7 Reasons why Your Solar Lights Not Working & How to Fix Them

How to Fix Solar LightsYou just bought a solar powered light, you un-boxed it, installed at your preferred location and noticed that the solar light is not working!

This is a very common scenario for most of the people using solar lights for the first time.

One more common issue faced by many home owners that their solar lights are not as bright as when they were new.

How many times have you come across situation like this and regret about buying the solar lights?

It is definitely an irritating experience for sure, and you want to be done with it. However, in order to do so you need to understand what exactly the problem is with your solar light, and whether or not it’s really an issue in first place or just an ignorance of something.

Once you know how solar power lights works and the basics or using it, you’ll be better equipped to fix the problem.

There are several possible problems that you need to check before you pinpoint and fix the issue.

In this blog post we listed 7 most common problems and how to fix them, so without a further ado lets dive into the details. At the end of this article you will probably able to fix the most common problems and able to make your light work as intended.

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1. There Is ON/OFF Button & It’s not turned ON

Most of the outdoor solar garden lights come with ON/OFF button, and that button needs to be turned ON.

In many cases this simple thing is ignored by many people and this is one of the main reasons why your solar light isn’t working as expected. There might also be a factory defect and the light doesn’t turning ON.

2. There Is a Pull Button and You Ignored It

Some solar lights comes with a pull button on the battery and it need to be removed before you turned on the light. This one is for the newly purchased items only.

So if you just bought a new solar light and if it’s not working, you definitely should check this out.

3. Test If the Sensor Is Working or Not

Solar lights don’t work during day time, in order to check them during day time you need to simulate darkness. Most solar lights have a little sensor to check darkness.

Make sure you check them during the night time and/or simulate the darkness by covering the sensor with your hand, cloth or something, after covering it if the light turn ON, then its fine. If they don’t, then solar light battery needs to be changed.

4. Make Sure the Solar Panel Is Clean and Working

After installing the light in your outdoor garden, later they tend to get dirty, you will notice reduced lighting time. Thus you need to make sure that panel is clean and don’t have dust or anything.

For that reason it’s a good idea to clean your panel every now and then and put it at a safe place when not in use i.e. rainy or winter season.

Dust and other accumulated residues can very much affect the charging process. That might cover solar panel and block the sunlight.

5. Ensure Your Solar Light Getting Direct Sunlight

If solar panel not getting the required sun light than the LED won’t work or can’t produce the brightest light as you would have expected.

Make sure you place your light at a location where it gets direct sun light. Normally a solar light should get 4-5 hours daily direct sun light to effectively charge the batteries and shine brightly during night hours.

6. Test the Lights with Alkaline (Regular) Batteries

Most newly purchased solar lights come with rechargeable batteries.

After their normal life span (typical couple of years) they tend to stop working or start performing poorly. If you see declined brightness in light, then it’s a time to change the batteries.

But before you buy new rechargeable batteries test the solar light by putting alkaline battery (regular batteries).

Only use the alkaline batteries to test the solar lights, do not leave them in your lights because alkaline batteries are not rechargeable.

7. Charge the Batteries for one day

To get the best from your newly purchased solar light, let the batteries fully charge for the first time before switching them ON.

Place the light at proper location, make sure you switch them OFF so that they get fully recharge, wait for 24 hours and start using them.

Last but not least, In case the above listed fixes not work for you, feel free to contact the vendor and get it fixed or replaced.

To wrap it up

Most home owners and gardeners get exhausted and frustrated with why their solar lights not working at all or not brightest as it should be.

But before you give up, take time and go through the steps mentioned above and see what you’re lacking or missing.

Now you know that there are ways to correct them. So get your hands dirty and start fixing your outdoor solar lights.

Check the review section of site where we have reviewed some of the best selling solar powered lights you can bank on!