Solar Mio

Solar path lights are a great way to illuminate driveways, walkways, yards, or gardens in the house. They increase visibility and safety at night without consuming electricity. It makes them a suitable option if you are planning to buy pathway lights.

You will not need to lift an extra electricity bill burden due to these lights as they work on sunlight. You will also save the cost of electrical wiring from your house's main panel to each light pole.

They also elevate and highlight the different features of outdoor space and landscape. A solar panel charges the batteries during the daytime, and the battery lights up LED in the night. This way, you reduce the electricity bill, getting the same benefits as a standard path light.

Standard path lights can have a giant or a smaller top head. In contrast, solar path lights have a spacious structure to fit a small solar panel at the top.

If you plan to install path lights in your garden or backyard, solar path lights are the best option to invest. There are plenty of options available in the market. Here, I will help you to choose the best one, which suits your needs.

Selecting the Best Solar Path Lights

It is necessary to find your needs for selecting the solar path light of a particular brand. Every solar path light has its features depending on the price and components used in the light. You should take these points in mind while selecting a solar path light.

Purpose of Use

There may be one or many reasons you are going to use the solar path lights. You need to take these points in mind while selecting the solar path lights.

If you want to reduce the electricity bill, they are the best option to opt for garden and yards lighting.If the main concern is security, ensure that they have enough brightness to cover the area of interest.For a wet and rainy climate, they should be IP65 waterproof. Even if you are going to install in a warm and dry environment, select a water-resistant path light.Battery life is a crucial factor if you are using these lights for both decorations and safety. For decorative lights, you can compromise on it if the price is the prime concern.

Ground vs. Landscape Solar Lights

We install the ground solar path lights on the ground level. They are waterproof to avoid any damage to the light. They directly come into your eyes while walking on the pathway or near these lights. Due to this reason, many people do not like them.  In contrast, landscape solar path lights are installed at height. They through light on the sides or below them based on the design and features.

Unidirectional vs. Omnidirectional Solar Path Lights

Unidirectional solar path lights are suitable for the light at an angle on one side of the pathway. They highlight the features while concentrating the light on the walkway or the specific object. This way, a smaller power rating light is enough for some applications. Omnidirectional solar path lights are suitable to lit the area in all directions. They highlight the space around the path light.

Simple vs. Textured Lights

When the light comes out of a simple path light, there is no particular pattern or texture on the ground. Simple lights are suitable when we need only a highlight to an area with no specific pattern. Textured path lights have a pattern designed on their glass lens. It produces a pattern of light on the ground or nearby objects.

Now, I will give you in-depth details of some of the best solar path lights in the market. I will review their features while keeping in mind all the factors discussed earlier.

Best Solar Path Light Reviews

There are many famous brands in the market as well as online stores. Selecting the best solar path light of their choice is a difficult task for many people. Here, a review of some selected products is presented, covering the solar path lights' technical and aesthetic features.

BEAU JARDIN Solar Path Light (Best Budget)

Key Features

Whether you are looking to install a solar panel in your home to go off-grid or stepping up your fishing game by getting yourself a boat, sooner rather than later, you are going to require a deep cycle battery.

And unlike car batteries, many people have no understanding of deep cell batteries because they are not needed that often so if you are also one of those many people who have zero confidence while choosing a deep cycle battery for themselves.

There is no need to fret. I have cherry-picked the best deep cycle battery with help from my prior experiences and reviewed them in detail.

You can read through each of the battery's reviews and figure out the one that will be the most ideal for you.

How To Pick a Deep Cycle Battery For Your Needs

Before you dive deeper into the batteries' descriptive reviews, it is essential to know what features and attributes you should keep in mind when searching for a deep cycle battery in the first place.

I have also inserted some questions here that people often ask while purchasing a deep cycle battery. You can check them out too.

What to look for when choosing a deep cycle battery?

When buying a deep cycle battery, check the battery's capacity and always inspect whether its battery capacity will be enough to run whatever you want it to run smoothly or not. Also, see that if you are going to harness small output from the battery, there is no need to buy a large capacity battery. The high capacity batteries cost more, plus the extra energy would be of no use to you.

What brand should you go for when buying deep cycle batteries?

Some people skip this part because, to them, a low price is an utmost priority. But, I would never advise you to go for a shi*ty two-star brand to save a few extra bucks because the deep cell batteries manufactured with low build quality are not at all rugged and will hit you in the long run.

All the best deep cycle batteries I have recommended in this article are from reputable manufacturers. Even if you don't find any of these batteries suitable for whatever reason, you can buy some other battery but never cut corners and go for one without researching the brand's past reputation.

