Why Does Permanent Outdoor Lighting Need Maintenance?

5 Reasons Your Kansas City Exterior Lighting Systems Require Regular Maintenance

There are several reasons why your Midwest outdoor lighting system needs regular maintenance. Today we will look at five of those reasons. Without further ado, here are the top reasons why the technicians at Natural Accents Lighting believe you need to schedule your bi-annual maintenance for your Kansas City commercial or residential outdoor lights today.

An outdoor lighting transformer has an unwelcomed guest

#1 - Unwelcome Guests Removed

Transformers are warm. Since the majority of transformers for landscape lighting are outdoors, this constant temperature draws many unwanted guests, from snakes and rodents to insects. During your bi-annual lighting maintenance, the Natural Accents Lighting technicians will remove wasps nests, and any other creatures from your light fixtures and transformers that hinder the proper performance of your lighting system.

Wasp nest inside a light transformer

#2 - Repair Damaged Wires

Squirrels and rabbits love to chew on electrical wires. Even when electrical wires are protected, determined urban wildlife will eventually reach the "delicious" prize. Outdoor lighting fixtures and wires can also be damaged by landscapers, aerators, or lawn care workers.

Whatever the cause, these damaged wires are a safety hazard and cause system shorts or failures. During your regular lighting maintenance, Natural Accents Lighting techs will check for cut and damaged wires. If found, the damaged wire will be repaired or replaced.

Tree downlight wire and wire protector chewed on by squirrels

#3 - Swapping Warranty-Covered Fixtures Products

Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting Design & Installation uses only commercial-grade fixtures and products that carry warranties from 3-10 years. Bi-annual maintenance of your outdoor lighting system guarantees that if any warranted item is no longer functioning as it should, then it will be quickly replaced while under warranty. The techs at Natural Accents also follow up with clients that are drawing close to the end of their warranty to make sure our clients gain the benefit of all warrantied items so that your systems last for decades.

Deck lighting wire damaged by squirrels

#4 - Timers Adjusted to Match Daylight Hours

As the seasons change, outdoor lighting timers should be adjusted to turn on earlier or later in the day. For outdoor lighting that is used to enhance security, ensuring your lights turn on and off at the proper time is important. Our techs will verify your timer is set correctly for the time of year and your lighting purposes.

Kansas City home with outdoor lighting adjusted for daylight savings time

#5 - Lighting Fixtures Looking as Good as New

During your bi-annual maintenance, your lighting fixtures and transformers will be cleaned of leaves, dust, and debris. Not only will your fixtures look as good as new in daylight after this cleaning, but your lights will also shine brighter at night. We also check that your fixtures are straight and tight on their stakes or for tree boxes the wires are adjusted to allow for proper tree health and growth.

After fixture cleaning

Schedule Your Outdoor Lighting Maintenance Today!

Above are the five reasons the professionals at Natural Accents Lighting believe you should schedule your next maintenance soon. We want our clients to enjoy their lighting systems for decades. That is why we believe you should schedule your next maintenance today if it has been more than 12 months since your last maintenance.

When you're ready to schedule your lighting maintenance, our veteran-owned team is a text or call away. Have an older lighting system? Our team can retrofit it -- bringing your landscape lighting up to date and performing at its best!

Before fixture cleaning

The fully-insured lighting professionals at Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting Design & Installation are dedicated to superior customer service and are passionate about creating scenes ready for the pages of a home or garden magazine. Schedule your outdoor lighting consultation today! If you found these tips helpful, we would love to hear from you in the comments below.

The 7 Details That Set Natural Accents Lighting Apart

Details Make The Difference

Why Should You Hire Natural Accents to Install & Maintain Your Outdoor Lighting System?

For 20 years the installation technicians at Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting Design & Installation have taken pride in our attention to detail. We treat our clients' homes as our own. The team at Natural Accents takes the time to install your system the right way, saving our clients money and time on repairs.

