Solar Lights for Decks and Steps
Solar Lights for Decks and Steps will add accent lighting or just some light to make your life safe, Solar lighting may be the ticket for you. In this article we will discuss the major styles of these lights.
Styles of Solar deck lights
First you must decide what kind of light that you are looking for. Solar lights for decks will come in many forms, you must make sure that the solar panel will get enough light to charge the battery to operate for 8 hours each night. Less charging makes the battery last a shorter period of time. So the southerly facing should be utilized to take advantage of as much sun as possible. If your location is on the north side or has little to no sunlight, low voltage systems will work better.
Deck post lights can be either mounted on the top of the post or on the post to shine on the deck surface. You can mount the lights on the post or rail of stair railing to shine on a dark stair area during the night. This will eliminate the need to turn on or leave other outside lights on when using entrance areas to your home.
Step lights are made to be mounted on the side or facing of the step that will need illumination. The space for your solar light on the steps will have to be reviewed before making it permanent as you do not want it the way of traffic on the steps.
Security lights are another type of solar light that can be used for lighting deck and stair areas. They can be mounted high and shine down of the areas needing illumination. They do not need a connection to an electric source. You can use on the side of a shed, tree or a post in areas that do not have an electric connection. Click here for more information on Solar Security lights.
Why solar lights over the low voltage
Solar lights do not require any wiring to an electric source. Solar light will not require any drilling of holes to run the wires and mount the lights. They will just need to be mounted to a solid surface that will get sunlight.
Solar lights will require sunlight for at least 5-8 hours per day. If your location is not getting that much sunlight, maybe a remote Photo cell and battery will be on your shopping list. You can run a wire from the battery to your lights. This system has the same qualities as a low voltage setup without the need for a power outlet.
The big advantage to solar lighting is the cost after the initial purchase. Most have LED bulbs for lighting and never need to be replaced.
The only replacement cost will be rechargeable batteries about once a year or less, depending on the amount of charge each battery gets each day. The same battery in the same light will last a longer time if fully charged each day. Click here for more information on solar rechargeable batteries.
Found your post on Google, the headline caught my eye and it was a good read.
nice niche man! this is very interesting for me coz i do stuffs for green homes. i am doing research on how to maximize the use of solar energy in homes.
very educational. please continue to share your ideas about green devices.
hoping to see more from you in. the future.
we experience a lot of power cuts lately in my country and getting one of the solar lights has been on my to buy list. I love that they need no wiring, can be placed anywhere and are affordable. And since I live in a sunny country I will have no problem with charging the lights.Your website is very helpful. Thank you
This is a pretty sweet thing to do. I was at a gathering the other weekend and they had something similar in their backyard area. Lighting is such an important aspect to any area, including outdoors and the fact they are solar powered is even better for the old carbon footprint.
Chris,
Solar lights leave little footprint if done properly. The Batteries must be destroyed properly or they will harm the environment. The lighting is better with the new LED lights than ever before.
John
I’ve always been a big fan of my gardening, and I especially love solar lights too because I think they give decks and steps extra bit of character in the evenings when they shine bright and create some atmosphere 🙂
At the moment, my garden looks like a runway with the number of solar lights I have next to the plants and on the big stone wall at the back of the garden.
This is a great post, and I learned something here.
Thanks! Neil
Neil,
Having enough lights to make it look like a runway will maybe scare off the critters at night. I like the mood lighting better that the runway lighting.
John
Thanks you for this interesting review of soar lights for decks and steps.
Solar lights have been a great invention for outside use and the fact that an electricity supply and all that entails is not required is fantastic.
Thanks for all the work you put into your website – it’s a great resource.
Roland,
Thanks for your comments. The Solar Lighting for outdoor spaces has come a long way in the last 5 years. Now that you can have remote solar panels to connect to lights or other powered items it makes it easier to live outdoors.
John
As we are about to build our new home, I have been looking at outside lighting for our deck area. I want something that will look decorative but also be environment friendly. Solar Power looks like the best way to go and it will be sustainable. Thank you for the article, I now have a better idea on what I would like.
Tracy,
Deck lighting has come a long way in the last five years. From only having Low Voltage or Line Voltage to having a large selection on Solar lighting choices. With solar lighting you will be able to be more creative with your designs and functions.
John