Aluminum Lamp Post Care And Maintenance

Having decided to install a solar-powered aluminum lamp post in your garden, you need to know what sort of maintenance will be involved. The good news is, not much!

Aluminium is a very lightweight, non-ferrous metal that doesn’t contain any iron. It weighs about a third of what steel weighs, but is just as strong as steel. Aluminum can be easily cast and so aluminium is a popular material for garden products, including lamp posts. The preferred finish for an aluminum lamp post is powder-coating that is done in the factory under controlled conditions. The coating dries to a nice smooth finish, and requires absolutely no maintenance other than a quick hosing with water if it gets dirty or very dusty. Although powder coating may be done in a wide range of colours, most aluminum lamp posts are black or rust red, both being colours that blend well in any outdoor space.

But of course it isn’t only the aluminium lamp post that needs to be cared for. You must also take very good care of the lamp itself. The most important part of the lamp is the solar module, with its photovoltaic cells, that enable us to draw energy from the sun. Once the energy has been collected, it is stored in the unit so that it can charge the batteries at night. Happily, maintenance of the solar module is limited to wiping it down with a damp cloth from time to time. Never be tempted to use a solvent for cleaning, and don’t put press hard on the unit otherwise you might damage it.

People all over the world install solar street lamp posts, and so weather conditions will be varied. Remember that you don’t need searing heat to draw energy from the sun. Even people who live in areas where it snows in winter use solar-powered lamps successfully in their gardens. The secret is to make sure you remove any dirt and snow off the solar panels so that the unit can recharge. If the panels are covered with debris or with snow, no light will get to the solar module, so nothing will happen. Of course if it snows for days on end you aren’t going to want to tackle even that little bit of maintenance work. If this happens, and the solar panels are covered with snow for a lengthy period of time, once you have cleared the snow, let the batteries recharge in full sunlight for at least six hours, preferably longer. Then the light from your aluminium lamp post will shine as brightly as ever. More on outdoor solar lights

The only other maintenance issues you need to consider when you install an aluminum lamp post are the bulbs and the batteries. Solar lamp posts use LED technology and so the bulbs last a lot longer than the more conventional bulbs many of us are used to. Generally, as an LED bulb begins to wear out, the light will get dimmer. It won’t normally blow or pop like most other bulbs. Batteries will eventually need to be replaced, but this is also an easy task. All you do is unscrew the top of the lamp unit with the selector switch off. Then you remove the old battery and pop in a new one. Just make certain you use the correct type of battery, specified by the manufacturer, for example a high quality Ni-Mh (nickel metal hydride) AA rechargeable pack battery. And also make sure you reassemble the battery the right way, using the correct polarity. Finally, remember never to throw your old batteries out with the garbage. You must dispose of old batteries according to the law. More on aluminum lamp post