# Can broken Solar Garden Lights be fixed?



## Pelenaka

I have now about 5 lights that aren't lighting up despite new batteries.
So before I take tin snips to them so I can salvage the metal is there anyway to fix them ? 
The only thing that is "off" is that the solar panels are cloudy, but I have a few that are simular & they work. These are about 8 or 9 years old. 

~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## mightybooboo

I replaced batteries in mine from nicads to NiMH and they work great.If they arent lighting with charged batts its either the photocell,dead LED or broken wire.

Also check the on off switch.

I thought it was cool replacing batts on lights people threw out BTW.

I also took the cell off one and added it to another and it stays on almost all night,cool.Those are some pretty cool little self contained cells on those things.Decided Im going to buy every one I see at thrift store from now on.


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## Jim-mi

Some goofy ----- mano covered the panels with a VERY cheap plastic coating of some sort. That plastic with a lot of sunlight on it Totally fails.
I have some with that problem. 
They have clouded over so bad that the unit quits working. 
On one unit the cheap ----- coating is peeling off by its self and now the thing is dimly working.......again.
How will the PV panel survive without a "Top coating" . .??

stay tuned..................


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## CrashTestRanch

Jim-mi said:


> Some goofy ----- mano covered the panels with a VERY cheap plastic coating of some sort. That plastic with a lot of sunlight on it Totally fails.
> I have some with that problem.
> They have clouded over so bad that the unit quits working.
> On one unit the cheap ----- coating is peeling off by its self and now the thing is dimly working.......again.
> How will the PV panel survive without a "Top coating" . .??
> 
> stay tuned..................


you could replace that plastic with some cheap glass from the hardware store ...


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## Mickie3

mightybooboo said:


> I replaced batteries in mine from nicads to NiMH and they work great.If they arent lighting with charged batts its either the photocell,dead LED or broken wire.


Have been at Harbor Freight store and when they have some of their sales going, you can buy AA NiMH batteries cheaper than NiCads. That is why I changed mine out. Also, any of the rechargeable batteries can only be recharged a limited number of times (my lights are about 10-12 years old.) 

Take a look at the wiring, if you can *gently* tug on wires and there is no obvious corrosion on them, they are usually OK. If they are loose, solder them back in place and should work just fine.

If you charge the batteries on a charger, take the light into a low-light or dark area. Put your hand over the photocell, the unit should light up. If it doesn't, unit most likely has a bad photocell or LED and usually cheaper to buy new light and use that one for parts. You can put a voltmeter on the LED leads and check to see if the photocell is working (making it the LED that is bad), however, this is not usually the easiest route for most people and would require you to buy something that uses a low voltage LED light to cannibalize the light from to get a replacement. 

An a brighter not (pun intended), this is the time of year when these lights are usually on clearance, so it may be cheaper to buy new ones if you can't get the ones you already own to work easily.


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## roachhill

Have you tried putting a battery in fully charged. If it works with a pre charged battery then the problem is in the solar charging section, if not the problem is in the LED portion. Just seems a simple way to narrow the search for the problem.


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## mightybooboo

The ones I have have a cell underneath a plastic covering.The coverings may be getting faded,but the cells pop right out and look pristine on mine.And work great.They appear to be epoxy encapsulated on top single cells . Have one out in the weather epoxied to the top of a lamp,we will see how it holds up exposed.

This shows backside of cell in lamp,click to enlarge



===================================
My quicky thread on replacing batteries,sure is an easy fix...
===================================


Not much to these lights.Its a solar cell,a battery,and a LED light.

So yours stopped working,bet its the battery is dead,so replace it.

Dead Solar light




Open it up,in this case there is a dead NiCad rechargeable battery,AA size




Replace it with another battery,a nice rechargable NiMh battery should do




Put it back together,that's it! No rocket science here!



.............


