Solar powered luminaires for the garden and the garden: 10 tips for choosing

Economical, easy to install and so diverse in shape solar-powered lamps flooded summer cottages and even city streets. Manufacturers, as if mocking, offer customers a huge variety of them, so that from a purely functional subject they have turned into an element of decor. But it turned out that choosing a street lamp with solar panels for a summer house and a garden is not so easy - the assortment makes you run up, but we will try to put everything on the shelves and understand how to distinguish a high-quality lamp from a fake.

How does a solar powered lamp work?

In short and simple, the lamp during the day it collects sunlight, and at night uses it to illuminate the site. He does it due to the presence of the following elements:

• the solar panel - the heart of the lamp, there is a conversion of solar energy into electrical energy;
• battery accumulates energy during the day to give it at night;
• LED lamp - a direct light source, and it can give both a cold and a warm glow, and there are lamps with alternating color changes;
• controller controls the operation of the lamp, charging and discharging the battery. A quality controller is a guarantee that the battery will work well;
• body and mounts.

In addition, there may be light sensordue to which the lamp itself turns on at dusk. If there is no such sensor, then all devices will have to be turned on and off manually. It may be useful Motion Sensor.

The lamps use small batteries, because they accumulate enough energy to glow for 8-10 hours, but this is subject to a long sunny day, this period will be much shorter, and in the fall of the night much longer, so in this case, lamps with a motion sensor will be the salvation. Life time LED - up to 60 thousand hours, but the battery may require replacement much earlier.

Advantages and disadvantages

Solar powered garden lights have many advantages:

• energy saving, because they themselves produce it;
• ease of installation. Connect the lights to power networks not necessary. Many products simply dig into the ground, it will take a matter of minutes;
• mobility. If desired, the lamp is simply enough to install in another place by changing the lighting scheme of the garden. It is just as easy to collect them all and put them in winter storage;
• wide range of. On sale it is easy to find lamps of different sizes and shapes. There are so original products that such lighting will become not only a functional element, but also decorative;
• most fixtures turn on and off themselvesResponding to a change in lighting level;
• durability subject to the purchase of a quality product;
• security;
• environmental friendliness, because the luminaire does not need electricity to operate, which means that it is not necessary to use coal, gas or the power of nuclear reactors.

Alas, no drawbacksso be prepared for the following features:

• Solar Powered Garden Lamp - Delicate Device: In winter, malfunctions can occur due to battery cooling., and in the summer the device may overheat until the photocell breaks down;
• poor maintainability. Almost all breakdowns lead to the replacement of the entire lamp completely;
• efficiency depends on the amount of sunlight, because in cloudy weather, and even in the fall, when the day is shorter, the battery will not charge well and will last for a couple of hours. In the shade, such lamps should not be placed at all;
• ease of installation plays a trick - attackers can easily pull out lamps;
• garden solar lamp will not give a powerful stream of light and can not be compared with ordinary light, because they are used for local and decorative lighting.

If you look at the sales statistics and the numerous domestic cottages, you can come to the conclusion that the shortcomings of people are not particularly scary, and the main advantages - efficiency and ease of installation - have provided crazy popularity with this device.

Types of solar-powered luminaires

All fixtures can be divided into two large groups:

• for lighting parks and streets. These are huge lanterns with large solar panels. In fact, these are miniature solar power plants, used on roads, in parks and on the streets of advanced cities;
• for lighting a country house - this is exactly what interests us. In this category allocate Street lightswhich differ in larger sizes (but not always) and a more powerful stream of light, and garden lightswhich have, rather, a decorative function.

Depending on the location, the solar-powered lamp can be of the following types:

• bollards - lanterns on poles, used for lighting garden paths and lawns;
• pendant and wall lights mounted on fences, walls and poles, are used for functional and decorative lighting;
• lawn lights small in size, used for backlighting rokariyev, Alpine hills, paths, and other relief elements;
• recessed fixtures mounted in stairs, garden paths, platforms and create soft light that facilitates movement in the dark;
• lamps for the decor of flower beds are different almost transparent case, which makes them invisible in the daytime;
• luminaires for ponds may be floating and intended for underwater installation. And those and others look very impressive and allow you to highlight pool, pond or stream;
• garland lights used to decorate crowns of trees, shrubs, as well as for decor veranda, arbors and terraces;
• decorative lights in the form of animals, stones, heroes of fairy tales and cartoons serve as decoration in the daytime and benefit at night.

