Solar lights have become a popular choice for outdoor lighting thanks to their energy-saving, environmentally friendly and wiring-free advantages. However, many people will encounter this trouble: after the rain solar lights suddenly “strike”, then mistakenly think that the rain directly damaged the lamps. In fact, the real cause of its failure, is the rain triggered by water seepage, insufficient light, panel pollution and other derivative problems. These problems are not insurmountable, by understanding the specific causes and take targeted measures, not only to repair the failure, but also to prevent in advance, so that the solar lights in rainy weather can also work stably.
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The core working logic of solar lights is charging during the day and discharging at night. During the day, the solar panel absorbs light energy and converts it into electricity, which is stored in the battery; at night, the sensor senses that the light is dimming and automatically triggers the battery to supply power to the lamp beads. This logic still holds true when it rains. Even with heavy cloud cover, visible light can penetrate the rain to reach the solar panels, but the conversion efficiency drops to 75%-90% of what it would be on a sunny day. Under normal circumstances, as long as the batteries have stored enough power before the rain, and the equipment is not faulty, the solar light will be able to light up normally after the rain.
What really affects its work are the “derivative problems” brought by rainy days: such as rainwater seeping into the interior of the device, dust being washed onto the surface of the solar panel, and continuous cloudy rains leading to battery depletion. Below we analyze and solve these problems.
The housing, battery compartment and circuit interfaces of solar lights all require strict sealing design to block rainwater intrusion. However, due to the poor sealing process of some products, such as cutting corners in the sealing ring and large gaps in the shell splicing, rainwater will seep into the interior along the gaps during heavy rain or continuous rainfall. In addition, wear and tear after long-term use can also exacerbate the problem – for example, frequent disassembly and replacement of batteries lead to the aging of the sealant, the shell of the sun and rain by the emergence of small cracks, which will allow rain to take advantage of the opportunity. Once rainwater comes into contact with the main circuit board or battery electrodes, it can cause short circuits, corrosion of metal parts, and ultimately lead to the lamps and lanterns can not be lit.
First disconnect the lamp power supply, carefully disassemble the shell (pay attention to record the location of parts, to avoid errors during installation), with a dry soft cloth or absorbent cotton wipe the internal circuit, battery and shell, to ensure that there is no moisture residue, can be placed in a ventilated place to dry for 1-2 hours, to avoid exposure to the sun, check the shell whether there is a crack or sealing gaps, for minor gaps, can be coated with a layer of waterproof sealant, if the sealing ring is aging or If the sealing ring is aging or broken, directly replace the sealing ring of the same type, when assembling the shell after repair, make sure that the screws are tightened (with even strength, to avoid deformation of the shell to produce new gaps), and then prioritize the choice of IP65 and above waterproof solar lights, these products can withstand the high pressure of water spraying, and are more suitable for rainy areas.
Solar light is directly dependent on the light intensity. During rainy days, clouds can block 10%-25% of the sunlight, resulting in a significant drop in the amount of power generated by the solar panels. If it rains continuously, the battery’s stored power will continue to be depleted but not replenished in time, and the light will eventually go out due to exhaustion. More seriously, if the solar lights were originally installed in the shade, building shadows and other areas of insufficient light, even if the charging efficiency of sunny days is low, rainy days is “worse” – the battery is in a long-term “half-full ” state, not only can not work after the rain, but also shorten the battery life.
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Observe the installation position of the solar light, readjust it to an unobstructed area to ensure that it can receive at least 4-6 hours of direct light every day, adjust the angle of the solar panel seasonally: if the sunlight angle is high in summer, you can flatten the panel (the angle is about 30° from the ground), if the sunlight angle is low in winter, tilt the panel by about 60°, to maximize the reception of light, and if the rainy season in the region is longer, you can replace the solar panel with a large-sized one. If the rainy season is long in your area, you can change to a luminaire with large solar panels.
Rain does not “clean” the solar panels, but rather washes impurities such as airborne dust, pollen, bird droppings, etc. onto the surface of the panels, forming a film of dirt. This film blocks light from penetrating the panels, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the solar panels’ photovoltaic conversion – even if visible light is available on a rainy day, it cannot be absorbed efficiently. If not cleaned for a long time, the dirt will harden and penetrate into the surface texture of the panel. Not only will the charging be insufficient on rainy days, but also on sunny days, which ultimately manifests itself in the form of “no charging during the day and no light at night”.
Prepare a basin of warm water (plus a small amount of neutral detergent) and a soft sponge (or microfiber cloth), gently wipe the surface of the solar panel (moderate strength, to avoid scratching the panel coating), and then use water to wipe the residual foam, and finally dry the water with a dry cloth (to avoid water stains residue), the development of the cleaning cycle: ordinary environment cleaned every 3-6 months, if you live by the side of the road (with automobile exhaust oil pollution), near the construction site (dusty), it is recommended to clean once a month, after cleaning, check whether the panel has scratches: if there are minor scratches, you can apply a layer of special solar panel restorative (to reduce the loss of light reflection), serious scratches need to replace the panel (contact the brand after-sales).