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## How Do I

We bought some solar garden lights on clearance @Wally-World. Ours worked really well the first few years. The cheap NiCad batteries didn't last too long though. Switched over to NiMh and then a little while later the photocells went bad in all of them. So you can add a fresh NiMh battery and they stay on (even in broad daylight) until they go dead. Only one light is still working correctly. You still get plenty of juice from the panels, but I've been trying to figure out a good way to salvage them? Would it be worth the trouble replacing the photocells?


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## Jim-mi

Crashtest, It looks like the mano "painted" on the plastic coating . . so it will not come off easy.

I have a couple with what appears to be glass covered PV panels . .they are doing just fine.

Yup for the price --now-- of these things far easier to just get new ones......

our shame-full disposable society ..........


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## CrashTestRanch

oh ic .... like a plastic film covering the panel ... too bad, that bites, maybe some acetone or denatured alcohol would remove it, but not sure how that will affect the panel itself ...


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## wy_white_wolf

I've used plastic polish on some that were clouded over. They worked but not as well as when they were new.


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## Pelenaka

Mightybooboo, first thing I did was change the batteries. Same brand that you have pictured. No luck.
Also what's interesting is that I have one that is just as cloudy as the 5 that aren't working yet it works. All 5 seem to be intact no rusted out wires. DH has souldering (sp?) equipment just a matter of how far I want this grudge match to go. 
When I bought these lights they were $60 for 10. Pretty much have recouped my money I suppose but I really hate to have to buy new to replace them. Both because I'm cheap & just on the principle of it. 

~~ pelenaka ~~


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## mightybooboo

Agreed Pel,nothing like fixing broken doodads,eh?


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## Jim-mi

It is called planned obsolescence . . . . . . . .

Now you WILL be a good little sheeple and go SPEND another $60.

And NO arguing ............................


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## Mickie3

Jim-mi said:


> It is called planned obsolescence . . . . . . . .
> 
> Now you WILL be a good little sheeple and go SPEND another $60.
> 
> And NO arguing ............................


Also, its because things like this are made with the cheapest parts available, e.g. the wiring that is used is the absolute least that will handle the load. And, sadly, its nearly all companies that are producing at lowest parts cost now, as consumers have proven they will take low price over decent quality most every time.


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## Srose

I bought some outdoor solar lights good for the garden too. and I agree with some of our co-member here stay away from a cheap solar lighting that may not end well or last long. 
I installed Solario Solar Powered Lamps outside of my house. Solario can serve as garden lights, garden solar lights, or outdoor string lights. They can, likewise, provide security lights because they are motion-activated and can deliver brilliant light fixtures in your garden or patio. click here for more information about outdoor solar lights.


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## hunter63

Y'all must not have much to do....
This thread has a whole lot more solutions that take time a effort I no longer willing to attempt.

Had gone thru all of the above, batteries, mad dabbers in the photo cell, cloudy panels, corroded battery, broken wiring switching things around.......to say nothing about the kinds going by and swatting them off the posts....LOL

Neighbor worked at a place that either made them or packed and shipped them....anyway I have had a constant supply of different versions.
Life is too short....
Dead ones are now used for target practice......very satisfying.

Back to the regularly scheduled thread...


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## Gary in ohio

There are lots of different solar lights so its hard to tell which one you have. Generally these are pretty cheap products. Check the voltage from the panels. It its working then take the battery out and check to the voltage there. (Is it charging). The biggest issue with most of these is there just cheaply made Chinese products


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## Gary in ohio

mightybooboo said:


> I replaced batteries in mine from nicads to NiMH and they work great.If they arent lighting with charged batts its either the photocell,dead LED or broken wire.


Nicads and nimh batters charge very differently and this is generally not a good idea, but with the low voltage and outside you it not going to burn you house down.


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## Number21

There is a reason they come with NiCd and not NiMh, even the more expensive ones. NiMh do not have the same cycle life. In the end they will not last as long. Your light may have come with the cheapest possible batteries that don't work that great, but you can buy better quality NiCd if you really want to.

I buy mine at the dollar store...they light up all night just fine. 6AM they are still on. Not worth doing anything but throwing them away and buying more.


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