The range of fixtures is so wide (and increasing every season) that this classification can only be called conditional, but it will help you navigate when choosing and understand what exactly you need.

Glass type

The glass of a garden or street lamp on solar panels is responsible for the light transmission, in addition, a photocell is laminated on its plane, so you should pay attention to the material when buying. Glass can be of the following types:

• smooth well passes direct sunlight and a significant part of the scattered;
• corrugated due to the complex relief allows you to reflect and redirect part of the sun's rays, and the power of the lamp increases to 12%. A good solution for regions where sunny weather is infrequent;
• strained glass - The most reliable and durable, but the product will cost 5-10% more.

Battery Type and Capacity

In solar lamps usually put nickel cadmium batteriesthat have proven themselves pretty well. Less commonly used nickel metal hydride batteries - they last longer, but also cost more.

If the LEDs are designed for 60,000 hours of operation, the battery is a more delicate part of the lamp. A quality battery needs to be replaced about once every 10 years. If you decide to save money and take a cheaper flashlight, then it is likely that the first battery replacement will have to be made in 1-1.5 years.

Also pay attention to Battery capacityalthough some manufacturers do not indicate it. All other things being equal, it is better to choose a product with a more capacious battery - such a lamp will be able to accumulate more energy and shine longer at night. However, in order for the battery to fully charge, you must install the product in an area with maximum natural light.

Type of silicon in the fixtures

The longevity of the lamp depends on type of silicon used:

• monocrystalline silicon - the most reliable, plus it is additionally covered with an oxide film. It resists climatic and chemical influences. Minus - high price;
• multicrystalline in terms of practicality is average. Will last several years, but no more;
• polycrystalline - the cheapest and short-lived. Already in the second or third season, it will be possible to notice a drop in the power of the glow and the duration of the work.

Degree of protection

A street garden lamp will be exposed to regular moisture: it will rain, water, and possibly children’s games. To prevent damage, the housing must be adequately protected. When studying product specifications, pay attention to the IP letters in the marking. After them there should be two digits - to us need lamp with IP44 and higher. For fixtures that are installed under water or on water, the degree of protection against water should be maximum - IP67 or better IP68

Power

The power of garden lights is usually 3 watts. This is enough to create a soft light and a special mood. Such devices cannot be an independent source of light. Street lamps for a country house have a power of about 10 watts, which is approximately equivalent to 100 watts of an incandescent lamp. Such products can already be used for independent lighting of the site.

It is also worth paying attention to the number of LED lamps. The more of them, the more light the lamp will give.

What else to consider when choosing?

Anyone who wants to find the perfect solar powered garden light should consider some more parameters:

• if the luminaire is installed on the ground, pay attention to leg height. To illuminate the paths, it is necessary that the leg be at least 1 m, to illuminate the arbors - at least 1.5 m. Lamps that are laid on the ground or are equipped with low legs are suitable only for decorative and auxiliary lighting;
• manufacturer name. Products from China have also flooded the lighting market. If high quality comes first, then be prepared to overpay, because the products of large companies are more expensive, but will also last longer;
• View all product specifications with attention to battery life.

Installation and Care

To solar lamps last as long as possible, it is worth adhering to simple rules:

• draw up a project lighting, choose the types of ordinary lamps and solar lamps, and for the latter to determine the most sunny places;
• installation is carried out carefullyso as not to damage the lamp;
• during operation, the housing must wipe off dustwhich interferes with the penetration of the rays of the sun;
• for the period of severe frosts it is better hide solar lights in the roomremoving batteries;
• the battery needs periodic replacement;
• near water bodies special waterproof fixtures.

Let economical and practical lighting make you happy for many years!