# Solar landscape lighting - brightness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981 "2005-10-06T00:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/1 "2005-10-06T00:47:42Z")
Hey folks. My back yard is really, really dark at night. Imagine that… Anyways, I went and grabbed some solar lamps that use LEDs figuring they’d be the brightest. Not quite. Were I to mount the things five feet off the ground (my original plan) it wouldn’t even illuminate the ground. For that matter, one two feet up would barely illuminate the ground. I’ve done some looking around and there is basically nothing I can find that gives the wattage of the various lights out there. Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or mockery? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/2 "2005-10-06T00:54:57Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Hey folks. > > My back yard is really, really dark at night. Imagine that… > > Anyways, I went and grabbed some solar lamps that use LEDs figuring they’d be the brightest. > > Not quite. Were I to mount the things five feet off the ground (my original plan) it wouldn’t even illuminate the ground. For that matter, one two feet up would barely illuminate the ground. > > I’ve done some looking around and there is basically nothing I can find that gives the wattage of the various lights out there. > > Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or mockery? > > -Joe Hmmm… most of the solar powered outdoor lighting I’ve seen is pretty much as you describe; useful perhaps to mark the boundary of a path, but not for illuminating _areas_. Trouble is that the little inch-square solar panel is only maybe 10% efficient; the rechargeable battery is only, say 80% efficient and the LED is only, I dunno… 40% efficient; assuming these numbers are correct (and they’re probably optimistic), then you could expect your little light to produce, in 8 hours of darkness, about 3% of the light output that fell as sunlight on that little inch-square during the 8 hours of best daylight when it was charging ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/3 "2005-10-06T00:56:44Z")
The problem isn’t LEDs, you can get very bright LED lamps, it’s the amount of power generated by a small solar cells. If you want to illuminate the area and not just provide guide lights you’ll need to pony up for much bigger solar cells and batteries to hold the charge overnight. ---
**Author:** ![John\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@John\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/4 "2005-10-06T01:00:48Z")
I helped a friend install some low voltage landscape lights that produced amazing results. I thought it was a goofy idea to be honest when we got started but that night I was really impressed with the effect the lighting had. I was impressed enough that I decided to light my house next but…that was 6 months ago and I have not done it yet. :smack: He did get a step up from the home center kits and they were not all that hard to install fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/5 "2005-10-06T01:10:02Z")
> [@John F](#): > > He did get a step up from the home center kits and they were not all that hard to install fwiw. I was kind of afraid of that. I’ve no problem doing the low-voltage stuff as far as the electrical work. I do a lot of similar stuff in my job and a good friend is an electician. I was just hoping to avoid running wires since that would mean trenching all around the perimeter of the yard. Hmm… -Joe ---
**Author:** ![John\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@John\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/6 "2005-10-06T01:30:02Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > I was just hoping to avoid running wires since that would mean trenching all around the perimeter of the yard. You don’t have to trench. 😕 What you do is get the proper wire for the lights. It’s really tough and will withstand what you do next. 1. Lay out the run of wire you want to install. 2. Take a “sharpshooter” and step or plunge it into the ground about 6"-8". 3. Rock the sharpshooter back and forth to wedge the earth out a bit. 4. Do the above several times until you get about a couple of feet of “trench”. 5. Using the sharpshooter slightly off center to the wire but straight enough to push you shove the wire into the slot you just created. You can cover a lot of distance like this before you know it and the ground closes back up if you just step on it. Ask your electrician buddy about the codes in your area to be sure. It’s a lot easier than you think. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/7 "2005-10-06T01:33:16Z")
There are solar/battery floodlights that are motion activated. I use one by my shed. If you want something to just turn on when you need it, and then turn off, they work pretty well. It’s not something that you would run all night. Just for passage ways, gates and such. It came ready to install. Battery, light, motion sensor and small solar panel. Works pretty well and prevents me from bumping into things. Google ‘Solar security light’. ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/8 "2005-10-06T01:52:18Z")
> [@John F](#): > > You don’t have to trench. 😕 > > What you do is get the proper wire for the lights. It’s really tough and will withstand what you do next. > > 1. Lay out the run of wire you want to install. > 2. Take a “sharpshooter” and step or plunge it into the ground about 6"-8". What’s a “sharpshooter”? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/9 "2005-10-06T01:57:01Z")
Sounds kind of like a ‘spade’ ---
**Author:** ![John\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@John\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/10 "2005-10-06T01:57:32Z")
> [@Fritz](#): > > What’s a “sharpshooter”? It’s like a marksman or a sniper… :eek: :eek: No, It’s a shovel that has a long narrow blade approx. 15" X 4" about 4’ in total length with a loop handle deal on the end rather then a regular shovel pole type handle. ---
**Author:** ![John\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@John\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/11 "2005-10-06T01:59:54Z")
[Sharpshooter](http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/view_catalog_page.asp?id=1605) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/12 "2005-10-06T02:02:42Z")
Sharp Shooter… Trenching shovel. Tee handle. The blade is about 5" wide at the bottom and perhaps 8" wide at the top. Good for this kind of work because the ‘blade’ or shovel part is about 18" long and slightly concave to provide stength. Like this - [http://www.ams-samplers.com/main.shtm?PageName=Montana\_SharpShooter.shtm](http://www.ams-samplers.com/main.shtm?PageName=Montana_SharpShooter.shtm) But don’t spend that much money on one. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/13 "2005-10-06T08:17:46Z")
**John F** , **enipla** , Am I crazy, or did you guys just post links to a shovel that ranges from $130-$360? Or I guess my question is “are you crazy?” $360 for a shovel? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/14 "2005-10-06T12:55:23Z")
EvilGhandi - > [@enipla](#): > > But don’t spend that much money on one. You should be able to get a good one for $30 or so. That price stunned me too. But is is the kind of shovel we are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/15 "2005-10-06T14:24:04Z")
> [@John F](#): > > You can cover a lot of distance like this before you know it and the ground closes back up if you just step on it. Ask your electrician buddy about the codes in your area to be sure. ANAEB (I am not an electrcian buddy), but NEC code exempts voltages below 25 volts. The low power of a solar cell would be exempt. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/16 "2005-10-06T19:39:18Z")
As would the ~12 volts of a “Malibu” type system. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/17 "2005-10-06T19:57:12Z")
**enipla** , More like $15 I’m a contractor, I own several. My post wasn’t meant to be a dig towards you guys in any way, more like a jaw-drop amazement that _anyone_ would pay over $300 for a shovel. I Guess I should have said "are _they_ crazy? Also a better way to bed low voltage lines under grass would be to use a lawn edger. Top the groove w/potting soil. Ultra fast and manueverable. A non-powered unit can be used in tight or heavily planted areas. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-landscape-lighting-brightness/324981/18 "2005-10-06T21:22:14Z")
In defense of solar powered landscape lights, I use them to define the path from my driveway to front door. You can’t play baseball under them, but they also do not give the “jailbreak in progress” look.