Why Do Outdoor Solar Lights Stop Working?

Although there are certain situations where your solar light may stop working, this can be very frustrating. Therefore, we have provided here a complete guide on how to fix a non-working solar light. You can also learn all the possible reasons why your solar light may stop working by reading this guide till the end.

Why is your solar light not working?

To make things easier, it is highly recommended that you first check the reasons why your solar light stopped working. Although there are many possible reasons, here are the main reasons why your solar light may stop working:

1. The solar light has a pull tab

If you recently bought a new solar light, then there is a high chance that there is a pull tab on the battery. The pull tab is there to ensure that the battery is not consumed during transportation. However, this also means that without removing this pull tab from the solar light, the battery and the solar light itself will not work. Therefore, be sure to open the battery cover and remove all the pull tabs that you may see.

2. Check all switches and microprocessors

Since solar lights turn on and off automatically, they must use multiple switches and microprocessors inside. Therefore, if any of these switches or microprocessors stop working, your solar light will also stop working. To fix any possible issues, you need to make sure that all switches on your solar lights are enabled and turned on.

3. Solar lights are not getting enough sunlight

Since solar lights rely on sunlight for power, they will not work if they do not get enough sunlight to operate. Therefore, make sure to check if your solar light is mounted or placed in a location where it can get enough sunlight to charge the battery so that it can work properly. You can also try adjusting the angle of the solar panel so that more sunlight hits it.

4. Check the solar panel cables

Even though solar lights do not require any external power source, they still have multiple power cables inside them. These cables are used to connect the solar panel, the lighting unit, and the battery mounted inside. Therefore, it is important to make sure that they are connected if any of the cables are accessible. If you feel that any of the cables are not connected properly, you can strip them and reconnect them to ensure that they are connected properly.

5. Light sources near the solar light

As mentioned earlier, most solar lights have a built-in light sensor inside. This light sensor detects when it is dark and turns the light on accordingly. However, if there are other light sources around your solar light, this sensor will still think it is daytime and will not turn the light on. Therefore, if you want to use your solar lights properly, you need to make sure that they are installed away from any other light sources.

6. Faulty Light Sensors

Since most solar lights have multiple sensors, including light sensors and motion sensors, there is a possibility that the sensors themselves are not working properly. In this case, your solar lights will not turn on even when there is motion around them in the dark. Therefore, you can consider cleaning the solar light sensors to try to fix them.

7. Dead Batteries

Since solar lights rely on their built-in batteries to power their lighting units at night, it is very important that your solar lights have functioning batteries. These batteries may stop working if the solar lights are too old and have reached the end of their battery life. In this case, you can try replacing the batteries with newer ones.

8. LED Bulbs Not Working

Another possible problem with solar lights is that the LED bulbs themselves are not working, which can cause the solar lights to not work. In this case, your solar lights will not light up even if the solar panel, battery, and sensors are working properly. In this case, unless the LED bulbs are replaceable, there is not much you can do except to buy a brand new solar light.

Conclusion

After reading this complete guide on solar lights not working, you must have a good understanding of it. If you have read all the information above about the solar lights not working issue, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.