Waterproofing garden lights.

[mickm3for]

Hi wondering if any one has waterproofed solar garden lights with any success.
Water gets in around the solar cell at the top running down to the circuit this causes damage to the qx5252 chip and the battery to go to 0.00v so will not then take a charge the chips are around £2 on ebay for 100 ?
I have tried filling the groove with varnish also clear tape. Tape worked until the UV caused its demise also it didn't stick well to the plastic solar cell, any ideas thanks Mick

[Station X]

Silicone sealant?

[HamishBoxer]

Possibly self almaganating tape?

Touch wood I have not had problems yet with mine from 7dayshop.

[G6Tanuki]

This sounds the sort of application for which "Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure" [yes, it's a real product, aimed at the boating community] would be ideal for.

http://www.captaintolley.com/

In the past there was another product, "Comma Seek-N-Seal" - available at car-accessory places for sealing round leaky windscreens etc - but it's decades since I've seen that on sale.

[The Philpott]

I must admit i have removed solar garden lights from my life on account of their poor performance. If i was trying to seal something of this kind i would probably use Fernox Leak Sealer (Screwfix) Once opened the shelf life if not very good so plan to use the entire tube within a couple of months.

Dave

[paulsherwin]

Can you just spray or paint them with polyurethane lacquer?

I've never bothered with such things - the light output seems very feeble and they don't charge up properly in the winter when you really need them. Several of my neighbours bought sets when they first became available, but they all seem to have fallen out of use now.

[Philips210]

Hi

I've had various solar garden lights over the years and most usually fail due to water ingress. I have found the NiCad or NiMH cell(s) seem to become very corroded probably due to the damp atmosphere but wondered if any outgassing could be worsening the situation. You often find that any connecting wires in the unit are badly corroded. Stripping back the insulation still shows corroded wires. This could be due to low grade copper, not just due to water ingress/ high humidity.

Regarding sealing, I had tried 3M clear tape over the solar cell but this failed after a season in some cases. Graham's suggestion of silicone sealant is probably the best but only use a sealant that is neutral curing to avoid corrosion problems which will ensue with sealants that use acetic acid. When I buy new lights I spray the circuit board and components with a PCB lacquer and use a good quality silicone sealant around the solar cell. Very often a slide switch if fitted becomes ruined by water ingress. Perhaps a careful application of sealant here should help the situation.

Regards
Symon.

[ValvoStef]

Put a clear plastic container over the cell, I did this with me wife’s lights, no problem since.

[McMurdo]

I agree they're feeble and best used on long summer days so they get charged.
One of our ex tenants used to shift full-sized skiploads of solar garden lights returned under warranty from Sainsbury's. I acquired a few and got some going, the problem was usually the solar cell getting wet and the electrode connections rotting away; they're held on with a dab of a silver paint/glue substance.
I have sealed mine by rubbing silicone sealant into the gaps around the cell with my finger. They are on trial for their first winter and I shall leave them out and see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Youtube's Bigclive has a video of his sealing attempts too.

[buggies]

I have used this sort of stuff - previously bought for sealing the ends of twinwall polycarbonate glazing sheets for greenhouse.

[Lloyd 1985]

I had some of the £1 ones from Sainsbury’s a couple of years ago, they had a proper glass solar cell so I thought they were worth saving! They don’t last in the winter at all, and most say to put them away over winter anyway, what I found with mine was that water got down around the solar cell, and crept into the inside through some holes in the poorly made plastic case, I easily found the leak by dripping IPA round the solar cell and looking underneath as to where it came out. I had some white sealant that wasn’t silicone, so I put a load round the solar cell, then stuck the Hoover on the back of it to suck the sealant into the hole, cleaned the excess off and left it to dry. It worked! But high winds still blow moisture inside the things from underneath. I also had to rebuild the little charging circuit with a new chip, and I also found the small inductor open on a couple of them.

Personally I think these things are nothing more than throw away toys, not designed to last the summer. You can get better ones, but even they give up if left out over winter. The ones with the plastic coated solar cells, if they don’t die from moisture ingress then the solar cell eventually goes cloudy and that stops it charging.

I wonder if potting compound would seal it?! Wouldn’t be able to change the battery ever again though!

Regards
Lloyd

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by Lloyd 1985

IPersonally I think these things are nothing more than throw away toys, not designed to last the summer. You can get better ones, but even they give up if left out over winter. The ones with the plastic coated solar cells, if they don’t die from moisture ingress then the solar cell eventually goes cloudy and that stops it charging.

Indeed - but they're priced so that if you get a couple of seasons out of them before they become wheelie-bin fodder they still work out cheaper than buying an eight-pack of AA alkalines to light your barbecues and summer soirees.

[Scimitar]

How about just bagging the sensor unit? A Ziploc bag would seal it nicely.

[kellys_eye]

BigClive has some good water proofing tips on his Youtube channel.

I now make my own using small glass ex-jam jars (the size you get at hotel breakfasts) with mirror plastic reflector and mounted onto PVC tubing however they do NOT have solar cells/batteries but run from a low voltage buried cable.

If you 'need' garden lighting then fitting something more robust than the £1 solar versions is a must.

[ex seismic]

3M do a product sold as a rubber and gasket adhesive. It is a contact adhesive and very tenacious if not pretty, it is brown, but good. Sort of stuff you glue leaky washing machine seals in with. The full name is Scotch-Weld Nitrile high performance rubber and gasket adhesive 847. To quote the label, fuel and oil resistant, bonds leather, nitrile rubber, gasketing materials to a variety of substrates.

gmb

[G8vsjDave]

I seal my lights with a hot melt glue gun which seems to extent their life. I do take them in for the winter and give them a good clean and service each Spring.
Dave.