Has anyone discovered a cheap DIY solar solution for lighting?

[Klorinth]

Rendon,

That's a good idea. I have those wrapped around the top of the dog runs. You're right. They really do put out a lot of light. I have a deep cycle that might be worth trying.

I have a couple of solar panels but they are small. I got to check the output on them...

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That is very simply fixed. Just tape some aluminum foil across part of the solar panel, or cover it with a thickness or two of windowscreen, to reduce how charged up the battery gets

Experiment to find the right amount of shading to produce the charge time you're looking for.

Pat

 

[Klorinth]

Apparently I can't type.

I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks Pat.

 

[orbirdman]

Thanks for the replies. I dont want to cut into the roof, so that is out. I dont want a deep cycle battery, so that is out. All i need is a few hours of light, and it only needs to be enough to see newsprint to be effective.
So has anyone taken one of the yard lights apart and installed extra wire so they can locate the solar panel in a location 6-8 ft. away?

 

[Cindy in PA]

Quote:
I assume your are talking about the lights with the solar panel on top the unit, so I don't know about doing that, although I believe someone here did do that. My yard lights with the remote panel have a 20 foot cord right on them. This should definitely work for your situation.

 

[billybob107]

My Lowes offers (3) spotlights for 29.99. This comes with stakes or can be flush mounted to a wall, all the lights can be daisy-chained together and plugged in a standalone solar panel. I have these 3 "spotlights" on my flag at night, the claim to get 8-10 hours of light, however by midnight they are so weak that you can't see the light from the house. Now at Walmart carries a small 4 dollar single light solar light that easily comes apart maybe you could tinker with that and make some modifications, just some ideas.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

In many cases it's probably cheaper and more effective to just run electrical wire to the coop and use conventional timers and lights than it is to go with solar panels, batteries and DC timers.

Running 150 feet of underground wire to my coop, fixtures, timer and bulbs all cost me about $85. I did the digging and wiring myself, but if you're handy, it's not that complicated, and if you're lazy, you can rent a trencher for about $75.

 

[MIKE555444]

I gave up on solar and ran the electric wire also. It was more reliable, cheaper, I can use it for a water heater to keep the water from freezing and the also for my lights and electric fence.