How to Maintain All In One Solar Street Lights?
Generally speaking, all in one solar street lights do not need much maintenance after being installed, because all in one solar street lights is a very mature technology. But the operation/working environment has a great impact on outdoor solar lighting, Different installation site needs different maintenance accordingly. For example, in Africa, we should consider not only high temperature but also dust. Then we analyze some common maintenance problems from the following aspects:
The influence of dust is mainly directly can be seen on the solar panels, because the dust will mainly affect the solar panels’ absorption of sunlight radiation, thus affecting the solar panels’ power generation efficiency. Normally, daily regular cleaning is no need because rainwater washes away the dust attached to solar panels on rainy days, but in some particularly arid environments or regions, rainwater is very few. Users can clean the solar panels regularly according to the actual situation, such as once a quarter, or once a year, depending on the rain and dust conditions of the installation site.
In some countries, winter snowfalls very long and heavy, or some lamps are installed near tall trees. Snow, leaves and bird droppings may be attached to solar panels. When there is a decrease in power generation efficiency, such as a decrease in the number of continuous rainy days or a shorter light-on time, which reminders they need to be cleaned up. Look at these shields.
Usually, do not need to do special maintenance or replace batteries during the service life if they use high-quality & reliable batteries. According to our previous experience, LED light source and solar panel generally do not need to be maintained after the service lifetime, but the performance of the battery may decline after five years, so if the service lifetime exceeds, the lamp is still working, but the number of continuous rainy days has decreased significantly, we can consider replacing the battery for adding another life cycle.
Clean The Solar Panels
The influence of dust is mainly directly can be seen on the solar panels, because the dust will affect the solar panels’ absorption of sunlight radiation, thus affecting the solar panels’ power generation efficiency. Users are supposed to clean the solar panels regularly according to the actual situation, such as once a quarter, or once a year, depending on the rain and dust conditions of the installation site. Regular cleaning will make sure the solar panels function effectively.
Here are some tips for cleaning your solar panels:
(1)Hose off the solar panels to wet them down and wash off any loose dirt and dust.
(2)Then use your brush and soapy water to scrub down the panels. Try to get off the spots by gently using your finger or allowing the soap to soak for a few minutes.
(3)Rinse the panels off thoroughly and make sure that there is no soapy residue.
(4)Take your squeegee to clean up all water on the panels.
Clean The Light Globe
Sometimes, it is the light globe that needs to be cleaned. Because they are exposed to the outdoor environment in a long term, dust and debris do cover the outer covering of the globe. When you take your soft cloth, soapy water and scrub brush out, you can also clean up the mud, dirt or debris from the globes. Do this cleaning can help extend your solar street light’s lifespan and maintain its visual appeal.
Regularly Trim The Surrounding Shrubs And Trees
The less shady the spot of the solar street light panels is, the more sunlight they will absorb. That is to say, more solar power will be generated. Therefore, it is important to remove those shade-creating objects from the path of the sunlight. This task will need to be completed regularly because your solar street lights mainly rely on the sunlight. According to the growth rate of surrounding shrubs and trees, you should prune them as often as once per month.
Maintain or Replace The Battery
According to our experience,
LED light source and solar panels generally do not need to be maintained after the service lifetime, but the performance of the battery may decline after five years, so if the service lifetime exceeds, the lamp is still working, we can consider replacing the battery for adding another life cycle.
Solar street light batteries generally last between one and three years before they need to be replaced. You will know your batteries need to be replaced when your lights consistently stay on shorter periods of time at night, when the light becomes dimmed or when your solar lights stop working completely.
Check Your Wires And Connections
A benefit of choosing
solar street light is that you do not have to worry about burying electrical wires, but there are still wires that may need your attention. If your fixtures are separate from the solar panels, you will have a wire connecting the two parts that may be chewed by wildlife or pets. The more common case is simply having interior wires connecting your on-fixture solar panel to the batteries. Although this wire is pretty protected, it still may be possible for wildlife to access it and chew through the wires.
Therefore, you should check for any possible damaged wires and broken connections every three to six months. By following this step, the lifespan of your
solar street light will be significantly increased. Do a detailed analysis of the wires and if you spot any irregularity or problem in the wires, change them before a little problem shuts down the whole system.