Commercial-Grade Wire Connector Water-Proofed (left), Brass Connector Ready to be Water-Proofed (middle) vs. Wing Nuts (right)

These 7 things set our team apart from our Kansas City competitors:

We Use Commercial-Grade Water-Proof Connectors

You may never see a wire connector when admiring your lit-up landscape, but wire connectors are an important detail in all electrical projects. One of the most common wire connectors used in the Midwest is twist-on or wing nut connectors. However, wing nuts are not approved for outdoor use, even if wrapped in electrical tape.

Unfortunately, for many Kansas City property owners with outdoor lighting systems, wing nuts are used for their outdoor lighting systems. This means that each connection is susceptible to moisture and water getting into the system. It also means that if one connection goes bad it can take down multiple fixtures or even the whole lighting system.

Award-winning water feature lighting design by Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting

The installation team at Natural Accent Outdoor Lighting only uses brass wire connectors that are then water-proofed with shrink wrap for our clients. These commercial-grade set screw connectors ensure your lighting systems are protected from water and moisture. When an outdoor lighting system is properly protected from moisture the system will last for years to come!

We Have Certified Outdoor Lighting Designers

You may wonder why you need a lighting designer when you already have a landscaper or an architect. The simplest answer is that lighting isn't their specialty. While these professionals have advice regarding how your architectural or landscape lighting should appear once installed and adjusted, but how do you get a collection of lighting fixtures and wires to the finished result is the tricky part.

Outdoor art details enhanced with landscape lighting

This "tricky part" is why a lighting designer who also installs lighting systems is needed. To properly highlight and enhance your natural or man-made building or landscape features multiple lights are needed. Details come to life with the proper placement of fixtures combined with the aim, color, and intensity of their light beams.

The lighting design team at Natural Accents is happy to partner with other professionals to bring the full beauty of your home and garden to life. If you are in need of an outdoor lighting design or installation, we appreciate your consideration. Light is all we do, and it is our passion!

Kansas City home and outdoor living area decorated with patriotic red, white, & blue

Light is Our Passion

"...the only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs

Natural Accents was built on a passion for lighting design. For over 20 years we have strived to bring beauty to this functional piece of outdoor life. While outdoor lighting should conform to the functionality needed by humans to work and live in the dark, we believe that lives are improved when outdoor lighting harmonizes and amplifies the beauty around us.

Tech preparing a ladder for a tree lightbox wire modification during a night adjustment

We Make Sure Your Color Temp Matches

Have you tried to use a saved can of paint for a touch-up only to realize it is not the same paint as what was used in the first place? Better to repaint the whole wall than to have six inches of mismatched paint, right? For us at Natural Accents, that gross feeling of mismatched paint is how we feel every time we see a home or business with mismatching color temperatures on their lighting system.

When we install and maintain your outdoor lighting system, we make sure that if you have a 2700K color light (warm) on one side of your property, you will have 2700K on the other side and in the back, not 3,700K (cool). We make sure when the sun sets your property appears to its best advantage. That means people admire your home, business, or landscape in the dark, not squint at an improperly aimed light, or try to figure you what looks off about

your property.

Matching color temperature across the whole home

We Provide AS Build Drawings

At Natural Accents Lighting we know that we aren't the only ones working on your property. To help your landscaper, aerator, and maintenance crews, we are happy to provide all our clients with an AS Build or record drawings once your lighting system is installed. While you may not be familiar with the value of having an As Build on file, these handy drawings provide detailed information regarding the placement of fixtures, wires, and other lighting system items on your property.

AS Builds provide a written record to any future architects, designers, or contractors working on your property showing all changes made from the original blueprint design. We all know life happens. An AS Build is how any changes or adjustments during an lighting installation are recorded for future reference.

White outdoor lighting fixtures being tested for installation illuminating As Built

We Use Downlights

Most landscaping companies that also install lighting systems only use uplights. At Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting, since lighting is all we do, we use a variety of lighting fixtures including uplights, downlights, path lighting, and specialty and feature lights. To see the benefits of using a variety of lights for your home, check our lighting feature portfolio.

