Services · Existing-system service

Someone else installed it. We'll tell you what it's worth keeping.

A $195 flat inspection documents every fixture, zone, transformer and connection in writing, whoever installed it and whatever brand is in the ground. Then you decide what happens next.

Book an inspection Maintenance plans

$195 flat · Any brand · Written report

What we usually find

It's rarely the fixtures.

When a system starts failing, owners assume the lights have worn out. More often the problem is underneath: twist-cap connections corroding in the soil, a transformer loaded past its rating, voltage dropping at the end of a long run, or fixtures added to a system that was never sized for them.

Aluminum is the other common story. Housings pit and chalk and start letting water in within about six years, faster near road salt or a pool, and once water is in the housing the wire fails next.

The inspection finds out which of these you have, in writing, so the decision is yours and it's based on what's actually in the ground.

Ornamental grass lit from below at the edge of a paver walkway

The inspection

What $195 actually covers.

i.
Every fixture documented.
Each fixture located, tested and noted, with its zone. Most owners of an inherited system have never had a list of what they own.
Fixture by fixture
ii.
Power and connections.
Transformers checked for load and condition, and connections inspected where they can be reached. This is where most failures start.
Where systems fail
iii.
An honest verdict.
Solid brass fixtures with failed lamps are usually worth saving, and roughly half the systems we inspect keep at least their transformer and trunk wire. Pitted aluminum, twist caps in soil, or a transformer past 90% of its rating are reasons to phase in a replacement.
Keep, repair or replace
iv.
Your choice afterwards.
From the written report you can put the system on a maintenance plan, repair what's failing, or do nothing. There's no requirement to do any of the three.
The report is yours

If it's time to replace

Phase it in, starting at the front.

A replacement doesn't have to happen all at once. A focused front-of-house design starts at $3,000, sized so the rest of the property can follow on the same transformers. See pricing. If the fixtures are sound, converting halogen to LED or adding smart control may be all it needs: see LED and smart upgrades.

Existing-system questions

Answered plainly.

Do you service systems installed by someone else?

Yes. A $195 flat inspection documents every fixture, zone, transformer and connection in writing, regardless of who installed it or what brand is in the ground, and tells you honestly what is worth keeping.

What usually goes wrong?

Usually not the fixtures. The common failures are twist-cap connections corroding in the soil, a transformer loaded past its rating, voltage dropping at the end of a long run, and aluminum housings that have pitted and let water in.

Is my system worth saving?

Often, at least in part. Solid brass fixtures with failed lamps are usually salvageable, and roughly half the systems we inspect keep at least their transformer and trunk wire. Pitted aluminum housings, twist caps in soil, or a transformer loaded past 90% of its rating are reasons to phase in a replacement.

Do I have to sign up for anything after the inspection?

No. From the written report you can go on a maintenance plan, repair what is failing, or do nothing. The report is yours either way.

Your inherited system