Imagine a world where you never needed to change your solar light’s batteries. That is until they die!
The good news? We’ve got an easy solution for sealing them so that beautiful glow lasts all year long— just follow these steps in our helpful guide and protect those lights from corrosion with silicone.
Why Would You Want To Seal Your Solar Lights?
When the garden or walkway is changing its function (for example, the backyard is now used for planting new stuff)
- When you want to make sure that your house is nicely illuminated (for example, when you plan to go on vacation)
- When you want to avoid any accidental damage (for example, if hoses or other tools come into contact with them)
- When you want your solar lights to last as long as possible (for example, if they do not need a battery and you can simply place them without worrying)
Related Article: How To Fix Not Working Solar Lights?
What We Need For Sealing Our Solar Powered Light?
You will need the following items:
- Silicone sealant: Sealing your light with silicone is the best choice because it keeps the water away from leaking inside, especially during winter months that can damage your solar lights and this way preventing any damage to your light.
note: make sure that you do not use a sealant that resists solar light coming through.
- Teflon tape: (this is a lifesaver as it’s much easier to make your connection watertight with it)
- An old toothbrush: apply the silicone and a pair of gloves to avoid damaging your hands
- Sink soap: to clean the surface that will be exposed to humidity
- Paper towel or a rag: to wipe off excess silicone from the exposed area (you do not want it there as it will prevent you from installing your light later on
Related Article: How To Make Solar Lights Brighter?
How To Seal Solar Lights – Step By Step
1. Clean the solar light
The key to sealing anything is making sure that you will not have any dirt or dust inside once you connect it back.
Use your sink soap and old toothbrush to clean all parts of your solar light well, paying extra attention to the separate elements (for example, if there are multiple lenses, make sure they’re all clean and dry).
2. Prepare your Teflon tape
You need to peel the tape from its roll and lightly press it around the wire that is exposed after removing the battery cap.
Cut off any excess sticking out of the solar light’s body, but do not remove it completely yet! This will be done in the next step.
3. Seal the wire with silicone sealant
Now that you have made sure that your solar light is clean and free of dirt or dust, you can start preparing for sealing it up entirely. Get your silicone sealant out and use an old toothbrush to apply it on the wire where the battery cap was removed. Then, use a pair of gloves and apply a thin layer around the wire.
4. Cut away your excess Teflon tape
The next step is to cut away the excess piece of Teflon tape from your solar light’s body or lens.
You want to do this so that it does not leave any residue on the sealant. It is not a big deal if it does, but you should still remove as much as possible.
5. Apply silicone sealant on your solar light’s body
Using your gloves and an old toothbrush, apply a thin layer of silicone all around the wire that holds your solar light together. Make sure all parts are well covered with it.
6. Let the silicone dry out overnight
You do not want to rush this part and you do not want to touch or move your solar lights until the sealant has dried out completely.
Place them on top of your soapy dish and leave them there overnight.
If you plan on resealing your lights more than once, you will be happy to know that this type of silicone does not expire and is waterproof.
7. Re-assemble your light and either enjoy it as it is or reseal it again if necessary
After the sealant has dried out, simply re-insert your batteries and re-attach all parts of your solar light.
You are now good to go! Enjoy your newly sealed-up solar light.
If you plan on installing it again in the future, make sure to take good care of this part where the battery cap has been removed and be careful not to let any dirt or dust touch it while taking out or putting back the batteries. Other than that, you should be able to enjoy it for a long time.
Related Article: How To Clean Solar Lights
Last Words
Do you have questions about how to seal solar lights with silicone?
Let us know in the comments section down below if this article was helpful and if you need further assistance!
We also welcome your suggestions on other topics we might cover in the future.
