Beatrice5
Well-Known Member
Has anyone installed solar lighting in their stable or field shelter and does it work? If so which make and model etc as I am trying to sort the wheat from the chaff
Any recommendations for solar stable lighting?
- Thread starter Beatrice5
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MissMincePie&Brandy
Well-Known Member
Although slightly better than nothing, we found our solar lighting to be a huge disappointment. We could just about see enough to roughly skip out, but still needed a head torch on for picking out feet and for doing most things even with the lights on.
MissMincePie&Brandy
Well-Known Member
forgot to say, ours were guardman shed lights.
alsxx
Well-Known Member
I looked into this but after doing a bit of investigating it turned out that the amount of sunlight in winter would not be sufficient to keep my 12v batt topped up alone (fine in summer but I don't need lights then!), and I would have still had to take it home to charge.
I don't think even the most expensive solar systems would work on their own in a british winter tbh! Not enough sunlight!
I don't think even the most expensive solar systems would work on their own in a british winter tbh! Not enough sunlight!
Shazzababs
Well-Known Member
My mother has no pwer at her yard. She uses 12V lights which run off a lorry battery.
She has tried keeping the battery topped up with a solar panel, but unless you have a really expensive large one, as other people have said we just don't get enough sun here in the winter to do the job, and who wnat top leave a large\expensive solar panel on a yard, especially one with no power.
The best solution she has found is to have 2 batteries, one in use and one at home on charge. She swaps them over once every 2 or 3 weeks.
We have some solar powered LED security lights which we got from Amazon, they were about £50 each. They are great, but not bright enough for anything except for making sure you don't trip over stuff in the dark. They have worked fine all winter.
She has tried keeping the battery topped up with a solar panel, but unless you have a really expensive large one, as other people have said we just don't get enough sun here in the winter to do the job, and who wnat top leave a large\expensive solar panel on a yard, especially one with no power.
The best solution she has found is to have 2 batteries, one in use and one at home on charge. She swaps them over once every 2 or 3 weeks.
We have some solar powered LED security lights which we got from Amazon, they were about £50 each. They are great, but not bright enough for anything except for making sure you don't trip over stuff in the dark. They have worked fine all winter.
brucea
Well-Known Member
Never tried solar lighting - but I got a great solar panel off ebay that works a treat for the electric fencer - I have it on max all day and the panel keeps the battery topped up. But I am not really sure it would do anything for a battery gettign the kind of drain lights put on it
Tallante
Well-Known Member
Most people here are saying that solar power alone doesn't work, so what about a dual system for solar and wind. Switch between one and the other depending on the weather.
I used to have a wind generator on my boat. Over the winter when the boat was moored up for months on end, it kept two huge batteries topped up and ready for action without problems.
You can get small, quiet ones designed for topping up batteries in case you're concerned about size and noise. You can get 2nd hand ones too.
I used to have a wind generator on my boat. Over the winter when the boat was moored up for months on end, it kept two huge batteries topped up and ready for action without problems.
You can get small, quiet ones designed for topping up batteries in case you're concerned about size and noise. You can get 2nd hand ones too.
Hoofprints in the Snow
Well-Known Member
Not had much luck yet with solar power. Halfords sell power packs with a three pin plug you can plug in low energy lights enough to light a stable well. They have to be recharged tho I have two, one charging while one in use. Have worked well for me the last two winters. They also blow up a flat tyre and jump start your car. They are expensive at around £100 each but well worth it.
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
i didnt consider solar lighting as where my stables were originally they were in the shade most of the day.I decided to go down the rechargeable lighting route. Worked a treat. Bright twin strip lights which i had in my store area, provided enough light for me to do everything I needed. I bought 6 in total so always had a spare few to take home and put on charge then swap over when the others had run out.
I know it might seem a faff but worked quite well. And at a cost of roughly £12 per light it wasnt that expensive either.
I know it might seem a faff but worked quite well. And at a cost of roughly £12 per light it wasnt that expensive either.
stencilface
High upon a hillside
I find that the clear panels we have in the roof are pretty good for solar lighting............
We used to use car batteries to power the lights in our stables which worked fine tbh, prob brighter and cheaper than solar. Before that we used camping gas lamps and tilly lamps, no fire risk then!
We used to use car batteries to power the lights in our stables which worked fine tbh, prob brighter and cheaper than solar. Before that we used camping gas lamps and tilly lamps, no fire risk then!
Rollin
Well-Known Member
We have security lights purchased from the Organic Gardening Catalogue. Even in a shady place one works well for most of the year.
The OGC also make a shed light which works of a switch rather than pir. These lights work much better than you might think.
Also they do a small moon marker with a press button.
Good Service too.
The OGC also make a shed light which works of a switch rather than pir. These lights work much better than you might think.
Also they do a small moon marker with a press button.
Good Service too.