Today, many have turned towards solar garden lights because they’re eco-friendly, renewable, and save bills. So it can be pretty frustrating to watch your efficient garden lights dim all of a sudden. Less bright lights defeat the purpose of surrounding your garden with lights. Hence, if you’re presented with the challenge of dim lights, you need to learn how to make them brighter.
Learning how to make solar garden lights brighter will ensure you can find a quick solution to your dimming lights. Also, this will add decorative accents to your garden and ensure you can enjoy fresh air in your garden at night without any fear.
In this article, we will identify and discuss the contributory factors to dimming garden lights. We will also discuss the six most vital solutions extensively. They are listed below:
Table of Contents
6 Steps To Make Your Solar Garden Lights Brighter
1. Check sunlight exposure
The solar panel is an essential component of solar lighting, considering it is the heartbeat of its operation. It comprises photovoltaic cells that absorb energy directly from the sun and convert it into solar/battery power. Also, it has to be exposed to direct sunlight throughout daylight to ensure it’s effective in your garden during the night. In essence, without the solar panel, there’s no solar power.
However, there are situations when it is blocked from getting direct sunlight. It is essential to look out for such hindrances to keep your lights working efficiently. You may think your panel is placed in a good spot without any visible impediment, but that is not always the case in reality.
Always check if a tall tree causes no shade around it during the day. If you discover that is the case and it doesn’t receive direct sunlight for a significant period, change to a new spot. This new spot must have a clear path to direct sunlight regardless of the side the sun rays come from. Hence, the panel will be able to get the right amount of sunlight it needs to charge the batteries and deliver brighter lights.
2. Clean the solar panel
A panel’s operation may be hampered by distractions such as dust, snow, debris, or other accumulated particles on its surface. They can hinder sunlight from reaching the cells on the panel, thus triggering less bright lights.
Therefore, you will need to clean the panel to remedy the situation. Pick up a brush to take away any debris or whatever is accumulated on top of the panel. You can also use a damp cloth with mild soap to gently scrub the solar panel’s surface. Once it is clean, you can then employ a clean cloth in wiping off excess water and soap.
So you will have gotten rid of the impediments stopping your panel from receiving direct sunlight effectively. Hence, you get brighter lights in your garden. Also, ensure you make this a regular practice to protect your panel from any disturbances.
Additionally, always keep in mind that the more sunlight your panel is exposed to during the day, the brighter and longer your lights will shine during the night.
3. Ensure lights are clean
While it’s important to keep the panel clean, it’s also important to keep the surface of the light clean. There may be dirt and debris stuck on the surface of your light. This will hinder it from shining that bright light you want in your garden. Hence, it is important to clean the surface with clean water and soap.
Once it is clean, you will have your lights shining bright like they use to. Always endeavor to check on them on a regular basis to ensure your lights continue to work perfectly like you want them to.
4. Check/Replace batteries
Batteries are another important component of solar lights for your garden. When the solar panel absorbs solar energy, it is stored in batteries. Hence, they power the lights and can’t be done away with. While they’re normally made to last for a long time, they are also susceptible to damage. Having underscored their importance earlier, you should understand how much they can affect your lights in case of damage.
Therefore, when your solar garden lights are not shining bright like they should do, check your batteries for corrosion or consider changing them altogether.
To remove corrosion, check the user manual and identify the location of the battery compartment. Once you get it, remove the batteries from the housing and check for any white powder near the metal part. Use a brush or fine-grit sandpaper to remove the unwanted powder from the housing and the batteries. Endeavor to do this on a regular basis, especially if your batteries are exposed to high levels of humidity and moisture.
However, if your batteries deteriorate to a level they no longer charge properly, you may have to replace them with new and properly functioning ones. Hence, your solar garden lights will come up much brighter.
5. Try to fix them
You can try to fix your garden solar lights by turning them off for some time if they had been turned on for so long. This will serve as some kind of breather from work. After a day or two, turn them on, the lights should be brighter. But if they don’t get brighter, try opening them up by getting a compatible screwdriver for the screws. Unscrew them and check the inside for dirt and residue. Clean them with a clean and dry cloth. This can also help to make your lights brighter.
6. Get Professional Help
Sometimes, the dimming solar garden lights may not be a problem you can solve. Then, you may need to call for help from a professional. You can call customer service. They are best placed to make your lights brighter as they are trained to diagnose the issues and initiate a solution. Have a chat with them and answer all their questions to draw you to a solution.
However, if they can’t seem to help you through the phone, you can head to their store. Take your lights along with you and explain the problem to them in detail. They should help come up with a solution.
Alternatively, you can seek the services of a professional technician with experience in handling solar garden lights. This way, you can get your lights to be brighter as they should be.
Conclusion
Several factors can contribute to dimmer solar garden lights. In this article, we have described several of them and how they can be remedied. For instance, knowing that solar lights draw energy from direct sunlight means you must ensure the panel is never starved. Also, a panel can be hindered by debris or dirt which you must ensure are cleared out.
In addition, learning how to make solar garden lights brighter entails knowing how to check batteries for corrosion and getting rid of them. However, if you cannot get the lights to be brighter yourself, you should seek professional help.
