Charlotte Irrigation System Winterization

Would you believe me if I told you winter was right around the corner? Unfortunately, the warm days of summer are coming to an end. Yesterday, sunset in Charlotte was expected to be around 8:00 p.m. and on September 1^st it’s expected to be around 7:45 p.m. The days are, in fact, getting shorter and the cooler weather is on its way.

With winter sneaking up on you, it’s time to start thinking around winterizing your irrigation system. To many people, winterizing an irrigation system seems like an afterthought. The reality, however, is that failing to winterize your irrigation system is one of the most common causes of irrigation system repair.

“Each winter, your irrigation system needs to essentially be put to bed,” says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. “The cost of having your irrigation system winterized is relatively inexpensive when compared to the cost of freeze repairs. In other words, an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure.”

What Is Winterization?

Irrigation systems consist of underground pipes, connective plumbing, valves, and sprinkler heads. When the system is running, water flows through the underground plumbing, eventually coming out through the sprinkler heads. When the system is not running, water still sits in the system.

Once the ground freezes, the water inside the pipes and sprinkler heads freeze. As you know, water expands when it freezes. So, when the water inside the irrigation system freezes it will expand, potentially cracking the pipes or sprinkler heads containing it.

Reasons to Winterize Your Irrigation System

Below are a few of the reasons why you should winterize your irrigation system:

• Freezing temperatures can severely damage your irrigation system.
• Failure to winterize may void your warranty.
• Less expensive to winterize your system than to repair it.

For more information or to schedule your irrigation system winterization, call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to helping you ensure your irrigation system is properly “put to bed” and ready to go again when spring comes around!

Charlotte Outdoor Living Lighting Company Offers Tips for Effective Outdoor Lighting

Designing and installing an outdoor lighting system is an art form. Done right, it can accent the landscaping and beauty of your home, increasing your home’s safety, curb appeal, and value. Done wrong, it can become an expensive eyesore.

At Irrigation & Lighting Specialist, we use subtle and unique lighting design methods to help your home stand apart from others. In order to do this we focus on how you will use your home during the darker hours and what kind of lighting best accents the landscaping and beauty of your home.

“Designing outdoor lighting perspectives is a skill that takes a good eye for details,” says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. “Properly placed lights can bring a natural blending of functionality and beauty to your home and landscaping.”

Below are a few tips to help guide you through the outdoor lighting design process.

Less Is More 

Outdoor lighting is a subtle art form. This lighting is meant to create drama through subtle overtures and nuances. Rather than lighting up your backyard like a sports stadium, the idea is to create an effect that is simple, yet elegant.

“Overdoing the lighting is probably the number one mistake we see do-it-yourselfers make when creating their own lighting systems,” says Minor. “It’s important to understand the principle that less is more and follow it.”

Energy Saving

Outdoor lighting may seem like a sizeable expense to add to your electricity bill but this doesn’t have to be the case. With a little research and planning, the cost can be minimal.

First, you can use solar power. These outdoor lamps are relatively inexpensive and charge themselves during the day. The only cost associated with using solar is the initial cost of the lamps. The only downside of using this type of lighting is that they must be placed in areas with direct sun exposure.

Another option is to use LED outdoor lighting. These lights use much less energy than traditional light bulbs and they are more durable. If you already have a lighting system, LED lights can work as a great compliment or replace the entire system.

“LED lights have become really popular,” says Minor. “The combination of the economy and people becoming more environmentally conscious has caused the demand for LED lights to soar.”

Additionally, you should consider not leaving your lights on all the time. Leaving your outdoor lighting on during the day, for example, is a waste of energy and would cause a needless increase in your electricity bill. This is perhaps the easiest way to save money.

Now is the perfect time to add a custom outdoor lighting system. With fall quickly approaching and days getting shorter, outdoor lighting would be the perfect way to add an aesthetic to the night landscape or make your entertainment area functional after dark. For more information please call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to helping your home stand apart from others with a unique and elegant outdoor lighting design.

Charlotte Outdoor Lighting Transforms Ordinary into Extraordinary

Charlotte homeowners have spent all summer working in their lawns and now they’re ready to sit back and enjoy them. The only problem is that it’s the end of summer and the days are starting to become shorter. What’s a proud Charlotte homeowner to do? The answer is simple: allow Charlotte’s Irrigation & Lighting Specialist to design an outdoor lighting system for you! 

“Outdoor lighting can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary,” says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist, a Charlotte outdoor living lighting company. “In addition to providing safety and security, outdoor lighting can enhance the beauty, usability, and value of a landscape.” 

Below are a few of the benefits outdoor lighting can provide for your home and landscaping. 

Outdoor Lighting Provides Added Safety and Security

Outdoor lighting protects you and your family from potential intruders or vandals. Studies have shown that light surrounding your home acts as a deterrent for thieves.

“Darkness is the best partner for a would-be burglar,” says Minor. “Outdoor lighting allows you to protect your home in a professional and elegant manner.”

Outdoor Lighting Allows Your Home to Stand Out

The addition of outdoor lighting can augment the look of your home and its landscaping. Light can be used to highlight points of interest and work as a great mood setter. Adding outdoor lighting can also define space and create depth, making your home seem larger and more inviting.

Outdoor Lighting Increases Home Value

Not only does outdoor lighting make your home and landscaping more aesthetically pleasing, it also increases the market value of your home and makes it more appealing to potential buyers.

“Well designed outdoor lighting systems can increase your home’s curb appeal value up to 25%,” says Miner. “In fact, Irrigation & Lighting Specialist has been call in by frustrated real estate agents and asked to design systems that improve curb appeal. The results of these requests have been tremendous and made quite a few real estate agents happy.”

To learn more about how we can design and install a safe, energy-efficient, low-voltage outdoor lighting system, please call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to helping your home stand apart from others with our subtle and unique lighting design methods!

Charlotte Irrigation Installation Customers Save Water & Money

Having a beautiful green lawn is a major source of pride for all Charlotte homeowners. Once you’ve achieved that green lawn, you must then commit substantial time and effort to maintaining it. In addition to the physical requirements, you must also incur the financial costs required to properly irrigate your lawn. 

“Many homeowners have irrigation systems that were poorly designed or fail to take advantage of today’s technology, leading to excess water usage and higher costs,” says John Minor, owner of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. “There are many water-saving measures that can be taken to decrease both water usage and cost.”

Water-Saving Services 

• Efficient Irrigation Systems – We install “efficient” irrigation systems that not only water your lawn evenly, but they also do it in the least amount of watering time and water usage.
• Rain Sensors – All of our systems come with a rain sensor that can detect rain and cancel scheduled watering.
• Quality Installation – We only use high quality installation techniques and components.
• Irrigation Smart Controllers – These controllers factor in everything from soil type to the slope of your lawn and the amount of sun exposure different areas receive. The result is that your irrigation system only waters the lawn only when it requires it.
• Rainwater Harvesting – This new trend involves recycling rainwater.

These water-saving measures can allow you to save up to 60% on water usage. As a result, you will see your water bill decrease. The money saved can then be used to make further landscaping improvements, such as:

• Installing a DIY Irrigation System.
• Installing a Drip Irrigation System.
• Having professional outdoor lighting installed.
• Joining our Seasonal Maintenance Program. 

All of these improvements are great investments in your lawn and property. In addition to increasing your property value, these improvements also ensure that your lawn remains a source of pride. 

To learn more about how we can design a custom water-saving irrigation system for you, call John Minor with Irrigation & Lighting Specialist at 877-433-5833 or email John. We look forward to helping you achieve and maintain a green lawn that you can be proud of for years to come!