Installing outside solar lights is not necessarily a difficult project, but some homeowners fail to utilize the sun properly, or leave their lights in the way of danger and obstructions. If you want to benefit from years of maintenance-free use, you will need to put some extra thought into your project.
Highlight Your Gardens Design Features
Before you purchase your first set of lights, you need to take a look over your current design and what you may intend to implement in the near future. Your new lighting project should accentuate these design features. You will want to avoid overdoing the light spread by placing too many lights too close together, which is easy to pull off if you take your time during the initial planning stages.
Avoid Obstructions And Potential Hazards
Placing your lamps underneath the edges of shrubs, or around areas where your family constantly walks and plays is asking to have the lights trampled on or destroyed in an unforeseen accident. You can avoid these types of hazards by keeping the lights within view, and making sure that the light housing is not hidden away under shrubs or areas that may not easily be noticed by people passing by.
Make Use Of The Available Sunlight
Solar power depends on your yard and how much sunlight can make its way through your shrubs and trees, so you need to ensure that you are making the best use of any available sun exposure you have. Take a few days to determine what parts of your landscape receive the most light, and then try to get your solar panels as close to these locations as possible.
Charge Your Batteries Completely Before Installing
Solar power light kits include batteries that are much like the battery found in your cell phone. When you first receive them, you will need to ensure that they have a full charge before you place them into the yard. If they are unable to receive a full charge, the batteries could end up developing a short lifespan, where they will be unable to keep your lights illuminated throughout the night. You can avoid this by charging them fully, draining them completely, and repeating the process over the course of three to four days.
Prepare Your Soil After Installation
Using mulch, grasses, and colorful flowers, you can dramatically increase the appeal of your lighting arrangement. Most landscape designs simply have drab plastic lights sticking out of the ground, while you can dress up the area where you have placed the housing and set yourself apart from the rest of the block. The light emitted from the bulbs helps to illuminate the ground directly below them, which also brightens up the flowers and grasses you chose to surround the lights.
Thu, Jul 15, 2010
Outdoor Lighting