Living in northwest...very little sun in winter..how can they be recharged? Thanks
525663
I also live in the northeast. All you have to do is place it in a sunny window, for at least one hour , once a month. Good to go for another month.
2118145
I have only had mine for a few weeks, though they work great so far. The product says they will slowly stop working though you can recharge them by putting them out in the sun for a period of time. I haven't had to do that yet. We live in Hawaii and have plenty of sun!
1057526
Not sure, I just put them on the windowsill and they are fully charged at night. BTW, I accidentally left one on and when I saw it in the morning, the LED was still emitting a faint light! Also, even the faintest light will charge these, they don't even need direct sunlight!
1073306
I have them in containers on the roof of my building which tends to get full sun. I think with some shade hours of the day they would produce more/dry out less, but I wouldn't put them in an obvious shady area. They need some sun hours. Try containers 12" size, organic potting soil and fertilizer, then you can move them around as the season changes or find the best spot for them.
1741830
The lights are not solar, so they dont need sun light to operate/charge. They can operate using a switch, but they wont come on during day light because it has a photo cell to detect the sun light.
2044778
I believe the batteries and lack of sun will be the troublesome part. The combination of the cold reducing battery output along with the lack of sunshine at that latitude will most likely not provide enough power. I would call Dakota Alerts 605-356-2772 or fill out their contact form here: http://www.dakotaalert.com/contact.php and see what they say. I live on the 42nd parallel and have both units in the shade most of the day. They have worked great so far but this will be the first winter for them. When the leaves go they will get more sun.
258967
Cold weather does not impact LED lighting function like it does on older CFL technologies. That said however, cold weather DOES impact battery charge capacity; not quite the same as occurs in 12V lead acid batteries, but the output can be diminished some by extreme cold. Adjusting the angle of the solar panel to capture more of the lower sun trajectory in the winter has worked for us here in Western Washington where cloudy skies are the winter rule rather than the exception. That said however we do hit a wall right about this time of year where there just isn't enough daylight hours for charging to happen. That is more about the current location than hours of sun. placement of the solar panel is key.
1034879
This unit uses rechargeable batteries. IT has solar chargers built in. After 2 years you will need to replace the rechargeable batteries. Sometimes they last longer depending on the cold of the winter.
513125
it doesn't matter; just leave it in the sun to charge it! IF your unit won't charge from the sun, then there are 2 possibilities:1. your circuit board is faulty and you need to replace the whole unit.2. you live in a place with latitude above 41 degrees or so, so solar power DOES NOT WORK in the winter because the sun is too weak.Seriously though, it uses a pair of AA Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries but THE UNIT IS SEALED so you can't really get to them.
513126
it doesn't matter; just leave it in the sun to charge it! IF your unit won't charge from the sun, then there are 2 possibilities: 1. your circuit board is faulty and you need to replace the whole unit. 2. you live in a place with latitude above 41 degrees or so, so solar power DOES NOT WORK in the winter because the sun is too weak. Seriously though, it uses a pair of AA Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries but THE UNIT IS SEALED so you can't really get to them.
2065755
We have them on the steps on the side of our house. They last about four to five hours if they receive a lot of direct sunlight (like in the summer). However, now in the winter months they are useless. I live in LA where the sun usually shines and they still don't charge in the winter. I would not purchase again.
904257
I don't know about this, it seems the company would need to answer. It sounds like a good idea though but I know when I "recharge" them (I have several around my house)I leave them in full sun for a day.
330433
My friend has some in her planters but they have to get direct sunlight in order to charge. These are wonderful! The best ones we have found.
120202
You can easily use them outdoors by powering them off a car battery with a solar cell to charge it. The tricky thing about these is they come with wire connections, so you will have to solder or crimp on wires, or put on connectors to use them.
1597122
For solar, the temperature doesn't matter much. What matters is whether the little solar panel on the back of the Log gets exposed to sunlight long enough to charge the battery. In your winter in Alaska, during the months when there is no sun, the panel will not generate any solar power to charge the battery, and thus it will not work. I would say it will need at least 4-6 hours of full sun to charge the battery.
1150175
All we know is they are rechargeable. As of now, we have never had to recharge it. It is still running on the original charge we gave it when we got it. It is really bright and will lighten up for a long distance. We live in the country where there are animals and can see them, even when they are in the trees.
712474
Kim, they are not solar. I plugged them into a time in an outdoor socket. The lights affix to about 36 8' spikes with a circular hook at the to for the light to hook into. You push the spike into the ground about two inches.