The Benefits of using a deep cycle battery

These are the advantages of using deep cycle batteries.

They are lighter and less bulky than traditional lead batteries.There are no liquids required in deep cycle batteries.Low maintenance cost.Deep cycle batteries have less energy loss.These batteries charge at a fast rate.The batteries are durable and also have a long life span.

How long does a deep cycle battery last?

Deep cycle battery is usually pretty long-lasting. You can use a deep cycle battery for up to six years provided that you take proper care of the battery and make sure that it is not getting damaged during the charging process.

You can learn more about the maintenance structure of deep cycle batteries here.

Can you use deep cycle batteries in your car?

The clear answer to this bizarre but frequently asked question is a big NO. A deep cycle battery can not produce enough power to start up your car in the first place, and even if you manage to run your car somehow because of a small engine. You will not be able to make it far, and the battery will lose its life in a very short time, so it is not practical at all to use a deep cycle battery in your car.

At what amperage rate should I charge my deep cycle battery?

Usually, these batteries are charged at more than 6 amps. However, there is a different rating recommended for every battery, depending on its size. I would recommend you check the label on your battery to get hold of the precise ampere rating you should charge your battery and if you can not find the rating on the label, then look for it on the battery's manual.

Can you overcharge a deep cycle battery?

No matter what type of battery you are using, overcharging is never a good idea. In fact, overcharging

If you are going solar for your home or business, it is important you know why and how to wire solar panels in parallel.

Mark just switched to solar energy as an alternative energy option. With all the talk about renewable energy and climate change, he decided to ‘go clean and green’ with his home energy supply.

He is finding it quite confusing to understand how to install the system in his home. Mark isn’t sure he needs to learn how to wire solar panels in any specific way: parallel or series. This is because to him, once the connection provides electricity, it’s all good. But is it?

Well, I‘m so not sorry to burst Mark’s bubbles, and yours too if you think the same way. How you wire your solar panels matters. It is one of the most important variables in your solar energy system. It determines the overall efficiency of your system and also affects the kind of equipment you would have to buy alongside it.

For one, your choice of inverter is based on its current and voltage rating depends on how your solar panels are connected: series, parallel or both. I’m sure you want the best option for your home, right? This is why you have to take note of this.

For those who are still in the dark as to what solar energy, solar panels, inverters and all the jargons we have just discussed, no worries. I got you. Let’s take a run down through the basic concepts. Shall we?

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is the most available energy source on earth. It is clean, renewable and cannot be used up. Solar energy is increasingly being integrated as an off-grid energy option in homes and offices. This is well in line with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, which targets a substantial increase in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix as well as an improvement in energy efficiency globally.

Functions of a Solar Panel and Solar Energy System

A Solar panel is a very important component of the solar energy system. It is responsible for trapping sunlight and converting it into electrical energy. The panels are made of Photovoltaic cells or PV cells. They are spread about on the surface of the panel boards. When sun rays fall on these cells, they are converted to electricity. So, the more the panels, the more PV cells are available to generate electricity. This electricity is Direct Current (DC). However, most of our commonly used electrical equipment make use of Alternating Current (AC). An inverter is then connected to the solar panels. Inverters are electronic devices that convert DC to the required AC needed to power electrical devices. So, we have our needed current and so our system is set up, or is it? There is still one more thing.

We also need batteries in our system. Since we do not have the sun in full intensity at every time of the day (of course night comes and the sun retires to bed), we cannot guarantee that we would always be able to constantly produce a certain amount of electricity. Also, during cloudy days and also in the winter, the many clouds that form in the sky reduce the intensity of the sun reaching us. This means that much electricity can be generated from our solar energy option. This is where batteries come in. Batteries help us store the energy generated for future use. During the day when the sun is at its peak, you can use electricity in your home and be rest assured that by night, you’d still have electricity running so you can continue from where you left off the Game of Thrones episode before work. I see it like a kind of savings account or piggy bank, where you save energy for the rainy day (pun intended).

How Do You Increase Efficiency and Power of Your Solar Energy System?

To increase the efficiency and power output of your solar energy system, it is advised that you buy more solar panels. When you have more solar panels, the ideal thing to do is to connect them. This is pretty much obvious. Now here’s the catch. Well, panels are not connected in just

If you are stumbling around to know, how to bring a deep cycle battery back to life, you are at the right place. I will explain to you in detail, how you can repair an old battery so that you can use it for some more couple of years instead of buying a new one.

