Spring into Action

Even though we have been enjoying warmer weather for a few weeks now, tomorrow marks the official start of spring!  With the warmer weather soon to draw us outdoors again, now is the time to make sure your outdoor space is ready.  Your spring maintenance checklist should begin with checking the timer on your outdoor lighting system. With daylight savings time starting last week, the mornings are darker and the evenings are lighter so you want to adjust your outdoor lighting to reflect that change. There are several different type of timers used for outdoor lighting and what needs to be updated depends on what type of timer you have.  If your lighting system has been installed in the last few years, you likely have an astronomical timer or a photocell.  Those types of timers should automatically adjust for daylight savings time and you shouldn’t need to do a thing!

If you have a manual timer, you will need to adjust for daylight savings time.  To adjust your timer, you first need to find your transformer which will be located outside (usually near your utilities) or inside your garage.  The transformer is a box and you will unlatch it to open it and find your timer.  To adjust the time, you rotate the dial clockwise until the correct time is shown in the window in the middle of the timer.  You can also adjust the start time and end times for your lights by moving the green and red pins.  The green is the start time and the red is the end time.   In San Antonio, the new sunrise time will be 7:45 am and the sunset time will be 7:45 pm.

With springtime in full swing, it is a good time to evaluate your lighting system and make sure everything is in working order.  Even if your system seems to be just fine, you may still be in need of a spring maintenance appointment. Proper cleaning and maintenance can extend the life of your landscape lights and keep your system functioning properly. There are some tasks that should be performed once or twice a year, or as needed, to avoid more expensive repairs later.

If you need help adjusting your timer or would like to schedule a maintenance visit, please give us a call and we would be happy to help. – 210-710-7737.