Tips for Installing Outdoor Solar Lights

Solar-powered lights are a trendy choice for every homeowner, mainly because of the eco-friendly benefits it brings as well as the minimal maintenance involved with them. However, there are a lot of ways where things can go wrong during their installation or preemptive demise. This is why we have made this article for every curious and responsible homeowner to make sure their outdoor solar lights last longer and stay on maximum efficiency. Let’s get right into it.

Where to Install Them?

When installing outdoor solar lights, placement is key. You need to make sure that there is enough distance between the light sources on the walkway, as well as for them not to be too close to each other. This way, you assure that you can walk safely and easily during nighttime. Another problem is considering foot traffic and any vehicles that might be passing through those parts. If you place the solar lights in a barely visible location, you risk somebody tripping over them or a car running them over, either scenario doesn’t seem too thrilling. When you are installing them, don’t make the mistake of placing them where there could be a potential shade that would effectively lower the amount of light being emitted from the solar lights. This includes places like under the trees, walls, grass, or the roof are all places where there could be hindrances to the light source. However, most outdoor solar lights have adjustable panels. This means you can adjust their angle to overcome some of these irritating environmental troubles.

Charge Them Before the Installation

A common mistake that people make is to buy these solar lights and start charging them post-installation leading to a massive loss in time. You want to charge them before the installation by placing them in a place directly exposed to the sun for 10 to 14 hours. This way, you will charge the batteries fully before you can begin the installation process. After they have been fully charged, you can expect them to last about 8 hours in the first cycle.

The most important factor to keep in mind is the light’s proximity to artificial light sources. Light sensors are turned on and off automatically in a solar garden by determining the ambient levels of light in their surrounding. This switch turns on during the nighttime when light levels drop below a certain threshold. Afterward, they turn on automatically at dawn. With this in mind, you have to place the solar lights far away from artificial light sources (such as porch lights and lampposts) to prevent them from screwing up the light system.

Make Sure They Stay Squeaky Clean

Pretty much every eco-friendly person loves outdoor solar lights. They are an efficient source of light made from renewable energy. Because of this, if you want them to work properly throughout the day, you need to keep them in tip-top shape. Built-up debris can be catastrophic for solar lights. Dirt that encrusts the solar panels will prevent them from charging efficiently and fully. This will also result in the battery life becoming shorter and malfunctions becoming more and more frequent. Sprinkle some warm water and wipe off the panels with a cloth, and you will be fine.

Winter is coming, and cleaning duty is coming with it (horrible, I know). Built-up snow cause the panels to malfunction in a similar way dirt does, requiring maintenance around the year to be a priority so that the panels can have a healthy and long life span.

Prepare the Earth

Most outdoor lights these days have stakes that serve to be inserted into the ground. However, if you are installing solar garden lights that have their own solar panels, you should prepare yourself for more digging. Look on the bright side, you’ve been prolonging that workout for some time now, and this is your chance to work out the muscles again. This will also limit the options for where you can place the solar lights since the solar panels need to be in a very bright location around the property. If the earth is soft and loose, you can install them there without any difficulties. If it’s hard and compact, you will need to pour in extra work in order to loosen the earth enough for the panels to penetrate it. If it’s too hard, waters the earth to soften it up. If it’s still too hard, then use a shovel to excavate it. Afterward, prepare the earth for digging that you will, inevitably, have to do for cable placements. Then the solar panel installation comes next, and you are done!