Deep cycle batteries are specially designed lead-acid batteries, known for maintenance-free and longer life span.  A normal car lead-acid battery gives a quick burst of current for ignition or other purposes. In contrast, deep cycle batteries are capable to provide steady current for a longer duration. Hence, deep cycle batteries are preferred in off-grid or hybrid solar power systems.

If a battery is left unused for a longer duration, it produces sulphate crystals on the plates of battery cells. The sulphate crystal minimizes acid contact with the cell plates, resulting in rapid charging and short discharging time. This makes the battery ineffective or sometimes useless.

Going straight away to buy a new battery is not a good option all the time. It will need an investment in new battery which is an expensive solution. In many conditions, you can recover the battery or enhance battery life for some more years.

In a battery, there may be a sign of not holding a charge, or even not taking a charge, you can try to repair it to get more out of it. A series of steps are given here which you can follow to get your battery back to life.

Precautionary Measures

Before starting off with the repairing procedure, you must take these points in mind,

Strictly follow the precautionary measures where discussed in the procedure.Use proper or appropriate tools for every job done with the battery.Battery inspection is very important procedure, do not overlook it in any case.While caps of the battery cells are open, try to avoid contact with electrolyte (water) inside the battery as it is acidic in nature.While charging the battery for the first time, pay attention to it regularly for first couple of hours. If body of the battery is too hot to touch, disconnect the charger immediately.

Tools and Materials needed for the Repairing Process

These tools will be used in repairing process while performing different steps.

Battery chargerBattery DesulfatorBattery Load TesterFlathead or Phillips head screwdriverDry rag or a piece of cloth for cleaningBaking sodaDistilled WaterWrench or spanner for battery clamps

Preliminary Inspection and Cleaning

You will need to thoroughly inspect the condition of the battery. Check for any leakage in the battery because water level may go down due to leakage. Remove the battery terminals if they are connected. You should have two wrenches or spanners of correct size to loosen the battery clamps. In some designs of the battery clamps, you may need to use a flat head or Philips head screwdriver to remove the clamps.

Battery terminals get corroded as the battery ages or due to environmental conditions. A white or greenish-blue powder forms at the terminals. You should use gloves and safety goggles while doing the cleaning as the powder is toxic. First, clean the battery using a dry rag or any piece of cloth. Add 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda in a glass of water. Then, use the solution to clean the battery surface with a piece of cloth.

Inspect for the battery cell condition

Open the cover or caps from the cells of the battery and check for the water level in each cell. If there is no or little water, then inspect for the condition of the cells as well. They should be at least moist, otherwise, there are chances of the battery destroyed. Look into each cell for the accumulated debris at the bottom. When the battery is dried off too much, the stuff from the plates is shed off and accumulated at the bottom. This stuff shorts the bottom of the cell plates and charging this battery is dangerous.

Pour water in each cell of the battery

Now, the time is to add distilled water in the battery. If the condition of cel

If you are stomping your head off trying to figure out how to stop LED lights glowing when off, then stomp no more because in this article all the solutions to fix the problem have been explained.

Shoddily manufactured LED lights, when turned off, often produce an afterglow.

I have experienced this unusual behavior with the LED lights in my home too. At first, I did not heed much. Soon the rather abnormal phenomenon started annoying me, especially during my sleep hours. Hence I was forced to find a solution to fix this soul-sucking problem.

With some help from a few professionals of the field and some internet research about LED lights, I was able to identify and resolve the issue.

If you're also going through the same mind-boggling nuisance I was going through and also wondering how the heck are you supposed to stop already switched off LED lights from glowing, then you might want to keep reading because further in the article, I have explained all the fixes you can use to make the problem go away in as minimal technical terms as possible.

What causes already switched off LED lights to glow?

You must be left scratching your head while experiencing this weird occurrence of dimly lit LED lights for the first time, some are even left terrified, but before you draw any jigsaw conclusion, I am here to assure you that this is definitely not some devil's work. In fact, this behavior is triggered in LED lights by not only one but many reasons.

Reason 1

LED lights are said to consume 25-80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Usually, this high-efficiency factor of LED lights causes them to flicker because there is always some amount of energy left in the circuit after you switch off the light. That little energy is enough to light up the LED for some time dimly.

Reason 2

Poorly done or old electrical wiring also causes the LED lights to produce an afterglow effect.

The obsolete wiring does not affect incandescent bulbs. Suppose you have recently switched to LED lights on old electrical wiring. In that case, it could be a possible reason for the afterglow in the LED lights.

