Posts tagged Solar Garden

Some Tips for Choosing a Solar Garden Fountain

May 6th

Posted by admin in Outdoor Water Fountain

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Should you purchase a solar fountain or a wired fountain? They each have their advantages and disadvantages but we have found that solar powered fountains are safer with children and animals and easier to maintain than wired fountains although they do have the drawback of working poorly in the winter months.The panels on solar fountains use photovoltaic cells to collect the sun’s energy throughout the day to operate the pump. Since they need sunshine the pump will reduce speed and the water will cease through the night or if the sky is overcast.

Installing a Solar Garden Fountain

Solar fountains are easy to set up and the majority will need no difficult installation. Solar fountains may either have panels in the pedestal or separate panels that can be positioned at a distance. This enables the fountain to be placed in a shady spot while the panels are sited where they can gather the sunlight. The separate panels can be sited on a hard surface, mounted on a tree or wall or on a wooden stake planted firmly in the ground.

Storing Energy

Most solar panels are not capable of storing power so they cannot be used by night. They will operate most efficiently on sunlit days and on overcast days they may only pump water slowly or not at all. During the winter it is advisable to disconnect the panels as during very cold or sub-zero weather the pump may work intermittently if it is sunny and some damage could happen. A few solar fountains may have battery backups to make up for short periods but the majority are really only intended to be operated on sunny days.

Ease of Use

Solar garden fountains are convenient as they necessitate no wires from the mains and can be positioned a long way from the home. With remote panels they could even be placed in in the shade or in gazebos.

Solar Fountains for Ponds

Additionally many solar fountains are specially made for fish ponds and are also convenient as they don’t need power cords from the mains supply. They can be set to float on the water or set them in position with rocks or fixed to secure them.

Solar Garden Fountain Safety

Solar fountains are environmentally friendly without poisonous emissions, no noise and no materials that could escape and be a hazard. As there aren’t any wires they are safe for pets and the family.

Conclusion

Fountains powered by sunlight are cheap to run, very easy to take care of and safer than wired fountains. Even though they have the drawback of functioning poorly through the winter months they would be, however, excellent additions to your garden.

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Some Advantages of Garden Solar Lights

May 5th

Posted by admin in Uncategorized

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solar panels
Image by cmurtaugh via Flickr

Solar powered garden lights are examples of outdoor lantern lights that are becoming more and more common as they are trouble-free to put in and won’t increase your electricity bill. There are a wide range of solar powered garden lights to pick from including pathway lights, globe lights, lantern lights, hanging lights and lighting made in the form of flowers. Some come with a post to easily set in the ground. They all use rechargeable batteries which make use of solar energy collected through the day to charge them and they usually turn on automatically at sundown.

Advantages of Solar Garden Lighting

Solar garden lighting do not need any wiring so there are no trailing wires that can be a danger to kids and animals or that necessitate extensive burying in the earth. They are extremely trouble-free to put in, just plant the stake in the ground, or hang them up from an appropriate tree or post. You can set them to come on automatically at twilight, and they don’t use electricity so they are really economical to run once purchased.

Some Disadvantages of Solar Garden Lights

The main disadvantage of solar garden lighting are the rechargeable batteries which tend not to be able to collect adequate energy to continue throughout the night time and need to be changed every few years. What’s more they have only a very tiny area of solar panels that can only collect a small amount of sunlight. The power stored gives only a small number of hours of illumination which tends to decline as the batteries age. Nonetheless if all you actually require is light for the evening they will doubtless be enough. The advantage, that they require no wiring or complicated putting in place, turns into a shortcoming, as what is effortlessly set in place can be just as easily detached. This makes them at risk of theft unless you fasten them in position as you would a conventional wired light.

They utilize energy from the sun so they require a certain amount of sunlight to recharge the batteries. They can’t consequently be used in shaded places, or on walls that are in the shadow for part of the day. They only work really efficiently when there’s sufficient sunlight so can perform poorly during the winter months.

Is Solar Garden Lighting Environmentally Friendly?

Well yes and no They do not use any current, consequently there is no impact on the environment there. They do however use batteries that are rechargeable which must be replaced and disposed of. In general however we would conclude that they are definitely more environmentally friendly than electricity powered lights.

Conclusion

If you require lighting for just a small number of hours in the evening in a part of the backyard that is in complete sunlight through the day, solar garden lights would be suitable. Be prepared to replace the batteries every couple of years and if you think your backyard is open enough for theft to be a problem you may need to install them in place more firmly than normal.

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