAUTION: We’re working with electricity here! Safety first! If any of the information below seems unclear or you’re uncomfortable doing anything we’re suggesting, just call us.
First things first: turn your system on! It’s a lot easier to diagnose everything when the working lights are on. There are a few ways to manually turn your system on, and the correct method depends upon your transformer and timer or photocell.
Scenario one: a single light is out
This is usually an easy one… if a single light is out in your outdoor lighting system, it’s *probably* just a dead bulb. This is an easy fix, but can be more involved if you have what is known as an integrated fixture where the LED elements are not replaceable.
To determine if the bulb is the issue, simply replace the bad bulb with a bulb that you know is working. It can either be a new one, or you can just borrow a working bulb from another fixture in your yard. There are all sorts of bulbs and lamps used in low voltage outdoor lighting, but the most common types are MR16 bulbs in most lights, and G4 bulbs in path lights. (Both MR16 and G4 bulbs are available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc) Keep in mind that we also install many integrated fixtures. With integrated fixtures, the bulb is not replaceable… you need to replace the entire fixture if it fails.
If the known-good bulb doesn’t work either, there are two possible issues: the fixture itself is broken or faulty, or – more commonly – there’s an issue with the wiring going to that fixture. Has a landscaping crew been at your property recently? It’s not unusual for them to break wires or connections when they’re working in your garden beds or edging. It’s probably time to call Dazzle Lighting Co.
Scenario two: A section of lights is not working
This problem has two possible causes: The first – and most common – cause would be broken or damaged wiring to that whole section. This is a job for Dazzle Lighting Co, unless you have a multimeter and really like digging in the dirt.
Another possibility – although less likely than a broken or damaged wire – is that the particular run of wire that powers the faulty section has somehow become disconnected from the transformer. This is an easy fix.
Scenario Three: Nothing is working
When NONE of your lights are working, the cause is almost certainly transformer-related. It is possible that your transformer has simply become unplugged. The solution to that is easy… plug it back in! (Note: if your transformer has been unplugged for some time, the timer may need to be reprogrammed.) Also, some transformers have a switch inside that might have flipped. Call us and we can probably walk you through sorting that out.
Your transformer may simply be plugged into an outlet that is no longer working. The cause of that could be a tripped breaker or maybe a tripped GFCI outlet. Here’s how to reset a tripped GFCI outlet and here’s how to reset a tripped breaker.
Timer issues are quite often the cause of nothing working. (Or it might be that your lights are working, but they’re coming on during the daytime or maybe after you’ve gone to bed.) Dazzle Lighting Co uses several different types of timers, but there are hundreds of different timers out there, all of which operate differently. Of course, timers also fail. In many cases you can easily remove the timer from the transformer and see if you can get the lights to come on. Call us and we can walk you through doing that.
If your transformer is controlled by a photocell rather than a timer, it is possible that the photocell has failed. To quickly test your photocell, wrap it in aluminum foil. That should create enough darkness to trigger the photocell and cause your lights to turn on. If they don’t come on, your photocell probably needs to be replaced. You’ll want to call us for that.
Finally, your transformer might be dead. This can be tricky to diagnose without a multimeter and some electrical knowledge, but if the transformer is hot to the touch or humming loudly, it’s probably dead. Unplug it, and call us to set up a service call.