How to Repair and Maintain Landscape Lighting in Your Yard

Using an emery board to clean contacts on landscape lighting.
Using an emery board to clean contacts on landscape lighting.

The metal contacts in low voltage landscape lighting in your yard can become corroded over time, causing them to not light properly. To solve this problem:

  1. Turn off the power to the outdoor lighting fixture.
  2. Remove the bulb from the faulty fixture.
  3. Trim an emery board with scissors so it fits in the fixture.
  4. Lightly file the contacts in the fixture with the emery board.
  5. Spray the contacts in the fixture with automotive ignition sealer to prevent future corrosion.
  6. Replace the bulb in the fixture.
  7. Turn the power back on to the landscape lighting.

Watch this video to find out more.

8 COMMENTS

  1. I had a low-voltage up lighting system installed professionally when our home was built in 2001. Since than I have been able to resolve problems with burned out lamps and bad connections on my own but this time I am stumped with the following problem:
    First of all, my system uses a 12 volt low voltage transformer with 5 – 12V 50 watt halogen lights connected with 10 gauge under-ground stranded cable. The 1st light off the transformer stopped lighting. I than removed the in-ground fixture from the circuit and replaced the bulb with a new one, something I have done several times successfully. I also checked continuity at the fixture lead ends to make sure there was no problem when I reconnected it into the circuit. I must add that prior to removing the 1st fixture, the other 4 lights in the system worked fine. I than re-connected the 1st fixture to the circuit using water-proof connectors (I do not use pierce point connectors). Now none of the lights are working including the fixture that I just replaced the bulb. I checked the output from the transformer with an analog volt-ohm meter and got 12 to 13 volts ac. I than connected the leads from the 1st fixture directly to the transformer and it lit up. As soon as I re-connected the leads leading to the other 4 fixtures, this 1st lamp went out (kinda faded out, not immediate). As soon as I disconnected the leads leading to the other 4 fixtures the light came on again. I have done a continuity check on the leads going to the other 4 fixtures and got a closed circuit and verified that I am using correct polarity in the reconnection. Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated.

  2. My question is I thought there was a lighting to put in back yard that repels mosquitoes and would last all season but you don’t have to plug in is this correct. Thank you pia perri

  3. The cap that covers the lightbulb, which needs replaced because of burn out is stuck solid. We’ve tried spraying it and a tool to turn it to get the lid off but it won’t budge. It is seized or frozen or rusted …not sure. What can I do to get this lid off?

    • Hi, David,
      Dirt may be blocking your sensor’s radar signal, so first, give that sensor cover a good cleaning! That alone may solve the problem. But if that doesn’t do the trick, adjust the sensor’s range and sensitivity. You can read about that process in your lights’ instruction manual.
      Good luck!

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