The battery of the solar light is the core of energy storage, the life of ordinary Ni-Cd battery is about 1-2 years, Ni-MH or lithium battery is about 2-3 years. Water ingress in rainy days will accelerate the aging of the battery — rain contact with the electrodes will lead to corrosion, resulting in increased internal resistance of the battery and decreased charging and discharging efficiency. At the same time, insufficient charging on rainy days will leave the battery in a “deficit” state for a long time, further shortening its life. In addition, newly purchased solar lights without removing the battery protection pull tabs (isolation tabs to prevent power consumption during transportation) will not be able to be charged even on sunny days, and naturally will not light up even more on rainy days, and will easily be misjudged as “failure after rain”.
Disassemble the battery compartment and take out the battery for inspection: if you find green/white corrosion on the electrodes, use a cotton swab dipped in a small amount of white vinegar to wipe it clean (serious corrosion requires direct replacement of the battery), if the battery shell is bulging and leaking, immediately discard and replace with a new one, and choose the appropriate high-quality battery when replacing it. Give priority to 1.2V nickel-metal hydride batteries (capacity 20% larger than the original battery, such as the original battery 1000mAh, can be replaced by 1200mAh) or 3.7V lithium batteries (better low-temperature performance, suitable for cold regions), pay attention to the direction of the positive and negative electrodes should not be installed in the opposite direction.
The new lamp must be checked before use, remove the battery compartment protection pull tabs (usually red or transparent plastic), before the first time to use the sunny day in the sunshine 8 hours or more, let the battery activate and fully charged. Remove the protective tabs from the battery compartment (usually red or clear plastic tabs) and expose the battery to sunlight for more than 8 hours before first use.
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The light sensor of the solar light is responsible for detecting the ambient brightness and controlling the light to “automatically light up in the dark and go out at dawn”. On rainy days, the surface of the sensor may be covered with rain and dust, resulting in an inability to accurately sense light – such as misjudging that it is “still daytime” and remaining off. Or, rainwater may seep inside the sensor, causing a short circuit and a complete loss of control. In addition, if the sensor is illuminated by reflective objects (e.g., walls, glass) in the installation location, the reflection will interfere with sensing in rainy days, which may also result in the fixture not lighting up.
Find the sensor location, gently wipe the surface with a dry cotton swab to remove rain, dust and other impurities (avoid using wet paper towels to prevent moisture infiltration), test the sensor function: in the evening or indoors, cover the sensor with an impermeable object, if the lamps and lanterns are normally lit up, indicating that the sensor has been restored, if they still do not light up, it may be the internal failure of the sensor, you need to replace the same type of sensor, to adjust the installation angle of the sensor. Adjust the installation angle of the sensor to avoid facing the wall, glass and other reflective surfaces, if the sensor is exposed, you can add a small rain cover (with a plastic sheet of homemade, do not block the sensor area can be), to reduce the direct wash of rainwater.
Prioritize solar lights with waterproofing level of IP65 and above, IP65 level can prevent high-pressure spraying water, which can fully cope with torrential rain, and if in rainy areas, you can choose IP66 level, which can prevent the impact of large waves, and at the same time, the level can prevent the impact of large waves. If you are in a rainy area, you can choose IP66 level, which can prevent the impact of large waves, and pay attention to the material, choose ABS plastic or stainless steel for the shell, which is corrosion-resistant, and choose lithium battery, which is more resistant to moisture than Ni-MH batteries, so as to minimize the possibility of malfunctioning after the rain from the source.
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Every 3 months to check the sealing of the shell, found that the gap in time to repair with waterproof glue, every 3-6 months to clean the solar panel, dusty environment can be shortened to once a month, once a year to check the status of the battery, if you find that the endurance is significantly shortened in time to replace the new batteries, these small operations, although simple, but can effectively extend the service life of the solar lights, reduce the probability of failure after the rain. These small operations, although simple, can effectively extend the service life of solar lights and reduce the probability of failure after rain.
Different regions have different climates and different prevention focuses. In rainy and humid regions, the waterproofing of the housing should be strengthened, and additional sealant can be applied while choosing corrosion-resistant materials. In areas with prolonged cloudy conditions, use a large solar panel and reserve a USB charging port to ensure adequate charging. In dusty areas, increase the cleaning frequency of solar panels and add a dust cover to the sensor to avoid dust affecting the sensing function.
The failure of solar lights after rain is not a common problem that rain and lights can’t coexist, but can be solved through scientific response. From investigating water seepage, cleaning panels to optimizing the charging environment, every step of the process points to the core of “targeted solutions to derivative problems”. What’s more, choosing highly waterproof products in advance, regularly maintaining sealing performance, and adjusting installation methods according to the climate can reduce the probability of failure from the source. As long as these methods are mastered, even in the rainy season, solar lights can continue to convert light energy into illumination, and truly take advantage of energy saving and energy conservation.
