Solar Pathway Light - Reliabilty
- Thread starter Warstud
- Start date
It's ALWAYS the rubbish NiCd batteries.
I take them out, and replace them with used regular alkalines (not blowacell, they hate being recharged...Varta work best)..get more life out of a used alkaline in them than the original NiCd.
Local hardware store sells NiMH replacements...but they cost, alkalines don't.
I take them out, and replace them with used regular alkalines (not blowacell, they hate being recharged...Varta work best)..get more life out of a used alkaline in them than the original NiCd.
Local hardware store sells NiMH replacements...but they cost, alkalines don't.
Mine were cheap but lasted 6 years so far . They have trouble lasting a full night ( does anyone has lights that are still bright before sunrise? ). I picked up some higher capacity batteries to see if that was the problem, but no, for mine it’s the cheap panels that point straight up. I keep hearing how panels are getting better but I see mostly advertised as “bright for up to 8 hours” Well, that can mean 6 hours.
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The cheap ones don't last long. The ones that have glass(?) solar panel seem to last longer than the plastic ones that haze. And the batteries they come with suck like someone else mentioned. Ikea has some really good prices on high capacity rechargeables so I replaced some of mine with them. They also need a lot of sun to reach full capacity. When it's overcast and rainy here, they don't charge.
The cheapest might last me a year. Grade up or two could get me two. They might last longer if I took them inside during winter, but I think that defeats their purpose. I just replace every so often. Usually they get whacked by a shovel in winter, or our freeze/thaw cycles get 'em.
If you want you can get rechargeables with a higher mAhr rating like these 700 mAh Nickel Metal Hydrides I got off Amazon. However, my panels could not put out enough power to chargel them to capacity in one day. The batteries with the cheap solar lights are usually 400 mAhr.
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4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Anyone else try this ? Sure an inexpensive way to do it …
Mine lasted a few years, usually 5 or so with each set of new batteries. If you don't get much moisture maybe it is worth getting some quality rechargeable batteries.
I don't know if they would explode... but what's the worst that could happen with an exploding solar light that is outdoors? I'm dubious that it would have enough umph to set anything else on fire.
Plus it might be kinda cool to have exploding lights...
Only alkaline that I've ever had explode when recharged are duracells...usually on the discharge cycle after a single charge...there are plenty of alkaline rechargers, PLUS rechargable alkalines. Plain Jane "Varta" I can charge 4 times...
With the solar lights, I put a second hand recharged battery in and they go well...and certainly longer then the NiCad which was my point all along...
With the solar lights, I put a second hand recharged battery in and they go well...and certainly longer then the NiCad which was my point all along...
Timely bump on this thread as i just tried something new to try to keep the ”solar lights on” longer. In my experience, yes, the batteries are often lacking, but after fixing the battery, the next set of issues almost always have to do with corrosion at the connections. Corrosion on the battery terminals (both the battery itself and the contacts on the body of the light), corrosion and breakage of the flimsy wires connecting to the contacts in the light, and corrosion and failure of the on-off switch (if so equipped).
Here’s what i just started doing: Take the newly purchased light apart and spray silicone spray over the circuit board, switch, and battery contacts. I figure a good coat of silicone on the circuit board and elsewhere internally should forstall corrosion caused by moisture.
I’ll report back 5 years from now if this “treatment” is successful. I may take the lights apart yearly to re-treat them, or try some other protectants. : )
Here’s what i just started doing: Take the newly purchased light apart and spray silicone spray over the circuit board, switch, and battery contacts. I figure a good coat of silicone on the circuit board and elsewhere internally should forstall corrosion caused by moisture.
I’ll report back 5 years from now if this “treatment” is successful. I may take the lights apart yearly to re-treat them, or try some other protectants. : )
I use Diaelectric Grease
Thx. Will try that on the batteries and contacts on the solar light. D-grease should stay in place very well.
Why not just get regular low voltage landscape lighting and a transformer? All the solar ones I’ve seen either look cheap or don’t last.
