Outdoor lighting fixtures are a great way to keep your home and visitors safe at night and highlight your home's landscaping, as well. The very nature of their use, however, leaves them exposed to damage. Generally, outdoor fixtures are designed to withstand a certain amount of exposure to the elements, but even they can succumb to prolonged exposure. Rain can cause damage to electrical wiring, while too much sun can fade and crack fixtures. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to protect your outdoor fixtures from the elements and prolong their life.
Placement and Protection
One of the best ways to keep your outdoor lighting safe from detrimental weather conditions is to carefully consider where you install the fixtures in the first place. For lights that are designed to enhance the security of your house, like porch lights, door lights or exterior garage lighting, placing them under eaves or other overhangs will keep off rain and harsh sunlight, which can cause plastic fixtures to expand and crack.
As important as the placement of outdoor lighting can be for its preservation, sometimes it's just not possible to shelter it. If you're installing exterior lights at the end of a walkway or spotlights that will shine on your landscaping, you may want to consider using the fully weatherproof fixtures that are available today. If you have existing fixtures and are not looking to retrofit your lights, you can purchase shields that go over your outdoor fixtures. They will keep moisture from getting into the bulb and electrical wiring of the lights.
Solar and LED Lights
If you have exterior lights around the perimeter of your home and are thinking of expanding outward, you may be concerned about the costs of installation and upkeep. There are some alternatives, however, that you may want to consider. While not always the most attractive, solar or LED lights can be effective ways to light a path or set off landscaping. They tend to be sealed against the weather, and since you simply stake them into the ground, there is no need to worry about electrical wiring or installation costs.
Solar lights are restored by sunlight throughout the day and then emit their light at night. They don't usually store enough energy to stay lit through the entire night, but many styles have battery backups that will keep them going until dawn. Similarly, exterior LED lights run on batteries that you need to replace on occasion. These, too, just stake into the ground, making installation easy.
If you are interested in installing outdoor lighting or are concerned that your outdoor light fixtures may have been damaged by the elements, call a professional electrician such as those at Reliable Heating and Air. A pro can check out your lights to make sure that they are operating safely and correctly, and replace any that have been damaged. They can also offer suggestions or upgrades to better protect them from the wet weather we get in the Atlanta area.
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