It seems like solar powered garden lights are one of the easiest things in the world to install. According to the hype, all you do is stick the light in the ground and forget about it. For the next few years you can look forward to harvesting the power of the sun so that you can bask in the glow of LED lights after dark. While this is true to an extent, there are several things that you should do to make sure that your solar garden lights work up to their full capabilities.

Solar garden lighting works the best when it’s exposed to direct sunlight for several hours a day. If the lights don’t get the required amount of sunlight they won’t shine as brightly as they otherwise would and also won’t shine for the whole night. In certain situations this may be okay, but the last thing you want is have to run outside late at night and miss a few steps because your lights couldn’t keep their juice. This type of incomplete charging may also run your lights down much quicker, causing the batteries to wear out sooner and need replaced sooner than they otherwise would.

To make sure that your lights are going to get the right amount of sun, first decide where you want to install your solar lights. There are several great uses for outdoor solar lighting where it particularly excels. Once you’ve figured out where you want to stick your lights, observe the areas for the next few days. It is very important to look at the spots at different times of the day. Are they always exposed to direct sunlight or do they get shadows at certain times of the day? If they do get shadows how long are they under them for? Compare the amount of sun these areas get to how much the manufacturer of the solar lights you’re looking at recommends.

Next, try to buy one or two of the lights that you want to install on your property. Place these lights in the different locations that you are thinking about placing lights and let them sit for a few days. Do they perform as well as you would like? If so, the hard part of your work is done, go out and get the rest of the lights and stick them in the ground and forget about them, except for the seasonal cleaning of the light fixture.

If your solar powered garden lights don’t perform as well as you had hoped, you do have a few options. First, you could try getting a different style of light or a light from a different manufacturer. If you buy higher quality lights, the solar panels on them should be able to convert a higher amount of the sun’s rays into a battery charge. You can also try to slightly tweak where the lights will go, perhaps moving them a few feet if a certain shadow is a problem. Finally, you could also consider using a wired, low voltage system to run your lights. These systems run off your housing current and require more time and money to install, but they are more reliable than solar lights.

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