Water & Electricity Don’t Mix
These landscape lighting installers have their minds in the gutter. At LUX Landscape Lighting, we’re often called out to help solve lighting problems for homeowners, and we have seen many epic fails from previous installers who don’t have the training and expertise to do outdoor lighting right. Let’s take a look at some of the evidence.
There’s a right way to light up a roofline– manufacturers make special gutter mounts for up-lights. And it’s possible to conceal low-voltage wire rated for outdoor in a home’s gutter system. But this epic fail is exactly the wrong way! Screwing a lighting fixture directly into the shingles is asking for water damage down the line (just as soon as those screws rust out).
Here’s another example of a landscape lighting fixture screwed directly into the roof shingles. As predicted, you can see the rust around the screws. Good thing LUX came out before the fixture fell off into the gutter itself.
These landscape lighting installers couldn’t have been professionals. All that extra wire hanging out is particularly ugly– but if its hidden away, it will clog the gutter function.
Oh boy. This lazy wire installation gives us a headache just looking at it. Along with being horribly unsightly, imagine how much sun exposure that wire gets. It’s going to deteriorate even before it has a chance to get ripped out when someone cleans the gutters.
Moving down from the roof, we find more landscape lighting installers who found “creative” ways to use a home’s gutter system. Inside, that wire is being cut by the sharp metal edge of the downspout. And outside, the wire sheathing is being baked in the sun. It will only take a tug to break it in half. Not to mention, like all these epic fails, it’s hideous to look at.
The old “sneak out the downspout” trick is a popular one with shoddy landscape lighting installers. This example has the unique benefit of flooding the homeowner’s basement and eroding the foundation over time, as well. Maybe the pressure of the sharp downspout edge will snap the wire before structural damage has time to set in, though. We didn’t let this homeowner make that gamble, and we’re glad the LUX experts were on the scene for the repair.
It’s hard to make out what’s going on in this jumble. A high-quality lighting controller system is sitting precariously in the mulch, both blocking the outdoor faucet and at risk of being shorted by it. This isn’t a temporary placement. That’s how the landscape lighting installers intended it to be. Although, at LUX, we might call them landscape lighting “dumpers” instead. None of the equipment was actually “installed,” per se. This epic fails shows that you can spend a lot of money on quality equipment, but the quality of the installation is just as important.
Before hiring the lowest-cost landscape lighting installer, we want you to consider what you may NOT be buying. Many contractors tack on landscape lighting as a service, because they think it will be easy to do and a good way to fill their crew’s time during the off-season. In truth, landscape lighting is both an art and a science that requires dedication, education and expertise. Check out the LUX Landscape Lighting Difference to learn more about how we can bring bright ideas to your outdoor spaces that will last decades.
Is your landscape lighting not up to par? Contact us with questions about lighting repair, maintenance and enhancements.
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