Why you shouldn't use integrated light fixtures for outdoor lighting
October 13, 2022
Many of the homeowners who call us to repair their outdoor lighting systems, some of which are less than three-years old, are shocked to hear that the fixtures can't be repaired and need to be replaced. The reason for this is that the fixtures and the LED lamps inside them are built together as one unit.
Why would a company use a fixture with an integrated LED lamp if that means once the bulb burns out or is damaged that the entire fixture needs to be replaced?
The reason is simplicity. The company hired to install the fixtures only needs to worry about the electrical component to the installation and doesn't need to carry the thousands of LED lamps that a full-service lighting only company would. They can stick the lights in the ground, connect them to the transformer and have a working lighting system that should last at least a few years, plenty of time to forget about the job and not answer the phones when the system or components fail.
A professionally designed and installed outdoor lighting system should have LED lamps that are specific to what it is you're trying to light and that can be replaced in the event of damage or when the lamp burns out.
Professional-grade LED lamps are rated for 50,000 hours, but failures do happen and electrical surges and electrical storm strikes can wipe out every 12V LED lamp in your entire system at once, meaning if your system is integrated LED, then you're back to square one.
Please take some time to review lighting proposals and compare them apples-to-apples. Sometimes a cheaper quote is not a deal at all.