You’ve just worked hard to build a new landscape for your backyard, now it’s time for getting some solar lights. These are great additions for boosting the beauty and the ambiance of your house. They’re simple to use as well. But when it comes to charging solar lights properly, there are some important notes you should keep in mind.
Can You Charge Your Solar Lights Without the Sun?
This question has been asked by so many people. The fact is that during cloudy days, when the Sun is completely blocked, solar lights still get a charge. That’s because the clouds can diffuse the sunlight, and most panels are designed to be capable of charging on this low-sunlight condition.
However, the influence of the sunlight shortage means that you’re just receiving 1/3 to 1/2 of the charging capability. For this reason, the solar lights only run at that time fraction. Besides, if the sky is cloudy in a few days, the lights remain running at that time due to the storage of power from the battery. But when the solar lights can’t get a full charge for several days, which probably affects the life and efficiency of the battery.
In case you’re living in a place that has long and constant days of poor weather, save the lights by turning them off or getting rid of them, based on the situation.
If you’re living in a place where cloudy or rainy days occasionally occur, once the Sun makes a comeback, the battery of your solar lights can charge back up, and then the solar lights will function at its full capacity for some days. Ensure to switch the lights back on when you temporarily shut them.
3 Tips for Charging Solar Lights Without the Sun
A lot of people wonder if there’s no sunlight, then it’s possible to charge their solar lights or not. Well, the great news is that you no longer worry about this issue because the following is some basic tips for charging solar lights without the Sun.
Avail Incandescent Light
There are only very few people knowing that you can use the incandescent lights to charge the solar light. In other words, an incandescent bulb would produce every wavelength the Sun does, only in different amounts. It’s bright enough as you expected! The receptors are in charge of converting the light into electric energy that can be stored for later use. So, from the scientific point of view, this will create the correct light to charge your solar light.
Charge Solar Lights from the LED Light
This applies the same concept to the incandescent light. As you want to use another source of electric energy to produce solar light, LED light is a good option. Like the Sun, LED is designed to produce a spread of light wavelengths, which consist of visible light, long infrared waves, and ultraviolet waves.
However, each source of light has a distinctive spectrum. While the Sun produces the abundant amounts of ultraviolet, an incandescent light releases a little of it.
Make Use of the Light on Cloudy Days
Nobody can deny the fact that the Sun is exactly one of the greatest sources of heat and light. And everyone can get it without spending a penny. But on a cloudy day, the Sun will be blocked by a great number of clouds, so people always think that the solar lights only charge when there’s the sunlight. If thinking this way, you might be wrong!
It’s still possible to charge solar lights even on a cloudy day because we’ve got the light receptors. They’re sensitive enough to convert the slightest light to the electric energy. Last but not least, though we can charge solar lights, it’s not as effective as the sky becomes clear and when there’s the sunlight.
Also, make sure that the batteries won’t be overcharged in the bright Sun, so it’s best to use a charge controller. This will observe the amount of light in the whole area and can switch the LED light on or off as expected.
How Long Should You Charge Your Solar Lights?
Solar lights run best when we charge them for 8 – 10 hours every day, based on particular products. The duration of the light they produce at night would base on the period they will be charged daily. Once being put in a space where your solar lights can get a lot of sunlight throughout the day, they can produce more than 15 hours of light every night.
Despite some elements, like a cloudy day, the cloud tells you that the solar energy won’t reach the light’s panels and charge their batteries. Note that batteries will age and won’t hold the charge anymore, even with the complete sunlight exposure. Their lifespan tends to vary from brands to brands, but the batteries need to live for 18 months or even two years.
Besides, if you intend to store the solar lights for an extensive time, remember to take all of the batteries out. It’s necessary to get rid of the batteries from your solar light. If you follow this tip, your batteries can be guaranteed to own a longer lifespan.
Conclusion
Solar lights is a basic solution for brightening your whole garden at night. Better than other landscape lightings, this option doesn’t ask you to fuss with many wires, trenches, or even paid electricians. But to make them shine brightly for an extended period, you need to charge them properly.
Hopefully, this guide can help you give your backyard a better look. Leave your comment below if you have any questions. Thank you for reading!