Which Batteries Do You Need For Garden Solar Lights?
Which Batteries Do You Need For Garden Solar Lights?
When it comes to year round solutions for lighting in your garden, solar lights are a great choice that more and more people are turning to. Whether you have a large garden or a small backyard, are looking for lighting for your balcony or a patio, there are a number of different uses for solar-powered lights for the garden, and plenty of different options to choose from.
Solar lights are a great environmentally friendly option that will not only save you money on your electricity bills, but will also allow you to do your bit for the environment.
Whether you are considering purchasing your first set of solar lights for the garden or replacing your current garden lighting then you may be wondering if they need batteries in order to work properly. Read on as we take a look at the type of batteries that you will need to use with your solar garden lighting.
Why do solar garden lights need batteries?
You won’t be alone in wondering why solar lights need batteries, it’s a surprisingly common question that people ask. In order for your solar lighting to work efficiently, you need batteries to store the electrical energy that is generated by the sun. This is used to power your lights when it gets dark rather than tapping into your home electricity supply.
Batteries are, in fact, a key element in how your solar lighting works, with almost all solar lighting containing a solar panel that holds the battery. The solar panel on your lighting converts sunlight into electrical energy and stores it in the battery, so that when there is no sunlight they will still work. Without batteries, they would have no way of storing the “sunlight” and they would only work when it is light.
Do standard batteries work in solar garden lighting?
The short, and important, answer to this question is no. Standard batteries should not be used in solar lighting in the longer term. Regular alkaline batteries used in this way will only last for a very short length of time. Regular batteries are designed to be disposed of once they run out, rather than charged. Using them in your solar garden lighting may cause damage to the lighting. This is why it is essential to ensure that you are using the right type of batteries in your solar lighting system.
The right type of batteries for solar garden lighting
If your solar lighting has stopped working, then there is a good chance that this is because the batteries are worn out. Solar batteries are both rechargeable and reusable but over time they will use their ability to hold a charge. This isn’t something that happens very often but when it does you need to know exactly what sort of battery you will need to purchase to replace those that are often supplied with your lighting in the first place.
In order to work properly, solar lighting requires special rechargeable batteries. These will either be NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) or NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) rechargeable batteries. These will come in a range of different sizes depending on your garden lighting, so it is important to make sure that you are replacing them with the correct size as well as type.
The type will be written on the batteries in your lighting and may also be written on any instruction booklet that was supplied with your garden lighting. Therefore, it is always worth keeping this handy.
If your batteries have run out and you do not have replacements in the home, it is important not to use regular alkaline batteries as they are not a substitute.
