Lighting

[newchickerluver11]

I have a coop and ant to put a light in there for the winter time. I Don't have power running to it so I am thinking about going Solar? and ideas..

 

[VelvettFog]

I'd go with a 12 volt system and have the solar pannel charge the batteriers that drive the light. If you get behind, take one of the batteries inside and charge it. If you have deep cycle marine/rv batteries I think this would work. You'd want at least two. Golf cart batteries would be the very best I reckon.

Fog

 

[Corban]

Quote:
I have looked at solar and it appears you need an expensive panel for it to be efficient to run a light through the majority of the night. Unless you go with a very low watt, florescent or LED I don't believe you will make it through the night. Also, by the time you setup you coop for solar it might be cheaper to have power run to it from your panel - depending on the distance of course as cooper is getting pricey. The nice thing about the 60 watt or higher light bulb is the fact they generate a small amount of heat, which may be beneficial if you live in a cooler climate.

You may be able to find a great deal on a solar panel package, as I have seen some (remember, sometimes you get what you pay for). Another nice thing about solar is if the power goes out your solar is not dependant on the grid and you maintain your light for the coop.

Good luck and hope this helps
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