How would I make this so it is solar powered?

[All4Eggz]

Keep it 12 volt dc current your wasting a lot trying to go to 110 ac. A 12 volt battery, solar panel and charge controller will get you started. There is plenty of 12 volt lighting for rv's out there to do the lighting, it doesn't take a lot just think an extended sunrise. Add a timer and you would an almost hands off system.

Do you know where I could find all of that?

 

[All4Eggz]

Keep it 12 volt dc current your wasting a lot trying to go to 110 ac. A 12 volt battery, solar panel and charge controller will get you started. There is plenty of 12 volt lighting for rv's out there to do the lighting, it doesn't take a lot just think an extended sunrise. Add a timer and you would an almost hands off system.

Our experience with the solar chargers is that they're more trouble than they're worth.

Running electrical power is pretty simple if you're the least bit handy, but I'd run them underground in conduit. You'll need a path for the new wiring from an existing power source (service panel, an existing duplex receptacle, light switch, etc). Make sure to match your wire gauge to the circuit's breaker (12ga wire for 20A, 14ga wire for 15A).

We ran underground power to our shed and coop in less than a day off an added/dedicated breaker in our home's service panel. It's NICE to have electrical power at the coop for MANY reasons!!!

Solar is pretty easy for DIY now vs even 10 years ago. I wouldn’t do it if the closest outlet is 150 feet.

But.

One could buy an all in one 400w kit for $5-1,000.

2 deep cycle marine 100ah agms for $100 each. Will last you 2 years or more.

Gives you 1200 watts of stored power. 400w of panels should keep up with it in most places.

$600-1,200. You can go deep into building your own system and used parts and so on. But most folks would prefer to pay a small premium for convenience.

In your case, I would buy some heavy duty outdoor extension cords. They are worth the money.

When I lived up there I knew a lot of people who didn't take down their Christmas lights until Spring thaw because it was all frozen hard in ice and snow.

But get the top-quality cords.

Thank you all for replying.

I will probably get a heavy duty outdoor extension cord. We have some outlets outside (attached to the house) so I can plug them into there.

And lastly, do you guys think the light that I'm going to buy is a good choice?

(https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Resist...andescent+Bulb,+Silver)&qid=1627241357&sr=8-1)

Are there any better lights out there that have a timer, so I can 'set and forget'?

 

[All4Eggz]

Or are there any light sources that are solar powered for an affordable price?

 

[aart]

And lastly, do you guys think the light that I'm going to buy is a good choice?

It's a very nice light fixture but it has to be hard wired, you can't run that light fixture off an extension cord.

 

[aart]

So would it be easier to call an electrician to pull some wires to the coop?

Yes, this would be the best and safest solution.
Then you can run a heated waterer too.
Won't be cheap tho, can you afford it?
(I assume you own your house and are not renting)

 

[All4Eggz]

Yes, this would be the best and safest solution.
Then you can run a heated waterer too.
Won't be cheap tho, can you afford it?
(I assume you own your house and are not renting)

A good friend of mine is an electrician, so I will be able to afford it.
And yes, I have been wanting to get a heated waterer for a while- and I didn't have an outlet for it.
So the best idea would be to get an outlet to the coop.
And yes, I own the house.

Thank you so much for your help

 

[aart]

A good friend of mine is an electrician, so I will be able to afford it.

Excellent!
Professionally safe and the friends discount.

 

[WhySayWhat]

Something like this kit...maybe? I bought a solar powered (really cute) light that had great reviews, but I live in the Pac NW and once the days started to get shorter, it's just not getting the daylight it needs to charge, so we are going to purchase a small elecric LED shop light for the coop (we also use them in our garage, they just plug into an outlet). Solar was a great idea, but not worth the hassle for me.

 

[Banana01]

From my experience, solar lights have like a 20% failure rate off the shelf, and another 20% failure rate after a month. Then they diminish to like 50% capacity after another month. So solar is a constant losing battle that you keep paying for batteries and panels.

Run a hard wire! You can run an overhead wire also with a couple of poles in the ground and then it's simply connect to your house and pay by the foot for the cable! You can even just have a really long plug that plugs into an outlet, no wiring neceasary. Thats what my setup is.

 

[Tclloyd0812]

Could just a solar powered security light work out for you? They have a lot of options online and when my husband and I lived off grid at one point we only used solar powered lights. You may have to replace them once a year, but if you're wanting lights with electricity it would add on to the electric bill anyways. There are also lights you could charge inside and have a hook in the coop to hang them on, usually they last at least 2 or 3 nights before needed to be charged again, and if you have multiple you can always switch them out.
But I do agree, in most cases electricity is the way to go, except if you aren't handy you have to hire someone which is pretty complicated, time consuming, and not the most cost effective way to go just to get lights in your coop this time of year...
However, there are definitely more options to look at. I could go on and on.

This is one of the solar lights, just one of the many options that are available to purchase online.
https://www.amazon.com/AmeriTop-Wir...d=1633650116&sprefix=solar+security+li&sr=8-3