Tips & Tricks for Maintaining Brightness in Your Sign's LED Solar Lights
- sladmin
- March 03 2023
Isn’t it frustrating when electronics, especially lights, don’t work quite as well as they used to when you first bought them? And while we agree that most times it's the quality of the lights, sometimes a little maintenance can reverse the slow deterioration you’ve been experiencing.
Fortunately, with our simple tips, you can maintain the brightness of your LED solar lights for signs and keep them shining brightly for years to come.
How Solar Lights for Signs Work (And What Can Go Wrong)
Solar lights use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity, which is stored in a battery. When it gets dark, a photoresistor tells the light to turn on, and the electricity from the battery powers an LED bulb. This system is energy-efficient and convenient because it only turns on when needed. Solar lights for signs are also safe and weatherproof, making them an excellent choice for outdoor lighting.
However, like any other electronic device, solar lights can experience problems or failures over time.
Common Issues That May Result in Dimmer LED Lights
Battery Problems: Solar lights rely on rechargeable batteries to store the energy collected during the day. If the battery is old or faulty, it may not hold a charge, resulting in dimmer light output or the light not turning on at all.
Panel Obstructions: Solar panels can get dirty over time, reducing their ability to collect sunlight and generate electricity. Obstructions can include dirt, dust, leaves, snow, or even bird droppings.
Wiring Issues: Solar lights are often exposed to harsh outdoor conditions and may experience wiring problems over time. Loose or corroded connections, frayed wires, or damaged cabling can prevent the light from functioning correctly.
LED Problems: Although LED bulbs are long-lasting and durable, they can still burn out or malfunction.
Water Damage: Solar road markers and signs are designed to be weather-resistant, but exposure to heavy rain or flooding can damage the internal components and prevent the light from functioning correctly.
Tips to Maintain LED Brightness in Solar Lights for Signs
By following these maintenance tips, you can ensure that your solar lights remain bright and functional, providing efficient and sustainable lighting for your outdoor space.
Clean the Solar Panels: To ensure your solar panels collect as much sunlight as possible, clean them regularly with a damp cloth or sponge. A mild detergent solution to remove dirt and grime is advised if the panels are very dirty. Avoid using abrasive materials or chemicals that could scratch or damage the solar panel’s surface.
Adjust the Angle: Depending on your solar lights’ design, you may be able to adjust the solar panel’s angle to optimise the sunlight it receives. Positioning the solar panel facing south in the correct direction can maximise exposure to sunlight.
Replace Batteries: If your solar lighting system is old, the batteries will probably not hold a charge. If they can't provide enough power to the LED bulb, you’ll experience reduced brightness. Replace the batteries every two to three years (if you haven’t already) to maintain optimal performance.
Closing Thoughts
Maintaining the brightness of your LED solar lights for signs requires some effort and attention to detail. Still, it is worth it as you can save a significant sum on electricity bills, among other benefits. By following our suggestions outlined above, you can ensure that your LED solar lights remain bright, efficient, and effective for years to come.
Solar-powered technology has already revolutionised the way we generate and use energy. Not only do solar-powered systems provide a clean, sustainable, and cost-effective source of energy, they do so for a wide range of applications. One such application is the use of solar lights for signs, especially road markers, also known as solar road studs or solar pavement markers.
Ready to learn more about how solar-powered technology can better road safety?
Can Solar Technology Be Used for Road Markers?
Did you know that the smallest solar panel is the size of your thumbnail? That’s right.
Solar panels don’t just come in the size you see on your roof or the lights on the streets. Since it is possible to design solar panels that can fit a gadget that measures 15cm by 12cm, solar technology can be used for road markers.
Wondering why we need solar-powered technology for road markers?
Traditional Road Markers vs Solar Road Markers
Road markers, also known as road reflectors or raised pavement markers, are used to enhance the visibility of roads at night and in inclement weather. They are typically made of reflective material and are placed on the road surface to guide drivers and alert them to potential hazards.
Pre-solar technology, different materials were used to provide driving aids on roads. Depending on their placement, road authorities would use either paint, reflective tape, or raised markers with and without retroreflecting lenses. Over time, road markers come equipped with flashing lights and batteries. While their construction material differs, these driving aids serve one purpose–to guide drivers and alert them to potential hazards.
