Solar Lights

[patandchickens]

tHanks, pat, wouldn't it be great if Heat Lamps were more energy efficient?

Er, no, I'm not sure you're quite understanding, ticks.... high wattage is an INHERENT REQUIREMENT of heat lamps. They need to put out considerable heat (in order to be, well, HEAT lamps <g>) and that heat IS ENERGY, is watts o' electricity. A heat lamp that used a lot less electricity would put out a lot less heat. You know?

Heat lamps are a *little* inefficient in the sense that a smallish percentage of the energy they use comes out as visible light rather than infrared (heat) wavelengths. But it's not that big an inefficiency. If you want 100% conversion of electricity to heat, the ceramic radiant heater thingamajiggies are the best. By a little bit.

Basically, if you want to heat a brooder or coop that means you want to put a buncha energy into it.

The best way to reduce electricity usage there is to insulate etc, so that you do not need to put as much heat in in the first place.


Pat

 

[ticks]

tHanks, pat, wouldn't it be great if Heat Lamps were more energy efficient?

Er, no, I'm not sure you're quite understanding, ticks.... high wattage is an INHERENT REQUIREMENT of heat lamps. They need to put out considerable heat (in order to be, well, HEAT lamps <g>) and that heat IS ENERGY, is watts o' electricity. A heat lamp that used a lot less electricity would put out a lot less heat. You know?

Heat lamps are a *little* inefficient in the sense that a smallish percentage of the energy they use comes out as visible light rather than infrared (heat) wavelengths. But it's not that big an inefficiency. If you want 100% conversion of electricity to heat, the ceramic radiant heater thingamajiggies are the best. By a little bit.

Basically, if you want to heat a brooder or coop that means you want to put a buncha energy into it.

The best way to reduce electricity usage there is to insulate etc, so that you do not need to put as much heat in in the first place.


Pat

ummmm. Ok thanks Pat.

 

[Beekissed]

Kerosene lamps are handy! I always keep a couple filled, wicks trimmed and extra kerosene in the shed. Last a long time for each lampful. Better than candles, not as glaring or noisy as a Coleman or Hurricane lamp, either.

 

[ticks]

Kerosene lamps are handy! I always keep a couple filled, wicks trimmed and extra kerosene in the shed. Last a long time for each lampful. Better than candles, not as glaring or noisy as a Coleman or Hurricane lamp, either.

WE used kerosene lamps when power went out, they go far long time.

 

[Cassandra]

We have one of those crank up LED flashlights for absolutely emergency. They are not that bright. But if you are out of power and batteries, it is handy! I love my little kerosene lamp. I am going to start looking for a few more at the thrift store.

I have a lot of candles, too (for ambiance more than anything) but I have stopped buying them because they are just a frivolous waste of money. I do have some regular old candles for lighting emergencies.

I like the idea of those solar lights you put outside around your sidewalks. There is even a tall one that looks like an old timey gas lamp post. I don't know how well they work, but if I wanted to blow a few hundred dollars to make my front yard look cool, I think I would go for some.

Cassandra

 

[k0xxx]

Harbor Freight also sells a 45 watt solar panel kit that includes two compact fluorescent lights, dc out lets, and battery clamps for charging a deep cycle battery. The kit also comes with the mounting hardware. However, the cost is around $250, sometimes less on sale.

With a deep cycle battery, this could operate the two lights and keep the battery charged for quite a while. Add a small inverter and you could run small appliances also.

There are a lot of variables to how much and how long you could operate, but it's not a bad thing to have. Plus you can add additional kits for more power, as you can afford them.

There is a good instructional video on YouTube about these kits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caeEyhJZnTs

 

[Veggie PAK]

I had seen a video on YouTube about those solar path lights. It said that the batteries in them are really cheap and don't last long. The trick to use them in an emergency is to replace the battery it comes with with a new more powerful rechargeable lithium battery. That way if you use them for interior lighting, they should last until the sun comes up again.

Haven't tried it but it seems to make sense.