MatterInc: Solar House Number InTheWild Update

Five years ago we did a RainyDayProject where we installed a solar-powered LED-lit house numbers at both our Boston and NY offices. A few readers asked how they have held up over the years. We thought it was a reasonable request so we decided to post an update.

While the aluminum numbers still look great, some of the protective clear plastic on the solar cells have not fared as well. Both the #2 and #35 panels were installed out in the open. The difference is the #2 panel was not in direct sunlight most of the time. The effects of constant sun exposure is clear. The #35 panels yellowed and cracked much more severly as a result of five years of direct sunlight. To their credit, all of the LEDs still work just fine, but eventually all of the solar panels will be occluded by the yellowing plastic. Also, not sure when it happened, but one of the end cap managed to make an escape sometime during the five years.

We would like to see if we can fix the cover problem before these signs stop working. We have an email into Matterinc to see if it would be possible for us to replace the plastic ourself, ideally with a piece of glass. It would make for a nice RainyDayProject 🙂