Solar road markers are similar to cat’s eyes, the difference being their capacity to harness the sun’s power. A solar road stud typically has an aluminium body with slots to attach it to the ground. The solar panel rests directly under the heavy-duty top face. Reflectors and LED lights are placed on the sides. Their functioning is simple–during the day, the solar panel helps make solar energy, which is then stored in the supercapacitor. Once the road marker no longer sense any sunlight, the LEDS switch on.
Traditional road markers have a variety of limitations. Whether paint or reflective tape type, they need regular maintenance and replacement, which can be costly and time-consuming. Similarly, electrical road markers need to be powered by batteries or the electrical grid–power sources that have several limitations–batteries need to be replaced approximately every three years or in rural areas, connecting road markers to the electrical grid can be difficult and expensive.
Solar-powered road markers, however, are powered by the sun. They need neither electrical grid connectivity nor batteries. The supercapacitors used in solar road markers only need replacement every 8-10 years, reducing the long-term running cost of solar road markers.
Read on to learn why solar-powered road markers are a viable alternative to their traditional counterparts.
Benefits of Solar Road Markers
One of the key benefits of solar lights for signs and road markers is that they are highly reliable. Solar road markers can work for years without needing maintenance, and they are not affected by power outages or other issues that can disrupt traditional road markers. They are especially useful in remote areas or where traditional road markers are impractical, such as on bridges or in tunnels as they don’t require any additional infrastructure. Solar-powered road markers are also environmentally friendly, as they do not produce emissions or pollutants.
Solar road markers are also versatile and can be used in a variety of applications, ranging from highways, rural roads, and even on private property, such as in parking lots or industrial parks. They can also be customised to meet specific needs, such as using different colours or flashing patterns for different types of roads or hazards.
Conclusion
Overall, using solar lights for signs is a reliable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative to traditional lights. Solar road markers also have the potential to improve safety on roads and extend this safety to remote or rural areas. As they are a prime example of how solar technology can be used to improve our daily lives, continuous improvement in technology and a decrease in costs will hopefully result in the widespread use of solar-powered road markers.
There are lots of occasions where an environment clearly defines what type of solar light you would use. For example, in a carpark, commercial solar street lights would perform best and provide the most suitable amount of illumination, while on pedestrian pathways in residential environments, overhead lighting would be overkill and commercial solar bollards would be suitable
There are lighting projects though, where either commercial solar street lights or commercial solar lighting bollards would be suitable, so how do you decide which to use?The first thing you might assume is that solar powered street lights would be a more expensive option, so price would be a major factor in the decision, though this isn’t always the case. For example, if you have a 40 metre long pedestrian pathway, you could either install six commercial solar lighting bollards or two commercial solar street lights on 4 metre columns. Both options would provide an adequate amount of light at a very similar price point. So, if price isn’t a major factor is the decision-making process, then what other considerations are important?
1. Aesthetics – What product best suits the look of the surrounding environment?
Some people prefer the strong commercial look of solar street lights, though in areas such as public parks, the tall lighting columns will distract from the natural landscape, so solar bollard lights may be more suited.
2. Lighting Tone – Would you prefer warm or cool tones?
One major benefit to our commercial solar bollards range is the option to choose a warm, daylight or cool tone for the light. While any of our solar street lights will have a higher lumen output compared to our solar bollard lights, they will only output a cool white light, which isn’t always the preference for our clients.
There isn’t always a right or wrong option when choosing commercial solar lights; sometimes it’s simply down to the preference of the client. Above are just some simple considerations to consider when deciding between solar bollard lights or and solar street lights.
To learn more about our solar street lights or commercial solar bollards, or any other of the solar lights that we sell in Australia, visit the products online or give us a call at 1300 76 52 65.
While there are obvious aesthetic and safety benefits to outdoor commercial solar lights, as well as economic benefits when compared to AC powered lighting alternatives, a readily overlooked benefit is one of home security. Significant study has gone into the effects of residential and street lighting on criminal behaviour, and results have shown that robbery is significantly reduced through increased ambient lighting around the home. “The assumed anonymity from darkness promotes moral transgressions; darkness also impairs vision and hence reduces the ability to detect an approaching robber and subsequently identify them” (Fotios, Robbins and Farrall, 2021). Due to this, solar lighting bollards and solar floodlights have the benefit of acting as solar security lights, deterring criminals from breaking into your property.
To learn more about solar bollard lights, solar floodlights, or any other of the solar lights that we sell in Australia, visit the products online or give us a call at 1300 76 52 65.