LLC Preventive Maintenance Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How often should landscape lighting fixtures be cleaned to prevent lumen depreciation caused by dirt and debris accumulation?
- Every 5 years
- Annually or semi-annually depending on environment (Correct answer)
- Only when visibly dirty
- Every 10 years
Correct answer: Annually or semi-annually depending on environment
Fixtures should be cleaned annually or semi-annually, with more frequent cleaning in dusty or coastal environments where contamination is accelerated.
Question 2: What is the primary reason for inspecting wire connections at junction boxes during preventive maintenance?
- To check wire color coding
- To detect corrosion, loose terminals, and moisture ingress that cause voltage drop (Correct answer)
- To confirm wire gauge size
- To verify the wire run length
Correct answer: To detect corrosion, loose terminals, and moisture ingress that cause voltage drop
Corroded or loose connections create resistance that causes voltage drop, overheating, and potential fire hazards in landscape lighting systems.
Question 3: During a PM visit, a technician notices brown discoloration inside a fixture lens. What does this most likely indicate?
- Normal UV aging of the lens material
- Heat damage from an oversized or incorrect lamp (Correct answer)
- Water infiltration staining
- Mineral deposits from irrigation overspray
Correct answer: Heat damage from an oversized or incorrect lamp
Brown discoloration inside a fixture lens is a classic sign of heat damage caused by using a lamp with excessive wattage or incorrect type for that fixture.
Question 4: What multimeter reading should a technician record at each fixture tap during a PM to verify proper system voltage?
- Resistance in ohms
- Current in amperes
- Voltage under load at the fixture terminals (Correct answer)
- Continuity pass/fail
Correct answer: Voltage under load at the fixture terminals
Voltage under load at the fixture terminals reveals real-world operating conditions, including any voltage drop that resistance measurements alone would not show.
Question 5: When inspecting low-voltage cable buried in a landscape, what is the most important physical condition to look for?
- Cable color fading
- Cuts, abrasion, or exposure caused by edging, aerating, or animal activity (Correct answer)
- Connector brand markings
- Cable stiffness from age
Correct answer: Cuts, abrasion, or exposure caused by edging, aerating, or animal activity
Physical damage from landscaping tools or animal gnawing is the leading cause of cable faults and must be identified and repaired during PM inspections.
Question 6: What should a technician do when a transformer's built-in timer or photocell is found to have drifted significantly from the correct on/off time?
- Replace the entire transformer
- Recalibrate or replace the timer/photocell module and document the corrected settings (Correct answer)
- Leave it; minor drift is acceptable indefinitely
- Switch the system to manual-only operation
Correct answer: Recalibrate or replace the timer/photocell module and document the corrected settings
Timer drift causes the system to run during daylight hours wasting energy or fail to illuminate at night, so recalibration or module replacement is required.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes 'aim verification' as a preventive maintenance task for landscape lighting?
- Checking that fixtures are aimed correctly at their intended targets after seasonal plant growth or landscape changes (Correct answer)
- Confirming the fixture is level on its mounting stake
- Verifying the transformer output taps are correctly labeled
- Testing that the photocell sensor faces skyward
Correct answer: Checking that fixtures are aimed correctly at their intended targets after seasonal plant growth or landscape changes
Plant growth, mulch settling, and landscape changes can redirect fixture beams away from intended targets, requiring periodic aim verification and adjustment.
LLC Preventive Maintenance Procedures 2
How often should landscape lighting fixtures be cleaned to prevent lumen depreciation caused by dirt and debris accumulation?