September 20, 2024
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Home – Info Center – Blogs – Solar Lights Buying Guide: How Do I Choose The Best Solar Light?
Michael Zhang is a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in the solar lights industry. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in product design and developing, gaining valuable expertise and insight into the industry. Known for his dedication and professionalism, Michael has contributed significantly to the growth and success of various solar lights projects. His extensive knowledge and hands-on experience make him a trusted authority in the field, and he continues to innovate and excel in his role.
With the increasing pursuit of sustainable lifestyles and environmental awareness, solar lights are becoming more and more popular as a lighting solution that use clean energy. The emergence of solar garden lights can increase home security while reducing the hassle and expensive cost of installing lights because of hiring an electrician to do the job.
However, choosing a high quality solar garden light is not an easy task. A wide variety of products with varying quality and performance exist in the market and consumers are often confused in the selection process. Therefore, this article can help everyone make an right choice in the market. Here also are some tips for purchasing from a solar lights manufacturer.
The working principle of solar lights is to convert sunlight into electricity through solar panels and store it in batteries, and then control the output of current through controllers to provide power for LED lights or other light sources to achieve lighting. This process relies entirely on solar energy and requires no external power supply, so it has the advantages of environmental protection, energy saving, safety and so on.
At present, according to the different installation scenes, solar lights can be divided into Solar String Lights, Solar Path Lights, Solar Wall Lights, Hanging Solar Lights, Solar Deck Lights, Solar Fence Lights, Solar Motion Sensor Lights, Solar Patio Lights, Solar Pool Lights, Solar Post Lights, each type of solar light has its own characteristics and use of the environment.
Solar Panel: One of the key components of solar garden lights is the solar panel, which usually consists of multiple silicon crystal solar cells. When sunlight hits the solar panel, photons of light excite the electrons in the silicon crystals, creating an electric current. This process is known as the photovoltaic effect.
Controller: The controller is responsible for controlling the charging process of the battery and preventing it from being overcharged or overdischarged. It also ensures that the solar panel maximises the conversion of light energy into electricity to increase efficiency.
Batteries: Batteries are used to store the electricity converted from solar energy for use at night. Common types of batteries include nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and others. The capacity and quality of the battery directly affects the usage time and performance of the solar lights.
LEDs: LEDs as the light source of solar garden lights, are efficient, durable and energy-saving.LED lamps are usually composed of many small LED chips, which can provide bright and even lighting effects.
When choosing solar garden lights, it is vital to understand and evaluate their key factors. As an environmentally friendly and energy efficient option for outdoor lighting, the performance and quality of solar garden lights directly affects the effectiveness and longevity.
This section will focus on the key factors of solar garden lights, including the design of the light body, the quality and efficiency of the solar panels, the parameters of the batteries, the working time of the product itself and its waterproof capability. By evaluating these factors in depth, readers will be able to more fully and objectively select a high-quality solar garden.
The main materials of solar garden lights are divided into metal, plastic, glass and so on.
For the shell is metal solar lights, we‘d better to ask the supplier they can provide salt spray test report, so as to judge the corrosion resistance of the metal, the common time to determine the standard including 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and so on, if the metal can reach 72 hours test, it shows that the quality is the best, the conventional solar lights can be able to pass the 48 hours of salt spray test is enough.
For the shell material is plastic products, we should carefully observe the shell above whether there are scratches, miscellaneous lines, if there is, it can be shown that the supplier with the abrasive tool quality is not high, or the production of the past quality control ability is very poor;
For the product material is glass, we should pay attention to whether the packaging is installed, whether there is a safety tip, whether to use pearl cotton or other fillers to ensure the safety of the product transport.
Solar panels are divided into monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon, of which monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon are most commonly used in solar powered conversation garden lights.
when choosing solar lights, please give priority to monocrystalline silicon, followed by polycrystalline silicon, and lastly amorphous silicon, because amorphous silicon’s conversion efficiency is too low, and therefore it has been gradually phased out of the market nowadays.
In addition to looking at the type of solar panels, but also look at the processing of solar panels, please give priority to glass laminated solar lights, followed by PET laminated, and lastly choose the epoxy solar panels.
If you want to learn more types of solar panel process please read the blog: How Long Do Solar Panel Last?
If you want to learn the types of solar panels please check the video:
Battery is a very important component of solar lights, but also the most problematic solar light parts, some suppliers in order to compress the cost will choose second-hand batteries, will be reduced to protect the board, will be used a few years ago the old batteries to substandard and so on, we, as consumers, if there is no special instrument is also very difficult to identify the quality of the battery, But here is a tip we can share with you – look at the date of manufacture on the battery.
This batch of goods is one of our customers received in January 23, but is from another solar lights supplier, the whole batch of goods sold for half a year time the rate of customer complaints is very high, in October 23, when the customer and we had a video conference, we help him to analyse the root cause of the complaints, guiding the customer to peel off the blue shell of the battery, remove the protective plate, only in the innermost discovery of the battery’s production date is in 2017. The production date of the battery was in 2017, which made the customer suddenly understand, they were lied to by the factory. the customer no longer cooperate with that factory, and now we supply this customer’s entire solar light product line.
