Solar lighting is the best way to prove the green initiative, but better than this, it can offer great lighting in all sorts of areas. But what to do if your solar light suddenly stops working and you don’t know what’s going wrong. Let’s try out some helpful tips below to make it work again!
Clean The Panel
Solar light panels are often set up in dusty and windy environments. For this reason, they’re always in need of frequent cleanup to get rid of any dirt, debris, and other droppings. These could lower the function of solar cells.
So, you should clean the panels with water and soap. If they get frosted, it’s fine to use the clear nail polish to brush them away. To be more gentle, you can use a damp cloth to wipe out all dirt from the panel. It’s alright to avail the glass cleaner if the panels look too dirty.
Ensure The Batteries To Be Rechargeable
Solar lights are powered by rechargeable batteries, typically, Li-ion or NiMH types. These batteries charge during the daylight and discharge when the night comes.
Once the light gets turned on, the batteries’ capability will reduce over time. This probably takes place to any specific light that has a decreased execution time in the evening, even after a sunny day. Decent-quality batteries must work for at least one and two years before they must be substituted.
In fact, many users got the lights that primarily function for over six years. They remain to utilize the first batteries, which is the big exception rather than the rule itself.
Check The Switch
Like the traditional lights, solar lights have an on-off switch, which is often placed near the battery container. One of the most common reasons why solar lights stop working is maybe because the switch isn’t on.
Therefore, you should ensure the switch to be turned on. If you find it hard to know whether it’s set on or off, cover the solar light panels to encourage the night time so that you can easily explore.
Move The Panel To The Right Direction
The panel of solar light is pretty much like a satellite. It only functions the most effectively when we point it in the correction direction. The sun is supposed to rise in the East and go down in the West. Therefore, you should move the light panel to the South to let it gather as much sunlight as possible from the sunrise until dusk.
Adjust The Panel To A Perfect Angel
The angel of your solar light panels has a great effect on the light’s execution time, especially throughout the cold winter as the sun is supposed to be quite low in the sky. When the solar light is set up at an angle that can be adjusted with ease, then wait no more but change it to a 45-degree angle. Make sure to do this as the winter comes at its peak so that you can gather as much sunlight as expected.
Avoid Shadows
Shadows are one of the primary factors you must avoid when it comes to using solar lights, especially if there’s any falling on your solar light panels within a couple of hours and when the sun is at its peak.
So, what you should do is to take a quick glimpse at the panels during the midday to know how shaded they could be. Besides, if you set up these panels in the summer, then the shadows would come out of nowhere once the sun goes lower in the sky.
Ensure The Lights Not To Suffer Water Ingress
Due to some flaws in design, many solar lights are likely to suffer a few water-ingress-related issues. Only well-designed lights won’t have such problem. For this reason, it’s necessary to keep an eye out for the ingress protection ratings so that you’re informed what sorts of products might deliver the best protection.
Water might not cause any breakdown if the lights are resistant to the water (no water can penetrate into any of the sensitive electronics). But if the water indeed makes the light stop working? There are several things to do in order to improve the situation.
For example, you can get rid of the covers that probably hold the moisture in place. Next, accumulate the lights for some days in a cupboard to make their components dry before reassembling. Make sure to check the batteries as well. Try to give the light one day or two for charging. Later, you can turn it on at night.
Shield The Panel
Most solar lights stay off automatically during the daylight. That’s when they’re busy transferring the light into energy which is accumulated in the batteries. This kind of energy will be availed at nighttime to power up the light.
Try to watch to see whether it functions well or not after the nightfall. The first thing to do is to protect the solar panel, which is said to take the lights in thinking that night has come soon.
Wrapping Up
Solar lights ensure your living space or garden to stay alight throughout the night. But as an electric device, they are more likely to fail to work when somethings go wrong or when they must work in the harsh environment. So, keep browsing through our post today to learn some useful tips for having your lights up and running well again.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave your comment below. Thank you for reading!