Hello,
Regarding those solar powered small lamps that are useful for outlining a driveway: HD and Lowe's has them from several mfg's; usually in packs of 6 or 8 for around $ 30 or so.
Do they really work ? After a summer day soaking up sunlight, will they illuminate all evening ? Reasonably bright ?
Live in New England. What happens in the winter with considerably less sunlight ?
How do they actually work ? Just by using a solar cell to charge a capacitor, or... ?
Thanks, Bob
I don't think you will be satisfied with the amount of light they give off. Think they are just meant to mark the boundaries not give off any significant architectural benefit. Rich
"Robert11" wrote
Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more. replace them annually.
Depends on what you need. They normally last til sunlight comes back but dimmer come early morning. They are enough to see the driveway and walk along a sidewalk. This isnt a main streetlight level light, but a dimmer addition for safety.
For 30$ for 8 of them, we find them useful.
Here, with fewer leaves to block the light, they work a bit better.
They charge a little battery inside that you get. AA cell type, lithium if i recall. Once one goes dead (doesnt light at night) first put it in full light for a day and see if it lights that night, and if not, replace battery.
I got a set almost 2 years ago. All still work fine though most have had a battery replaced.
Most don't do well in the Chicago area in the 5 shortest day months, They only last a few hours.
"Robert11" wrote in news:grlqcu$jl7$ snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org:
Ohhhhh, you mean runway lights :-)
I bought some of them two years ago and a) the solar cells are already hazed over b) they're all at cockeyed angles. the stakes are made of plastic that is softer than the ground in my yard.
it's a great idea, but the quality isn't there
nate
*Candles put out more light.
Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing
I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in $1 bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get more light, they will last longer than the solar lights.
I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually work.
JUNK...Low voltage is the answer....
"John Grabowski" wrote in news:49dead03$0$5921$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:
Even more when you light 'em.
charge a battery actually. They provide light at night for a few hours.
who the f*ck wants to light candles every evening?
The answer is yes, no, definitely, and maybe. They put out minimal light, enough to find your keys if you drop them right under the light, and get down on your hands and knees to look for them. They are fragile, breaking easily. They are spendy, and for less, you can get good 12v. systems. They are not repairable. One good hail stone or sleet ball and they're toast. I wouldn't waste my money.
They work, but as everyone said, they give out very dim light. They usually don't last a whole night. In winter, if it is in snowy regions, it is advisable to store them away. I think more expensive ones will last a bit longer and give out more light. I have some over two years old and they're still working without changing batteries.
Only in the sense that you can see them. If you are expecting those solar lights to throw enough light to illuminate a path you will be severly disappointed.
They glow. That's it. I wouldn't call them lights.
Motion detecting lights would be a better choice. They actually illuminate to a useful degree and use a negligible amount of electricity. Assuming you get a white fixture, use white electrician's tape on the sensor to block nuisance trip sources as needed.
I dont' have any problems with the light output of mine, and when new they did last all night. They're just shit quality - one of them snapped off at the top of the pole; the rest you can see that the solar cells are all milky (should have used glass rather than plastic for the "skin" over the cells) and all of them if you pull them out of the ground you can see where the stakes just bent when they hit the clay sub-soil rather than biting in.
If someone made a GOOD solar light I would not be hesitant to try it. I've never seen one for sale though (online doesn't count, I have no way of evaluating quality from a web picture)
nate
The ones I have came from K-Mart (discount store) and they each use two AA NiCad batteries. The batteries that came with them were not very good and only lasted about a year. I replaced them with Sunpak NiMh batteries about
5-6 years ago and they still stay lit all night, even if it was a cloudy day. On mine the batteries are very easy to replace and they can even be used as a AA battery charger.
I don't have a set, but a friend does. Unless you suffer from night blindness, they do provide enough light to illuminate a path.
And of course, 20% of the lights have already crapped out after about a year of operation.
e:
Yes. Low quality and the batteries not being the best and also likely fully discharged each night don't seem to last long; especially in Northern climates with shorter days during winter. Also Low temperatures reduce battery capacity. They really don't give much more than the ambient light at night and for anything other than a little foot-way or path marker, really don't see the point. My son in law had package of three (or maybe six) little over year ago and at least two are now non-operational. The little short plastic spike that many have is useless, frost just pushes them out of the ground and/or they fall over. Pretty much of toy IMHO.
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