Downlights used to enhance architectural feature on a Kansas City home

We Are Fully Insured

Homeowners should be wary of hiring businesses without proper insurance to work in their homes or on their property. Not only does this lack of coverage reflect poorly on the business, but it also puts the homeowner liable for any medical bills or lost wages due to accidents that might happen on your property. For our clients' protection and to treat our employees right, Natural Accents is fully-insured.

Steer clear of a business that is not open and up-front about if they are properly insured or not. When looking to trim expenses from a home improvement project, this is not a corner that should be cut. Protect yourself and your family and hire a fully insured company.

Natural Accents techs installing a lighting system

Contact Natural Accents Lighting Today!

If details matter to you and your family, choose the team at Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting Design & Installation for your Kansas City area landscape and architecture lighting installation. Click here to schedule a lighting consultation or give us a call at 816-407-1300. We look forward to bringing your vision to reality and your property to life!

If you found this article helpful, please leave a comment below. To learn more read one of the following articles.

5 Tips to Select the Right Outdoor Lighting for Your Property:

Your Midwest Home Deserves a Commercial-Grade Outdoor Lighting System!

Kansas City residence with a professional outdoor lighting system from Natural Accents

As the sun sets earlier and earlier this fall, perhaps you have seen a beautiful home emerging from the darkness during your commute home. What if your home looked so elegant and inviting?

On the other hand, have you arrived early at a commercial business to sit in a dark parking lot waiting for the business to open? Wouldn't it have been so much better if you could have arrived at an illuminated building and property while you waited? Proper outdoor lighting allows customers to safely interact on your property, draws awareness to your business, and decreases criminal activity.

Midwest residence at dusk with architectural lighting from Natural Accents

When you're ready to invest in your home or business where do you start? Doing a quick search on Google, most major metropolitan areas have dozens if not hundreds of options from DIY videos for big box store systems to luxury color-changing, zone-dimming smart-home or app-controlled lighting systems. So where can you turn to be sure you're getting the best for your property?

Natural Accents Outdoor Lighting Design & Installation has been serving Kansas City homes and businesses for over 20 years! We are the most awarded outdoor lighting company in Kansas City. Our lighting experts have 5 tips to help you choose an outdoor system that will last for decades to come:

Tip #1 - You Get What You Pay For

Commercial-grade outdoor lighting fixtures being tested before installation

Midwest summers are hot and humid and our winters are icy and frigid. Remember a few years ago when Kansas City was colder than the North Pole? These extremes combined with our fast-changing weather (nothing so fun as needing your heater in the morning, and your AC by the afternoon) are rough on outdoor lighting systems.

If you want a lighting system that will last, you need one that will be able to endure Midwest weather. That is why a big box store lighting system will not last for your Kansas City home. Standard lighting systems are mass-produced with lower-quality parts.

Outdoor Lighting adds value, beauty, and safety to your home

On the other hand, commercial-grade lighting must meet a standard set of requirements, but they can be even better than the minimum. Commercial-grade lighting is designed for constant use and longer lamp lives. They have sturdier construction made to endure more wear and tear.

At Natural Accents, we recommend the industry-leading commercial-grade FXLuminaire Luxor outdoor lighting systems. These high-quality fixtures have a three-part heat management system to cool the LED board, increasing the lamps' longevity. FXLuminaire offers both architectural and landscape lighting options with cutting-edge LED technology.

FXLuminaire Luxor color-changing lighting system installed by Natural Accents for a KC property

Luxor technology allows you to control your lighting system with a touch using their app on your mobile device. Smart home system integration is another other option to control Luxor if you prefer. Either way, Luxor provides an expansive range of options including zoning, dimming, beam angle, and color temperature.

Tip #2 - Use a Licensed Electrician for Your Installation

Water and electricity don't play well together. Nothing damages outdoor lighting like moisture. To ensure your landscape lighting is properly installed and protected from moisture and water for years to come, hire a licensed electrician.

