Solar light batteries can be replaced by placing your light in a clean and dry place, switching off the light and opening the battery compartment, inspecting the old batteries, removing the used batteries and inserting these recommended rechargeable batteries, switching on the light, and test-run the new battery, and get rid of the worn-out batteries.
With the increasing acceptance and adoption of solar technologies, more people, especially homeowners, tend to use these cost-effective solar lights for illuminating their homes, growing plants, ornamental purposes, and other essential functions. Solar lights come in varieties. There are indoor solar lights such as desk lamps, solar string lights, solar shed lights, and solar candles. There are also outdoor solar lights, e.g., solar garden lights, solar wall lights, solar security lights, floodlights, pathway lights, etc.
Before we delve into the process of how to replace the batteries, let’s first look at the components of solar light and how to know when the solar light batteries will need to be replaced with new batteries.
How to Know When Your Solar Light Batteries Need Replacement
Everything has a life cycle, after which they’re past its optimal performance. This is also applicable to rechargeable batteries. However, you can’t just conclude that the issue is from the battery because it’s not the only part that makes up the solar light. When the solar light batteries wear out, there are certain things you’ll notice. They include:
The Illumination Is Not as It Used to Be
You’ll notice a faulty solar light when the light is not giving enough light as it used to. To be sure it’s from the battery, place your solar light where it can get charged by the sun for at least four hours. This is enough time for the solar light batteries to charge effectively.
After switching on your light and the brightness is like it used to be, that means the issue is from the panels, not the light batteries. However, if the illumination is poor, it’s a case of dead solar light batteries that needs replacement.
Testing the Old Batteries in Other Solar Lights
This is another way to know whether you need to replace your light batteries. First, charge the light batteries and then look for a working solar light to test it on. If the batteries power up the light, the batteries are still in good condition. On the other hand, if the solar light battery fails to power the light, you should get replacement batteries.
Try Regular Batteries
If the solar light batteries are not powering up your solar lights after charging them, try regular batteries for these lights. If the lights work well, the next course of action is to replace the batteries.
Steps to Replace the Solar Light Batteries
If you’ve determined that replacing solar light batteries is the next course of action, follow the instructions below to replace solar light batteries:
- Take the solar lights to a clean, dry location where they won’t come in contact with external elements that may impair their performance.
- If the solar lights are switched on, put them off.
- Remove the battery casing. This is at the top part of the light housing for most solar garden lights, just a few inches from the solar light bulb. If your solar lights have no screws, you won’t need any tool to unscrew the light. If there is, you’ll need a screwdriver.
- To remove the batteries inside, twist the housing in an anti-clockwise direction, and it will open for you to remove the old battery.
- When you remove the battery inside, inspect it to know it’s rechargeable so you’ll know the size and capacity to replace it. In most cases, it can be a nickel-cadmium battery (NiCad), nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH), or lithium-ion battery. NiCad and NiMH batteries are the common rechargeable batteries used for solar lights. Most of these solar light batteries come pre-charged (an initial charge at the factory).
- After inspection, get new batteries with the same specifications as the old ones (You should replace nickel-cadmium batteries with the same type, size, and capacity and do the same with nickel-metal hydride batteries or lithium-ion batteries).
- Now, replace the battery cover and switch on the solar lights to test the new rechargeable batteries you just placed inside.
- If the light doesn’t illuminate, switch the light off and charge the battery by exposing the solar panel to sunlight. After 4-6 hours, the battery should be sufficiently charged to optimally power up the light.
- Properly dispose of the battery at battery recycling points or the closest electronic and hardware stores to you. Avoid dumping these batteries in the trashcan because they will eventually be transported to landfill sites where the toxic cadmium or hydride can leak and pollute the environment.
FAQs
What’s Solar Light Made Up Of?
Contrary to what you may think, solar light isn’t just the bulb. It also includes a solar panel, a rechargeable battery, and a charge controller. All these components must be in perfect working condition for the solar lights to function properly. If that’s not the case, you’ll have a faulty light on your hands.
How Solar Lights Work?
All these components are also interdependent on each other to ensure the solar lights are working. The solar panel taps energy from the sun’s rays and converts it into usable electricity. This energy is then stored by the solar light battery for later use, and finally, the controller ensures the battery is not overcharged to prevent it from being damaged.
The charge controller has an auxiliary function – regulating the illumination cycle. What this means is that it switches the LED bulb on and off depending on the amount of light in the area. As the sun sets and the place gets dark, the light comes on and vice versa.
Why Do Solar Light Need Batteries?
From the composition of the solar light, it’s normal to wonder why it even needs rechargeable batteries when it can run on the panels. Well, most solar lights, if not all, can work with just the panels, but the panel can only produce electricity for the light as long as it has exposure to direct sunlight. This means that when it’s evening, the solar lights will go off because there’s nothing to power them again.
Unless you plan to only use solar lights when it’s daytime, you’ll need rechargeable solar light batteries to provide power for the solar lights when it’s nighttime.
What Makes Rechargeable Batteries Wear Out?
Solar lights which are used outdoors are exposed to every weather condition, whether mild or extreme. The latter, which includes high humidity, turbulent rainfall, intense wind, or very low or high temperatures, will negatively affect these solar lights over time, and they lose their usefulness when that happens.
Why Replace these Batteries When Worn-Out?
The obvious reason (what everyone knows) is to ensure your lights are giving enough illumination. However, another reason we’re not aware of, which is even more important than the first reason, is that these batteries begin to leak acid when they’re worn out, and this causes serious and irrevocable damage to the electrical parts of the solar light. This is why you should replace the rechargeable batteries as soon as you see signs that the battery is worn-out.
Can I Use Both Nickel Batteries in the same Solar Light?
It’s not advisable to do this. Though nickel metal hydride batteries have the same voltage as nickel-cadmium batteries, they shouldn’t be used together. The best thing is to use either of them. So, go for a pair of a nickel-metal hydride or nickel-cadmium batteries. You may replace NiCad batteries with NiMh batteries but don’t mix them.
Can I Replace the Rechargeable Battery with an Alkaline, Conventional Battery?
No, you can’t. We recommend using the alkaline battery only for testing the solar light to determine if the solar light batteries need to be replaced. This is because when the solar panels start recharging the conventional solar batteries, it can trigger the emission of gases, resulting in an explosion that will ruin the entire light. We recommend using solar light batteries for solar lights and regular ones for conventional LED lights to prevent this.