Getting your solar lights ready for summer

Solar fairy lights and all other solar products need to have a little love and care from time to time to keep them working perfectly. It’s well worth the effort, and your solar lights will keep shining as long as you keep a couple of things in mind. Regardless of whichever solar light you have, the solar panel needs to be dirt free. Wiping over the solar panel with a clean, damp cloth will ensure the maximum charge is achieved by the battery whenever the sun shines. Next, ensure that the solar panel is placed where it will receive the maximum charge from the sun.

Contrary to popular belief, solar panels will not charge through glass (think conservatories here!) nor will they charge via artificial light (a table lamp, for example). If the panel has a stake, push the full length of the stake into soft ground, to keep the panel securely in place, and remember, pots and tubs work just as well as soil in the ground, so regardless of the size of your outdoor space, you can all enjoy the benefits of solar lights!

If you are having difficulty getting the lights to come on, take the back off the solar panel and replace the green, rechargeable solar battery with an ordinary AA or AAA battery. Simulate darkness by putting the panel flat onto a firm surface. The lights should come on, but please double check to ensure the switch is in the “on” position just to be sure. This means that the rechargeable solar battery has not received enough solar charge to make the lights work, so switch the battery back, re-fit the back of the panel, and place outside again following the guidelines above.

You will find that solar stake lights, solar path lights, and solar decking lights, all have a different panel to the solar fairy lights or solar festoon lights, but the rules are the same. Solar lights are brilliant as they come on just when you need them to completely automatically, and will shine until the battery life has expired. They will then recharge all over again once the sun is out! Perfect for the long, summer evenings ahead.