Solar Security Outdoor Lighting

My wife and I live in a rural area and our home is somewhat secluded. The home was built in mid 1980 and has a carport instead of a garage. My wife is heavily involved in athletic activities at our son's school and on occasion, arrives home alone well after dark. She was always concerned about the lack of lighting in the carport on these occasions so I set out on a mission to put her mind at ease at least on this issue. The solution turned out to be a solar powered security outdoor lighting fixture. However, this was not the first idea for a solution.

My first thought was to add a motion detector to the existing light fixture in the carport. But, despite my best efforts, I was unable to locate one that would work with the overhead light fixture that we presently have. My next thought was to replace the existing light fixture with a new one equipped with a motion detector. I struck out again due to the inability to locate an overhead light fixture with motion detection. The only thing I could think of was to purchase a hard-wired wall mount fixture and have it mounted on a post in the carport. While my wife's safety is most definitely an item in which no value can be placed and no expense spared, I still felt like there must be a less costly solution. That's when I came across a solar security lighting fixture and did the research and installation following the steps outlined below.

Determine the best location to mount a fixture that will provide adequate lighting for your area of need. The location you choose may limit your choice of fixtures to a certain type. This is why it is best to determine the mounting location first.

Research the different solar powered outdoor lighting fixtures that are available. These fixtures come in a variety of light bulb types such as incandescent spot and flood lights, halogen, and LED. I chose the LED type because according to the reviews I read, the lights seem to last longer and shine brighter. The LED fixtures are a little more costly so your budget could be affected by this choice.

Determine if you will need a fixture that requires remote mounting of the solar cell. With most fixtures, the solar cell must be able to receive direct sunlight for at least six hours each day to provide the maximum charge to the battery system. A fixture with a remote mounted solar cell allows the light fixture to be mounted at a location that receives no sunlight and allows the solar cell to be mounted in direct sunlight up to approximately 15 feet away depending on the fixture.

Purchase and mount the fixture at the desired location. Allow the fixture to fully charge the battery system. Most solar powered outdoor lighting fixtures require the battery pack to be charged for 3 to 4 complete cycles before using the light. Once the light is fully charged, wait for darkness and adjust the light to shine directly on the area of need.

With the development of solar security lighting there is no limit to where lighting can easily be installed. By following the steps above, you can provide a more safe and secure property for you and your family.

Patio Lighting Prolongs your Outdoor Enjoyment

For many of you that are like our family, you have spent lots of time and money planning and building a nice patio that provides hours of enjoyment in the perfect outdoor space. However, when night falls that nice area you spent so much time designing can become useless. So what's the solution? Patio lighting that can turn that dark patio into a warm, inviting space for entertaining and relaxing. When planning your patio lighting be sure to remember that more is not always better. Lighting too much of the area can provide too much glare. For a comfortable patio, a few well-placed patio lamps provide enough lighting to see, but retain the alluring, relaxing mood.

While patio lighting comes in a variety of styles and shapes, there are basically two types. Those powered by electricity, or those that burn lamp oil. I personally think that it takes a mixture of both types to obtain the perfect lighting scheme for a patio. For overhead lighting when your patio is covered, the obvious choice is electrical lights. You could also use hanging solar lights in this situation, which for the purpose of this discussion, I'll put in the class with electrical lights even though they will actually not be connected to the power grid. I would suggest that any overhead lighting you use, be installed on dimmers. With dimmers you can alter the amount of light at different levels in order to obtain the atmosphere you want at different times. If your patio is not covered and you have some tables with umbrellas, you can get LED patio umbrella lights that attach to the ribs of the umbrella and can make the area take on an almost magical feel.

Okay, now that you have taken care of your overhead lighting needs, it's time to look at some of the more subtle forms of patio lighting. The oil burning lamps are ideal for this need. The lamps are portable so they can be placed in different areas of your patio depending on the activities taking place at any given time. Keeping in mind that these oil burning lamps have an exposed flame, try to place these lamps in a place where they will not be bumped and possibly knocked over. Hot burning oil on the floor of a patio can quickly alter the mood of even the most lively party. Since you are going to be burning oil anyway, you might as well make the lamps serve a dual purpose and burn a citronella oil that will repel insects. Citronella oil is a safe, effective pesticide that emits a lemony fragrance that helps drive mosquitoes away. If you live in an area where mosquitoes are a problem you know why I suggest citronella oil.

When planning your patio lighting project, keep in mind that there is no reason that you cannot enjoy the same touches outside of your home that you enjoy inside. With all the choices available to you today, you should be able to develop a lighting scheme that can be used as an accent to the natural beauty of your surrounding landscape. By taking the time to discover the correct placement, your lighting will add that extra bit of allure and ambiance that will set just the right mood you are looking for.

Save with Solar Outdoor Lighting

Solar outdoor lighting is an inexpensive way to add charm and style to your property. I know what you are thinking. These solar powered things just do not do the job. They put out dim light that lasts little time, and they last very little time before needing replacement. Well, that used to be true. However, today's solar outdoor lighting systems use LED (light-emitting diode) light bulbs and utilize nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal-hydride batteries for energy storage. The LED light bulbs last much longer (sometimes for the life of the fixture) and burn brighter than there incandescent counterparts. Also, the nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries provide more power for longer periods of time.

The solar outdoor lighting in use today will generally store enough energy to burn for 8 to 12 hours depending on their location and the time of the year. Obviously, the key factor for any solar application is that the solar cell used to charge the battery be in a place where it will receive sunlight.
If the lights are placed in shaded areas or other places where they do not receive full sun, the burning time will be reduced proportionately. However, when properly placed, solar lights provide ease of installation and portability that their wired cousins just can't provide.

Some other advantages of solar outdoor lighting are that they can be installed without disturbing your present landscape; provide security even in remote areas of your property; reduce liability by illuminating a walkway or stairs, thus helping to prevent trips and falls in the dark; and one nice additional benefit is they save money because outdoor solar lighting costs nothing to operate.

When planning the purchase of solar outdoor lighting, keep the following things in mind. Ensure that replacement batteries and bulbs are available in case of failure. Some cheaper models can't be replaced, and must be disposed of when a problem occurs. If your yard has many trees or does not receive a lot of sunlight because of surrounding buildings, solar lights may not be right for you. For best results, replace batteries periodically and clean the solar cell of occasional dust and debris. Some manufacturers of these lights allow for the change of light bulbs so you can coordinate them with decorative colored bulbs for Christmas or other special events.

Don't be afraid to experiment with the placement of these lights. If you do not like the effect, they can easily be moved to another area. By doing a little early research and being attentive to the proper placement for the most available sunlight, you will have a solar outdoor lighting system that will last for many years to come, as well as, enhancing the beauty and enjoyment of your property.