Short answer: a system does not wear out as one piece. LED lamps last a long time, while fixture housings, seals, connections and wire fail first, especially in wet clay and sprinkler spray. Material and installation matter more than age. Our minimum service call is $95, and we offer lifetime-brass fixture options.
Which parts wear out first
Any lighting system is a set of parts with different lives. We will not put a number on years, because it depends on the yard, the products and the care. What we can say is the order in which things usually go.
| Part | What wears it | Typical sign |
|---|---|---|
| Lamp or LED module | Heat, moisture, age | Dim or dead light |
| Seal and gasket | Sun, cold, water | Fogged lens, water inside |
| Fixture housing | Corrosion, brittle plastic | Rust, cracks, flaking |
| Connections | Moisture in splices | Flicker, dark section |
| Wire | Digging, chewing, abrasion | Dead run |
| Transformer | Moisture, heat, overload | Hum, trips, no output |
| Timer and photocell | Dirt, weather | Wrong hours |
What shortens the life of a system
- Thin or plastic housings. They crack and corrode.
- Wet, clay soil. It holds water against fixtures and moves with freezes.
- Sprinkler spray on fixtures. Minerals and moisture build up on lenses and seals.
- Poor splices. A tape-and-hope splice lets in water.
- Overloaded runs. Too many fixtures on one wire cause voltage drop and heat.
- Surface wire. It gets cut, chewed and dried out by sun.
- No maintenance. Clogged lenses and buried fixtures work harder than they need to.
What makes it last
Good materials, good connections and good layout. Brass fixtures resist corrosion in places where thin metal fails. Quality connectors seal against moisture. Wire sized for the run keeps voltage steady. A transformer in a sheltered spot lives longer. Aiming fixtures away from sprinkler spray avoids constant wetting.
And a little attention helps. A yearly dusk walk catches a dead lamp before it becomes a dark run, and a clean lens does the work of a brighter lamp.
Repair or replace
| Situation | Usual answer |
|---|---|
| One dead lamp | Repair |
| Loose connection | Repair |
| One corroded fixture | Replace that fixture |
| Many corroded fixtures | Plan a staged replacement |
| Wire damaged in several spots | Repair or rerun the wire |
| Old halogen system | Consider upgrading to LED |
Honest advice on cost
If you replace the same fixtures every year, a better fixture usually pays for itself. If the system mostly works with an occasional repair, keep it. Our minimum service call is $95, and new fixtures start from $195 each. You get a firm number before any work begins, and the estimate is free. For a staged plan, we can fix the worst spots now and upgrade over time.
Sprinkler interaction
Irrigation and lighting share the same ground. A head that sprays a fixture every morning shortens its life. We handle both, so when we are on site for one, we can see how the other affects it. See sprinkler repair.
A yearly habit that stretches the life
The cheapest way to get more years from a system is a dusk walk once a year. Wipe the lenses, clear the mulch, look at each connection you can see, and check that the transformer is dry. Write down anything that is dim or leaning. A small fix in the first season is a quick visit. The same fault ignored for several seasons can take a whole run down and become a wire repair. Most of what we find on older systems was visible early to anyone who looked at night.
When to call us
Call when lights fail repeatedly, fixtures corrode every season or you are weighing repair against replacement. We design on your property at dusk and offer a live demo. We offer same-day service, answer day and night and are family-owned, licensed and insured. See our landscape lighting design page and our lighting page.
FAQ
How long do landscape lights last? It depends on materials, install and the yard. Housings, seals and connections usually fail before LED lamps do.
Is it worth repairing an old system? Often yes, if the wire and transformer are sound. Replace fixtures that keep failing.
Are brass fixtures worth it? For wet spots and clay yards, they resist corrosion better. We offer lifetime-brass options.
How much does a repair cost? Our minimum service call is $95, with a firm number before work begins.
Prices from our price list. Updated October 2026.