Meridian Landscape Lighting Maintenance

In Meridian, Idaho, where the seasons swing from snowy winters to blazing summers, your outdoor lights go through a lot. Dirt, wind, sprinklers, lawn equipment, and even curious wildlife can all take a toll. Regular upkeep isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s about preserving the magic.

Here’s what to know about landscape lighting maintenance in Meridian, ID, and how to keep your outdoor lighting system beautiful, functional, and stress-free all year round.

Why Maintenance Is a Must (Even for LED Systems)

It’s tempting to think of outdoor lighting as a “set it and forget it” feature, especially with long-lasting LED fixtures and smart controllers. But even the most reliable systems benefit from regular attention.

Here’s what maintenance helps you avoid:

Dimming or uneven lighting from dust, hard water spots, or lens fog
Misaligned beams from kicked or bumped fixtures
Overgrown landscaping blocking your light’s effect
Electrical issues from water intrusion or shifting ground

Maintenance isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about maximizing what you’ve invested in.

The Seasonal Maintenance Rhythm in Meridian

Meridian's climate brings unique challenges to your landscape lighting. Here’s a seasonal breakdown to keep your system in top shape:

Spring Check-Up

First, clean lenses and fixtures after winter grime. You’ll also want to adjust beams and positions as plants begin to grow back. Check transformers and connections for any corrosion or winter wear. Finally, reset timers if they weren’t on a daylight-sensing schedule

Summer Touch-Ups

In the warmer months, you’ll want to trim plants and grass that may have grown over fixtures. Once your garden really takes off, drip irrigation or sprinklers can hit lenses directly, causing damage, so double check your water systems. Watch for increased dust or hard water buildup in dry heat, and adjust lighting zones for longer daylight hours

Fall Prep

Leaves can block light, so keeping them raked up will keep your lighting looking sharp. As freeze and thaw cycles begin, make sure to test and seal wire connections. The sun will start to set a bit earlier, so you can adjust brightness and lighting schedules for those crips nights. It’s also really important to inspect all fixtures before the snow flies.

Winter Readiness

This is sort of obvious, but keeping snow cleared away will make your lighting more visible. It’s a small chore that can make a big difference. As far as the winter aesthetic, we recommend using warm white LEDs to maintain cozy curb appeal despite the cold. If needed, turn off zones that aren’t useful in winter (like backyard entertainment areas).

Common Maintenance Tasks to Expect

Whether you’re doing it yourself or having a local professional handle it, here are the key parts of landscape lighting upkeep in Meridian:

1. Cleaning Fixtures

Dust, hard water spots from sprinklers, pollen, and even spiderwebs can reduce brightness and clarity. A soft cloth and mild soap can bring lenses back to life.

2. Re-Aiming Lights

Wind, pets, kids, or lawn mowers can nudge fixtures slightly off. Regular adjustments ensure your light beams are hitting the right features, not pointing into your neighbor’s window.

3. Checking Connections

Low-voltage systems can suffer from corrosion or loose wire connectors over time. A quick inspection ensures everything is secure, safe, and weather-protected.

4. Testing the Transformer & Timers

Power surges, storms, or even just daylight savings time can mess with your settings. It’s good practice to double-check schedules and zone settings a couple times a year.

5. Replacing Failing Bulbs or LEDs

While LED lights last years, they do eventually dim. Keep an eye out for flickering or a noticeable drop in brightness.

DIY vs. Professional Lighting Maintenance in Meridian

If you’re handy and enjoy yardwork, many lighting maintenance tasks can be done DIY. A simple toolkit—soft cloths, gloves, pruning shears, screwdriver—can take you pretty far.

But if your system is more complex, or you just want the peace of mind of professional care, consider After Dark for:

Full system inspections
Fixture cleaning and realignment
Wiring tests
Programming updates
Preventative care before major weather changes

Bonus Tips for Long-Term Lighting Health

Here are a few local-approved tips to help extend the life of your outdoor lighting system:

✔️ Keep Your Fixtures Cool

Don’t let mulch, bark, or decorative gravel pile up around ground lights. It traps heat and moisture and can cause overheating or corrosion.

✔️ Go Easy on the Weed Whacker

Many fixtures get knocked loose or damaged by string trimmers. Create a small clear zone around each light to protect them.

✔️ Use Smart Controls Thoughtfully

Smart timers and app-based controls are fantastic—but only if they stay updated. After a power outage or app update, double-check that your lighting is still on the right schedule.

130+ Satisfied Customer Reviews

We pride ourselves on offering five star service and products. If you're one of our satisfied customers, we'd love for you to leave a review and let others know what you think.

Every time we hire After Dark for some relatively small lighting job, we're so thrilled with it, we end up hiring them to do another little job. They're always so prompt, efficient, and friendly and never seem to mind that we're on the "add a few lights" program.

M. A. Boone

Great company to do business with. Excellent product, great team of installers. This company knows what they are doing. High quality lighting material. Scott, the owner answers all o four questions, showed up on time for the estimate, installed the lights on the day that worked for both of us and the guys cleaned up after themselves.

Tom Rodrigues

After Dark Landscape Lighting are true professionals. They handle both project work and service calls with the same approach: customer service and expertise. They are prompt, knowledgeable and always responsive. I recommend them to all my friends and neighbors.

Paul Gray

Our lighting couldn’t have turned out better. Thanks Scott for the placement suggestion, and Joey and team for a seamless install! We love our lighting. All of it provides such a nice ambiance in our front and backyard.

Lauren Goodman

I’ve been a longtime customer. My original lights were placed approximately 20 years ago. I recently noticed that one of the light fixtures had been broken by the landscaper and called after hours to come take care of this. They came in a very prompt manner. I had two other light fixtures that I had forgotten existed because they were buried in the shrubs.

Mitzi Cieslak

We have recently completed a landscape lighting project with After Dark Lighting and could not be happier. We contacted them after seeing their truck in our neighborhood. We selected them over another competitor because of their professionalism, experience and customer involved process.

girth

We are thrilled with our new landscape lighting! It is simply beautiful and our yard looks like a park! I am happy to recommend Scott and his company After Dark Landscape Lighting.

Rich Jarvis

I first use after dark over 10 years ago and just recently had them upgrade my lighting The product Quality is consistently outstanding Exceeding my expectations every time. I was completely impressed with the professionalism and customer service. I totally recommend them and give them a five star rating

Terry Robb

Scott and his After Dark team were extremely professional, detail-oriented, communicative, creative, and offered multiple design options. Would highly recommend to anyone considering landscape/exterior light work.

Scott Delphey

After Dark lighting has been our outdoor lighting expert for years. They fix what they say they will, they are quick to come when called. We would highly recommend them for your outdoor lighting needs.