A Natural Accents licensed technician installs outdoor lighting fixture

A local electrician knows the ordinances and electrical codes that your property needs to follow. They will safely install your outdoor lighting so that it is free from shorts or fire hazards. When you hire a local electrician who is also a lighting professional, you will benefit from working with an expert who understands your landscape lighting needs and lighting design with the skills necessary to install your system right the first time.

The technicians at Natural Accents are licensed and fully insured. We use equipment with 10-year factory warranties and take the time to safely install your outdoor lighting so you enjoy a trouble-free system for years to come. Plus, we are insured so you don't have to worry about accidents that might happen while our techs are on your property.

Natural Accents techs install an outdoor downlight fixture

Tip #3 - Check the Warranty

It may seem as simple as checking for a warranty on your new outdoor lighting system, but not all warranties cover the same thing. How easy is it to schedule a warranty replacement? If you have to jump through hoops to replace your fixture, is the warranty as good as it first sounds?

Make sure you understand what is covered and how to initiate a warranty replacement. Then consider these pros and cons when selecting your outdoor lighting products and installer. A little extra upfront may save you hundreds or even thousands down the road.

Humble plants become works of art with proper lighting by the Natural Accents lighting design team

Natural Accents uses fixtures with a 10-year manufacturer warranty and LED bulbs with a 5-year warranty. Our team will remind you when your warranty is close to expiring so that any faulty bulbs or fixtures can be swapped out before your warranty expires! Plus we offer regular maintenance to make sure your lights are working as they should and your system is at peak efficiency.

Tip #4 - Designers Make the Difference

Quality landscape lighting should last for decades. If you are going to be looking at (and hopefully enjoying) your outdoor lights for 20 years or more, isn't it worth the investment of an expert lighting designer? At the very least, shouldn't you take the time to consult with a lighting designer to see if and how they would bring your vision to life?

Outdoor Living Space lit for evening use by Natural Accents

A professional lighting designer is not just going to pick the "right" fixture for the "right" area of your home or lawn. First, they can determine the appropriate amount and type of lights needed. Expert designers know how to place your lighting fixtures and properly angle and/or shroud them to end up with a scene ready for a magazine spread.

The Natural Accents design team provides free consultations (valued at $150) for residential and commercial properties in the Kansas City area. We are the most awarded outdoor lighting company in KC and just celebrated our 20th anniversary! Whether you want to start small or light your entire property, our expert designers have the skill and knowledge to bring your home to life!

Outdoor Lighting adds value, beauty, and safety to your home

We will light your patio to keep the BBQ going after dark, your walkway to enhance safety to and from your entryway, or your fountain to bring beauty to the night. Natural Accents' design team will enhance your architectural and landscape features in ways that make your home the envy of all your friends and neighbors. Call 816-407-1300 today to schedule your outdoor lighting design consultation.

Tip #5 - Regular Maintenance

As will everything around your home, regular cleaning, and maintenance ensure that your appliances and home run as they should for your family when you need them the most. Outdoor lighting systems are no exception. Will the team that is installing your system also be available for maintenance and any repairs that might pop up over time?

Night lighting adjustments on a tree box by Natural Accents techs

Tree boxes need to be adjusted so as not to damage growing trees. If a landscaper kicks a fixture will they adjust the light to what it was before? Who will update your timer so that your lights come on when the days get shorter but don't waste electricity coming on during the longer days of summer?

The team at Natural Accents not only designs and installs outdoor lighting systems but also performs maintenance on systems whether we installed them or not. We want you to enjoy your home and property for many years, which is why we offer fair maintenance and repair pricing. We even work late to check your lights and make adjustments after dark.

Outdoor Lighting adds value, beauty, and safety to your business

Ready to Design Your Residential or Commercial Lighting?

Are you ready to get started with the design of your new outdoor lighting system? Have questions about your current system? Are you looking to expand your present landscape lighting? Our veteran-owned team is a text or call away.

The fully-insured technicians at Natural Accents are dedicated to superior customer service and are passionate about creating scenes ready for the pages of a home or garden magazine. Schedule your free outdoor lighting consultation today! If you found these tips helpful, we would love to hear from you in the comments below.