How far apart should solar lights be placed?
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As a solar light installer, I get asked this question a lot. Many of my clients question me regularly to know How far apart should solar lights be placed?
If you are one such person who wants to know the answer then this post is for you.
Key takeaway: Small solar lights can be placed at distance of 4 to 6 feet apart whereas big bright solar lights can be placed 6 to 8 feet apart.
How Far Apart Should Solar Path Lights Be Placed?
For the sake of this article, I am assuming that you want to place the solar lights on your pathway but is little confused about the distance you should keep between the solar powered lights.
There is no fixed answer to how far you should place your solar lights. The answer depends on a few factors, including the brightness of the lights, the width of the pathway, and the desired effect you want.
I have explained in detail about all the factors and how I use those factors to achieve the best results.
Brightness of the Lights
The first factor that is the most important is the brightness of the solar lights.
Since our main objective is lighting the pathways, it is very important to know beforehand how bright you want your pathway to be light up.
To make it easy for your understanding I have created this table on the distance and brightness of solar lights.
| Brightness | Distance Between Solar Lights |
|---|---|
| Small decorative lights | 4-6 feet apart |
| Bright | 6-8 feet apart |
| Very Bright | 8-10 feet apart |
The brighter the solar lights, the farther apart you can space them. For example, small decorative 10 lumens solar lights can be placed at a distance of 4-6 feet.
Less bright solar lights like 5 lumens solar powered lights should be placed at much lower distances. This is to ensure your pathway gets sufficiently light up.
More bright solar lights with greater lumens can be placed at much far distance.
If you have solar lights with 300 lumens of brightness, you can space them 8 feet apart. If you have solar lights with 1000 lumens of brightness, you can space them 10 feet apart.
Width of the pathway
Second important factor to consider is the pathway width. In fact the brightness and width of solar pathway lights are closely related.
Here is a table I created to show the relation between width and distance of solar lights.
| Width | Distance Between Solar Lights |
|---|---|
| Narrow width pathways | 1 light every 5-6 feet. |
| Wider pathway | 1 solar light every 8-10 feet. |
The wider the pathway, the more lights you will need. For a narrow pathway, you may only need one light every 6 feet. For a wider pathway, you may need one light every 8 or even 10 feet.
Desired Effect
The effect you want to achieve with your solar lights is also of great significance for the placement of solar enabled lights.
If you want a bright, evenly lit pathway, you will need to space the lights closer together. If you want a more subtle, decorative effect, you can space the lights farther apart.
If you are using solar lights to accent a garden or landscape, you can place them in a variety of creative ways.
Conclusion
Right placement of solar powered lights is very important for getting best results from them. With a little planning, you can easily space your solar lights to create the perfect outdoor lighting effect.
Here are some additional tips for spacing solar lights:
- Place the lights so that they overlap slightly. This will create a more even light distribution.
- Avoid placing lights in direct sunlight. This can overheat the solar panels and shorten the lifespan of the lights.
- If you are using solar lights to illuminate a walkway, place them on both sides of the walkway. This will create a more well-lit path.
- If you are using solar lights to accent a garden or landscape, you can place them in a variety of creative ways. Experiment with different spacing and placement to create the desired effect.
For more such informative content on solar powered links you can check my page on solar lights. Here is the link to that: solar lights and questions.