How to Fix Faulty Garden Lighting and Outlets Without Calling an Electrician

Having issues with your garden lighting or outlets? As a homeowner, I know how frustrating it can be when things stop working properly outside. Often, the first instinct is to call an electrician. However, many common outdoor electrical problems can be fixed without professional help. With some basic tools and safety precautions, you can troubleshoot and repair faulty garden lighting and outlets yourself.

Inspecting the Garden Lighting

The first step is to thoroughly inspect your garden lighting setup.

• Check for any loose, disconnected, or corroded wires. Connection points between wires are common failure points. Tighten any loose wire nuts or replace corroded connections.

• Examine the light fixtures and bulbs. Replace any burned out bulbs. Also, look for broken sockets, cracked housing, or other damage.

• For low voltage landscape lighting, check the transformer and timer settings. Reset or replace timers/photocells if they are not functioning properly.

• Verify that GFCI outlets related to the lighting are not tripped. Reset any tripped GFCIs.

• Test light switches to ensure they are operating normally and are not stuck.

• For solar lights, examine the solar panels and batteries. Clean dirty solar panels and replace rechargeable batteries that no longer hold a charge.

Thoroughly inspecting all components of the outdoor lighting system will often reveal simple issues that are quick to fix.

Testing the Garden Outlets

Outdoor receptacles also frequently have minor problems that homeowners can troubleshoot:

• Plug a small appliance like a lamp into the outlet to verify power. However, do not use high wattage appliances for testing.

• Check for tripped GFCIs and reset them. Try pressing the test and reset buttons manually.

• Inspect for loose, disconnected, or damaged wires. This can cause intermittent power issues.

• Look for cracked outlet covers that allow moisture to penetrate the receptacle box. Replace damaged covers.

• Check for loose wall plates that expose the wiring. Tighten any loose screws.

• Examine the receptacle itself for burn marks or cracked housing which indicates a faulty, worn out outlet. Replace any visibly damaged receptacles.

Testing systematically will reveal most problems, whether it’s a circuit trip, loose fixture, or damaged component.

Replacing Light Fixtures and Outlets

If inspection and testing points to bad fixtures or receptacles, many homeowners feel comfortable replacing these items themselves:

• Always turn OFF power at the circuit breaker before replacing any wiring or electrical components. Verify power is off at the outlet with a voltage tester.

• Outdoor lighting fixtures usually have simple screw-in or clamp connections that attach to incoming supply wires. Unscrew the fixture to disconnect.

• Similarly, receptacles are wired with hot, neutral and ground wires attached to screw terminals on the back. Disconnect the wires and remove the outlet.

• When installing the new fixture or receptacle, connect the wires to the matching terminals. Hot to hot, neutral to neutral, ground to ground.

• Ensure wires are fully inserted and the screws are tightened securely. Do not overtighten.

• Use included gaskets and caulking to create weatherproof seals around the new components.

With power turned off at the breaker, homeowners are fully capable of replacing lighting fixtures, outlets, and various low voltage landscape lighting components in just a few minutes.

When to Call a Professional

While many basic issues with garden lighting and outlets can be tackled as a DIY project, there are some situations when calling an electrician is the wise choice:

• If dealing with high voltage landscape or flood lighting, hire an electrician to avoid the serious shock hazard.

• For an extensive lighting system, the wiring is likely complex and buried. Professionals have the tools and know-how to properly diagnose problems.

• If you need to run new wiring or install additional lights and circuits, permits and electrical codes apply. Get help from experts.

• If there are issues in the circuit breaker panel, such as frequent tripping, you likely have a short or overload requiring an electrician's expertise to pinpoint.

• Any time you are unsure or uncomfortable attempting a repair yourself, contact a qualified electrician. Safety should be the top priority.

Knowing when to call a pro and when to tackle a project yourself keeps you safe. With some basic tools and DIY knowledge, many garden lighting repairs are within a homeowner's abilities.