One pass through the yard in the fall, so the lights come through the winter. Print it and take it outside.
Do the visual night-time check first. Before opening a connector, changing a bulb or handling damaged cable, disconnect the transformer or kit supply and let fixtures cool. Follow the product instructions for any repair.
- One pass in the fall, once most of the leaves are down
- Nov 1 set a clock timer back one hour
- Tall stakes by the lights along the walk and the drive
While the leaves are coming down
- Clear the lenses. Wet leaves on a path light turn it into a dim brown glow.
- Re-aim the tree lights once the leaves are down: lower, onto the branches, now that the canopy they lit in July is gone. How to uplight a tree
- Flag the cable route before you plant bulbs or aerate. A spade or an aerator tine is what cuts a buried cable.
Before the first snow
- Stake a tall marker by each light along the walk and the drive, so the shovel and the plow can find them under the snow.
- Clear the photocell of leaves, and of anything that has grown over it. Covered, it thinks it is night.
- Check the transformer's outlet. Press the GFCI's test button, then reset it. The outlet cover should close over the plug, and the cord should not lie where water pools.
After the clocks go back
- Check the timer when local clocks change. Correct a clock timer only if it does not adjust itself. A photocell follows ambient light, while a countdown may need a seasonal duration review. How to set a landscape lighting timer
- Decide how late the lights stay on. Dark comes early now; if they go off before the house goes to bed, lengthen the timer.
Once, before it turns cold
- Open any connector that flickered or dimmed this year, dry it and seal it again. It will not get better in the wet.
- Keep a compatible spare bulb for each replaceable-bulb fixture. Our bulb collection currently lists MR16 replacements; G4 replacements are not currently listed. Check the exact fixture instructions when selecting either type.
- Walk the yard after dark and write down what is still unlit. That is the list for spring.
Questions people ask
Should you turn off landscape lights in winter?
There is no need to. A 12 V system is made to stay out all year. What winter changes is the timer: dark comes earlier, so a countdown timer ends earlier by the clock, and you may want to lengthen it.
How do you protect landscape lights from snow plows and shovels?
Mark the lights nearest the walk and the drive with tall stakes before the first snow, so whoever clears it can see them. Lights set back from the edge the plow clears survive the winter far better than lights at the edge.
When should you check landscape lighting before winter?
In the fall, once most of the leaves are down and before the first snow. One pass is enough: clear the lenses and the photocell, re-aim the tree lights, check the outlet, and mark the lights near the walk and the drive.
Can landscape lighting cable stay buried over the winter?
Yes. Direct-burial landscape cable is made to stay in the ground all year. The risk is a spade or an aerator in the fall, so flag the route before you dig.
A light still dark after the checklist? Email support@hiboitec.com with a photo and your order number. We reply within one business day.
