Solar lights that last all night

[Snagglefoot]

Has anyone come across a brand of those solar lights on short posts that can last all night in the winter? Our place is just north of the US border and we often get sunny days in the winter. The lights can't make to 7:30 AM when it's still dark and we are backing out of our long driveway.

I did purchase higher mAhr recharable batteries but the small panels don't have enough output output to charge them fully. Also it would be great to find a brand that can be oriented to the south as most just point straight up. Sunset is around 4:45PM today so I need something that can go 15 hrs. (Technically impossible?) I guess I could run one of those old school outdoor low voltage lighting systems. Any other idea's?

 

[Chris142]

That's strange. My wife bought the cheapest ones she could find @ the dollar store and they stay on all night long. Maybe you need to fully charge yours? Let them charge a few days before turning them on?

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
I did purchase higher mAhr recharable batteries


What mAhr were the original battery's and what are the new one's?

 

[skyactiv]

Keep in mind he lives north of everyone in the Continental USA except for maybe a portion of Maine? That means he has less daylight during the winter, but more daylight during the summer.

15 hours is asking too much in my opinion. I think you'd be best served by low voltage lights. They have ones with LED bulbs for lower operating cost.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Originally Posted by Warstud
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
I did purchase higher mAhr recharable batteries


What mAhr were the original battery's and what are the new one's?


The highest I could find on Amazon at the time was 700 mAH. Some of the cheaper sets were powered with 300 mAH batteries. All were nickel metal hydride.

 

[eljefino]

Maine tops out at 47' N and BC bottoms at 49.

What if you got motion sensing solar lights? I can't imagine the motion sensor using less energy than an LED but I'm no EE.

Battery capacity may not be your limiting factor-- could be solar panel production. I imagine a giant magnifying glass helping.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Yes, if I shut them off and charge them for a few days they could go over- night the first night, so with 700 mAH there is enough power stored but the panel cannot put out enough power in only one day to fully recharge the battery.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
15 hours is asking too much in my opinion. I think you'd be best served by low voltage lights.


Yep.....or just stick it out until summer then they should provide enough light in the morning.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Yes, if I shut them off and charge them for a few days they could go over- night the first night, so with 700 mAH there is enough power stored but the panel cannot put out enough power in only one day to fully recharge the battery.

You need more panels wired in.

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Sunset is around 4:45PM


You could always turn them off when you get home from work and turn them on before you go to bed . That should give you around 5 hrs more run time.

 

[maxdustington]

Those things have always sucked, even since I was a kid when solar and battery technology were a lot more primitive. They are always either too dim or lack capacity.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
The lights can't make to 7:30 AM when it's still dark and we are backing out of our long driveway.
Any other idea's?

Yes, do What I did and add another solar panel (in parallel) - - to get the charging mAh up.

There really isn't any other way, unless you step up to the big 12 volt models, but they are also pretty expensive.

 

[Lyman]

Why don't you go to a motion sensor type light? I have one in my driveway that I bought at Costco and it works great. It comes on bright when I leave at 0530. Mine is solar powered but you could even go with a 110V system.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

An LED porch light that stays on,costs so little to run.... even 12 hours per day.

 

[Rolla07]

Ive used solar lights for some time, removing before our cold snowy winters and put back in spring. They just dont last and are never bright enough. I tried new batteries but still no luck. I picked up a wired set from walmart on clearance and wow, what a difference. No comparison. If you are able to bury the wires between the light posts and have a spot to plug them in, itd be my suggestion for you. Set I bought came with a light sensor so they only turn on at dusk and off at dawn so you just leave them plugged in all the time. I plan to only use wired lights going forth.

The solar part of the lamp seems to fade and be unable to make use of the sun to recharge.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I just found these 2400 mAH batteries on Amazon, very useful if the solar panels are large enough. With the greater efficiencies of the panels on solar lights, I noticed whey have been making the panels smaller, unfortunately. Thanks for the lead on the Kememco’s.

 

[alarmguy]

Home Depot sells solar lights with tilting panels.
I doubt any low priced light will have a self contained battery to last all night. More so taking into account these small lights cheap rely on sunlight to recharge and a couple rainy days, never mind on rainy day will make it doomed to fail after a couple hours.
Im sure someone makes a kit some place with a large solar panel and battery that can be hardwired to a couple lights.

 

[Astro14]

Snagglefoot- you’re also in the worst climate for solar lights - as far north as you are, you have short days, low sun angle, which combine to yield low illumination. Couple that with all the rain/overcast that the Pacific Northwest is known for, regular lights just aren’t going to cut it. You need extra solar cells, not just extra battery capacity.

Or, perhaps a low voltage powered set of lights?

 

[Snagglefoot]

Snagglefoot- you’re also in the worst climate for solar lights - as far north as you are, you have short days, low sun angle, which combine to yield low illumination. Couple that with all the rain/overcast that the Pacific Northwest is known for, regular lights just aren’t going to cut it. You need extra solar cells, not just extra battery capacity.

Or, perhaps a low voltage powered set of lights?

Thanks Astro. Actually we aren’t part part of the Pacific NW weather pattern per say and are more effected by weather systems coming up the Rocky Mountain trench. Cranbrook to the south is the sunniest city in BC. I need something with larger panels and more mAHr of storage to make it last all night. Commercial solar systems are up here. The city of Kimberley has a 1 MW system. Our community center has a 10 kw system. The payout on commercial solar up here is 25 years. Really sucks. Thanks for the post. You hit it right on the head!

 

[drfeelgood]

I agree with Astro, maybe just go for a quality low-voltage LED system and never have to mess with it again. I live in GA. and have been through this on several properties I've owned over the years. Even here, almost impossible to get the lights to stay on through the night. Also, you buy a complete set and later one craps out or someone runs over it and then you can't find a matching light. Who wants to have to buy better rechargeables and replace the (usually) cheap stock batteries? Just my 2 cents