When shopping for solar lights you need to check whether the package includes information such as lumens of the solar light, solar panel power, wattage of the LED chips and the capacity of the battery etc. The more information, the more professional the seller is in the solar light industry, but if a product seller only labelled the wattage not the lumens, then please stay away from them. If you want to learn more knowledge between Lumen and wattage, Pls click here.
In the first night of the customer to get the product, please focus on monitoring the solar lamp lighting time, the best way is to use the surveillance camera to monitor, normally the solar yard lamps will be set at 6-8 hours of duration, if the product in a very short period of time the brightness are dimming, that means that a part of the product structure is not the optimal, we need to be vigilant, If you monitor the product for three days in a row and the range is decreasing day by day after three days of sunny days, there is a big problem with the quality of the product.
Normal waterproof rating of solar lights are in IP44, we need to hang the product at a suitable height, and then add water in the spray bottle, spraying water on the key parts, such as solar panels, or screw interfaces, and then observe whether the product’s working condition is affected, and the same action continues for 5-10 times, if the product is still working normally, it means that the waterproof ability of the product is not a problem.
Why is it important to install solar lights in the right location? This is because the right location ensures that the solar panel receives sufficient sunlight to be effectively converted into electricity to supply the lamps. Proper location also ensures that the lighting effect of the lamp is maximised and its lifespan is increased. Next, we will take you to explore what kind of location is suitable for installing solar lights.
Choose a mounting location that allows sufficient sunlight to reach the solar panels. Solar panels need sufficient sunlight exposure to be effectively converted into electricity and charged and stored in the battery. Therefore, avoid choosing a location with a lot of shadow coverage to ensure the proper functioning of your solar garden lights.
Avoid high walls, trees or other shades around the mounting location, which will affect the sunlight and reduce the efficiency of the solar panel. In addition, avoid areas of dense vegetation around the mounting location, which may affect light penetration.
Ensure that the ground at the chosen installation location is firm and level. Unstable ground may cause the solar garden light to tilt or sway, affecting its stability and aesthetics. When installing on soft ground or in flower beds, consider using ground mounts or additional supports to improve stability.
When choosing an installation location, you should avoid choosing a place that is prone to waterlogging, especially when the rainy season comes. Flooding will cause damage to the battery and circuit of the solar garden light and shorten its service life. If the installation is in a low-lying or poorly drained area, appropriate drainage measures can be taken to reduce the risk.
Why do solar lights also need frequent cleaning and maintenance? This is because prolonged outdoor use can cause components such as solar panels, lamps and batteries to be affected by natural factors such as dust, dirt and rain, which can reduce their performance and lifespan.
Solar panels are the key component of solar garden lights and their surface needs to be kept clean to ensure that sufficient light reaches the solar panels. Regular cleaning of solar panels can be done by using a soft damp cloth or sponge to gently wipe away surface dirt and dust. If the dirt is stubborn, you can use a mild detergent and water to clean it, but avoid using too rough cleaning tools and strong detergents to avoid damaging the surface coating.
It is very important to check the battery status of your solar garden light regularly. If you find that the battery capacity is significantly reduced or cannot be charged, you may need to replace the battery. When replacing the batteries, make sure you choose high quality batteries that match the original battery type and install them according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Lamps and shades are prone to accumulating dust, dirt and insects on their surfaces, which can affect the lighting effect and aesthetics. To clean lamps and shades regularly, gently wipe the surface with a damp cloth or mild detergent and rinse thoroughly with water. During the cleaning process, special care should be taken to avoid water entering the interior of the fixture to avoid damaging the circuitry or bulb.
Check the connecting parts of the solar garden light regularly to ensure that the battery, solar panel, LED light and circuit are well connected and not loose or rusty. If you find loose or rusty connections, you should tighten or replace the connections in time to ensure the stable operation of the solar garden light.
To be honest, solar lights can’t cope with particularly extreme weather because extreme weather conditions will affect the charging efficiency of the solar panels and the performance of the batteries, thus affecting the normal operation of the whole solar light system. So how should we deal with such extreme weather?
In the event of severe or harsh weather that is cold and wet or insufficient light, consider adjusting the brightness of the solar lights to ensure adequate light-up time. You can adjust the light modes or timer setting of the light fixture according to the actual situation.
In extreme weather conditions, such as storms, ice, snow or typhoons, finally remove the solar garden light temporarily to avoid damage. Move the light to indoor storage or a shaded area and reinstall it when the weather returns to stable.
After it rains, clean up the water around the solar garden light in time to make sure the battery and circuit are not soaked with water. You can use a clean cloth or water absorber to clean up the water, especially around the battery and connecting parts.
Because the market is flooded with too many low-quality solar light products, dazzling more and more consumers, at this time, learning how to select high-quality solar lights is particularly important, hope that the above analysis can help you have the skills to buy high-quality solar lights, without spending a penny more than necessary.
FLIGREEN As a manufacturer of high quality solar lights, we are trying our best to provide the market with high quality solar light products, combining decorative and practical really together, if you are looking for high quality solar light products, please feel free to contact us.
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