Outdoor Lighting Safety Tips and Solutions
Well-lit homes and landscapes help increase safety while deterring burglars, but lighting mistakes may result in electrical fires, increased energy costs, or broken fixtures.
Simple tips can help prevent these issues. Learning about the rules of outdoor lighting will ensure your Houston lights look their best. Here are a few helpful lighting safety tips that will ensure all is set right.
Don’t Change Just One Bulb
Outdoor lighting not only looks beautiful, it is also essential for safety. Strategically placed lighting can show off stunning landscape features or deter trespassers after hours – yet poorly installed fixtures could become fire hazards that are costly and hazardous for your home or business. Professional installers can ensure your lighting installation goes as smoothly as possible.
Although you might be tempted to save money by replacing only one bulb when your outdoor lights burn out, doing so will drastically shorten its lifespan – leading to more costly repairs down the line. Furthermore, any damaged fixtures could require further repairs at great expense.
If you are replacing just a single bulb, select LEDs as energy efficient alternatives. They last at least ten years while offering various color tones to customize your lighting whenever necessary. Plus, their lack of heat production means they are safer around combustible materials like wood framing and vinyl siding.
Your outdoor lighting should include LED bulbs. Incandescent lights waste energy by heating filaments until they glow, with shorter lifespan than their LED counterparts and emitting lots of UV light that attracts bugs while making relaxation in your backyard more difficult.
Your yard and garden should also remain clear of debris, leaves, or grass near outdoor lighting to reduce the chance of any items getting into the wiring and creating an electrical hazard. Tree branches and bushes must also remain away from lighting so as to maintain optimal light levels without creating glare issues.
Don’t Place Lights on Grass
Lighting walkways should always have one primary objective in mind – to prevent trip and fall hazards from the path ahead. Your lighting should be bright enough to achieve this without blinding pedestrians – in this instance a light emitting 300 to 400 lumens is recommended.
„Light Trespass” must also be avoided to maintain good relationships between neighbors. This term refers to light that escapes your property boundaries and illuminates their windows or driveway. This issue could arise from poorly-aimed fixtures, or from excessive glare from lighting on your house itself.
Finally, when installing landscape lighting it’s essential to place it away from combustible materials such as wood framing or vinyl siding that could ignite due to bulb heat. Low-heat LED bulbs with red or yellow emitters are an effective way of mitigating this risk.
At the same time, trimming tree branches and other vegetation around lighting fixtures is also recommended to ensure no branches or plants rub against wiring, potentially leading to vibration-based light offs and turning offs. Doing this also makes maintenance crews’ accessing wires and fixtures when mowing or trimming easier and helps detect potential problems that could cause damage or lead to fires more efficiently. Incorporating routine inspections of outdoor lighting system wiring into your regular maintenance plan can also help detect issues that may not be obvious and cause potential fire hazards or damages from being hidden within.
Don’t Use Regular Extension Cords
Outdoor lighting can add beauty and deter crime in both residential and commercial settings, by shining a spotlight on suspicious characters on your property. However, improper installation or maintenance could pose fire hazards or health threats to those within these environments.
One of the primary dangers associated with outdoor lighting fixtures is their potential to produce heat that ignites combustible materials such as vinyl siding or wood framing. If using extension cords for your lighting, make sure they’re rated specifically for outdoor use, never replacing permanent wiring with them and never daisy-chaining or covering up grounding prongs, in addition to always unplugging them when not in use in order to avoid overheating and electrical hazards.
Extension cords can also be hazardous to children and elderly adults alike, as they can trip over them or become tangled in wheelchairs, scooters and walkers’ wheels. To minimize risks when using an extension cord outdoors, install GFCI outlets that reduce shock hazards; alternatively invest in outdoor-safe cords equipped with shielding layers that shield them from rainwater, snowfall or temperature variations.
Once again, it’s essential that outdoor lighting fixtures be regularly checked for signs of rust and corrosion. Doing this will enable you to quickly identify and resolve problems before they escalate, such as electrical fires. Inspecting wires and connectors that supply electricity to your outdoor lighting fixtures takes only minutes and could save both money and frustration in the future.
Don’t Overload Circuits
Outdoor lighting can add warmth and security to your home, as well as help avoid accidents caused by dark areas around it. But to achieve maximum effectiveness with outdoor lighting, it is essential that homeowners understand its benefits as well as potential pitfalls so their setup works safely while looking great and being functionally effective.
Homeowners frequently make the mistake of plugging too many lights into one circuit, leading to overheating and other electrical problems. To ensure safety and avoid these complications, lighting fixtures should be spread among multiple outlets with bulbs matching each fixture’s wattage rating.
Another major drawback of outdoor lighting is that many people neglect to check its wiring regularly for any signs of deterioration. Even durable light fixtures may suffer water leakage when neglected; you should regularly inspect it to detect holes or exposed wires that could present fire hazards.
Reminding ourselves to employ professional installers is also paramount, since these technicians have access to a wide variety of options that are both attractive and safe. Furthermore, they may offer advice about where best to place fixtures to ensure optimal lighting without risking potential hazards.
If you’re in the process of installing or upgrading an outdoor lighting system, reach out to Grasser Electric today. We can assist in creating an inviting and safe atmosphere within budget! We look forward to speaking with you shortly.
Don’t Leave Lights on All Night
At night, leaving outdoor lighting on for hours at a time is not recommended as it wastes energy and may draw thieves or intruders into your home. Maintenance and security experts suggest using motion sensing lighting or timed illumination instead in order to deter unwanted activity without using up too much power.
Maintaining your lighting systems on an ongoing basis should include regular inspections to detect issues as soon as they arise, whether at home or for commercial properties. Doing this can keep your business, home, and family safer by identifying hazards like frayed wires that could pose fire risks.
Weather, wind and other environmental elements can be hard on lighting fixtures, even the toughest of them. Keep an eye out for early signs of corrosion so you can replace damaged lighting before it poses safety or aesthetic concerns.
Regularly inspect the wattage and voltage requirements of your outdoor lighting fixtures. Misusing their power may cause them to overheat, creating an electrical fire hazard. Consult a professional when choosing lighting solutions suitable for the conditions on your property.
Be sure to keep your outdoor lighting well maintained by trimming back the surrounding vegetation. This will ensure the lighting fixtures don’t become obscured, prevent trips or falls and hazards and will help your maintenance teams and family avoid accidentally damaging fixtures or lenses when cutting grass or trimming trees.