Reason 3

If you are facing the afterglow problem in LED lights near a staircase or a hallway, then there is a high chance that two conductors connected in parallel might be causing the lights to flicker.

Reason 4

Sometimes the light switch that you toggle to turn off the LED lights switches off the neutral conductor instead of the phase. This causes a low voltage drop in the phase, which is enough to pull the afterglow in LED lights.

Reason 5

White LED light can produce an afterglow for several minutes due to phosphor. Phosphor is used in bulbs to convert the original blue light emitted from LEDs into white light because phosphor is of yellow color and the combination of blue and yellow creates white color.

Things You Will Need To Stop LED Lights Glowing When Off

Here is a list of things you will need to follow the fixes given below in order to stop LED lights glowing when off:

LED lights from a reputable manufacturerNeon indicator lightZener diodeCompact fluorescent lamp (CFL)Screwdriver

Keep trying the next fix until you achieve success in removing the afterglow.

Replace The Flickering LED Lights

A lot of the time, the LED light itself triggers the afterglow effect due to its low build quality or incompatibility with the electrical wiring of your house.

So the first and the easiest solution I will recommend you to try to stop the flickering of the light is to replace that old light with a new LED light from a reputable manufacturer.

If the flickering goes away after replacing the previous LED light with a new one, consider replacing all the flickering lights of your home to get rid of the problem completely.

Install A Neon Indicator Light

You can easily get a pre-wired neon indicator light from any electronics store or online through Amazon or eBay for a couple of bucks. But if you

Solar energy enabled equipments have become a new trend in the market. Companies are discovering new methods of using solar energy and bringing them into use. One such technology is Solar Tube Lighting. These are also known as sun tunnel or light pipe.

These light sources are perfect alternatives of skylights for getting the sunlight inside the room. These provide the natural way of brightening the dark areas of the house with natural or soft sunlight. Even during times when the sun is not visible, they are also accompanied by a photovoltaic technology which lightens the room anyways.

The mechanism of solar tube lighting is relatively simple. These tubes are made of polished sheet metal or with highly reflective material. These materials channelize the sunlight into the house, amplifying the same as it passes through the tube. The solar tube lights come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 10 to 22 inches in diameter. They are also capped with a clear and weatherproof dome, thereby acting as small scale skylights. Solar tube lights gained popularity because of the benefits like free lighting and low to minimal rate of leaks.

In comparison to skylights, solar tube lights have many additional benefits as well. These solar tube lights not only allow light but being narrow can be set up deeper into the rooms to bring more light inside the room.

What Are The Drawbacks to Solar Tube Lighting?

In spite of having so many benefits, solar tube lights are still not the best and the most efficient light sources to go for. Solar tube lights may be affordable and efficient in comparison to other alternatives. On comparing the pros and cons together, we concluded that cons outweigh pros. So, before buying solar tube lights, it is advisable to go through this list of cons as stated below.

No view of the sky

The ultimate purpose of solar tube lights varies and limits itself to small openings and then, amplifying the natural light to brighten the room. In this arrangement, the residents do not get any view of the sky which they would in the normal skylight. This arrangement can also bring a monotonous look in the house as well. On comparing this technology to skylights, it is observed that installing the latter not only allows ample natural sunlight to come inside the room, but also lets the residents enjoy the beautiful view of the sky.

Not suited for every home

Although solar tube lights take less roof space in comparison to the skylight, yet they take a lot of space in the house. This arrangement also reduces the chances of installing them using pipes in small homes as there is not enough space. So, it limits the usage of solar tube lighting in smaller houses. Therefore, the average family might not be able to afford that much space in their homes for the installation of the solar tube lights.

Further, the design of the roof, i.e. the slope, the slant and such other factors also form a significant hindrance while installing  solar tube lights. In comparison to skylights, another major issue is air circulation. This type of lighting is best suitable only for one-floor depths as the deeper you go into the house, the lesser light you receive. The reason being the longer the pipe, the lesser will be the light. Also, this depends upon a person’s personal choice as well. If a person wants to give preference to the appearance of the house, solar tube lights are not the best option. On the contrary, skylight boosts the appearance of the house leaps and bounds.

The only source of energy

It is essential to understand that the solar tube light’s source of power or energy is sunlight only. Though, there are some alternative light sources available but the only source of light in case of solar tube lighting is sunlight. On the days when there is rain, weather conditions are not favourable, not enough sunlight coming to the house, solar tube lighting is not feasible at all. In such cases, the residents will always