Dig in, or bolt on, & walk away: Installing the solar bollard

There are two options for installing the SOLABOLLARD:

Direct Bury (DB), where a hole is dug into the ground and the bollard is inserted about 30cm (with cement), or
Base Plate (BP), where the bollard will be attached to an existing structure such as a path, jetty, or walkway (BP is ~$50 more than DB).

These two options are explained in more detail in this article.

Article by HIGHLUX Updated 15 Jan | Originally Published 17 Jun, 2020

Direct Bury Method of Installation

Direct Buried (DB) is the more commonly purchased installation option. This is because the most common location for a solar bollard is out in open grounds.

The marine-grade aluminium pole for the direct bury solar bollard has an “extra length” of around 30cm. This is so 30cm (1/3) of the pole can be buried below ground level (encased in cement).

Please Dial Before You Dig and wait until you have the necessary information to install the bollard safely.

Please follow the manufacturers instructions for the size of the hole to be dug. The size and shape of the “hole” will depend on the type of soil, and whether the bollard is being installed in an area of high risk of vandalism or theft. For example, if the soil is sandy or loose, allowance will need to be made to create a “trapezoid” shape hole, and may need more cement. Recent feedback from a customer who installed solar bollards in a high theft area said they used “three bags of cement per bollard!” They’ve not been stolen so far 😀 Other reinforcement can be considered too such as the use of anchors as an adjunct to cement

SOLABOLLARD Direct Bury Installation Instructions Download

Base Plate Method of Installation

The Base Plate [BP] allows for the solar bollard to be secured to an existing structure. Fastening bolts to secure the base plate to the existing structure are not included with the solar bollard though. This is because the length and type of fasteners will depend on the material, and thickness, of the existing structure the bollard is going to be attached to.

Please follow the manufacturers instructions for securing the base plate. For additional security, to support that given by the manufacturer, is to secure the bollard with a “threaded rod chemically fixed” in to position. The chemical fix can be sourced from any hardware store – a CHEMSET 101 kit is shown in photo below, along with a photo of galvanised M12 Anchor Stud (the threaded rod). Security fasteners to finish are also recommended – see pic below of the Kinmar Removable anti-theft nuts.