solar vs low voltage lights

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tuffy

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kirksville missouri
Which would be better solar or low voltage? I don't mind doing the extra work that the low voltage takes.I want the brightest and most accessories.
 
I have both solar and low voltage landscape lights at my vacation home. Seems I am constantly replacing the solar batteries on the lights, but my 3 watt low voltage landscape lights, that are set to turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn, are always working.
 
Landscape, walkways, spot, feature, security, general?

You'll get better answers if you tell the whole story, unless you like internet dentistry.
 
landscape,walkways,spot,security.

Depending upon the quality of fixture, when you use solar for landscape, walkways and spot I'd advise you to purchase extra so that when they fail, and they do, you have an aesthetic replacement.

All of your uses have fixtures in low voltage, and the better the quality, the better the transformer warranty is, as well as availability of the replacement parts.
 
I think i'll get the low voltage with the the best transformer I can afford. does't the the low voltage kits come with the transformer?
 
Generally yes, however the higher end sell transformer to fit the use, in watts.
 
With the big box setup I worked on, the transformer output voltage was very sensitive to the load, that is, how many bulbs are on the string. It had poor voltage regulation.
And, incandescent bulb life is very sensitive to the applied voltage. Brightness, not so much.

So, if the voltage to the string is high as measured at the transformer, for longer life use more bulbs or slightly larger wattages.

It used 4w bulbs, IIRC.
 
Or, use a better grade transformer and for that matter, better grade of light fixtures.
 
Quite a wide price range. I guess the big box stuff will be the bottom choice for performance & versatility.

Figuring a price/wattage ratio is easy, but a price/value-to-the-HO ratio may be more difficult.

I did a price/power ratio for an HD weedwacker and for some products I'd be paying more for less power.
Supply & demand; the price/performance ratio is all over the map.

http://www.google.com/search?client...+between+price+and+quality"&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
 
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Big box solar lights just never seem to get the job done. Winter in NJ and the lights don't even make it to 8:00pm. Yes, new batteries in them. It also bothers me that they turn on way-too-early. I don't need lights until it gets totally dark.
 
Big box solar lights just never seem to get the job done. Winter in NJ and the lights don't even make it to 8:00pm. Yes, new batteries in them. It also bothers me that they turn on way-too-early. I don't need lights until it gets totally dark.

https://www.wholesalesolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map
4.2 hours and then "Winter figures for daily solar gain may be from 25% to 50% LESS than these average figures."

I tweaked a photocell circuit until it only turned on in total darkness.
Then, any ambient light that came along turned it off again, so I had to set it to turn on at twilight or even brighter. There doesn't seem to be a way around this.

The best control is a sunrise/sunset detector. Where I am the day length goes from 9 hours to 15 so this would be a programmed timer with a one year cycle. Somebody must make one of these.
 
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Sunrise is a non-issue; the light won't ever last that long. Where did you find the tweaker to adjust the light sensitivity?
I made the setup so that gives me tweaking rights. :p
A Radio Shack CdS photocell feeding a Schmitt trigger circuit feeding a relay, all in a junction box. It might still be in my basement somewhere.

If you post a photo of both sides of the light detector printed circuit board, there is probably some resistor somewhere that you can change.
Or you can cover the detector with more or less translucent plastic. Ziplok plastic bags or some such thing.

I put in a 3 way motion detector switch in the hallway but that thing would trigger on everything.
10 layers [of Saran Wrap over the sensor] later and it's still a bit fidgety. Wearing a shirt vs. going shirtless makes it harder to pick up your "IR Signature" so it's less likely to go off.

Of course, The Swedish Bikini Team was setting off a lot of things with all that skin, so I had to send them home. :(
 
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