I have a few bad batteries in some of our solar landscaping. They all have NiCD batteries in them, but after a look at a few hardware stores and Circuit City, I have yet to find NiCD batteries. Can I use the NiMH or just any other rechargable battery? What's the difference? Thanks

Wal-Mart has NiCad batteries--though they usually don't know they do.  They're back in the lawn/garden area, in packs of plain yellow cells.

Radio Shack also has them.  Several places online do as well.


Jim

As long as you don't mix the 2 different types in series and replace it with the same #/type of cells, you should be OK.  You never want to mix dissimilar batteries, even if they're the same type (ie 2200mAh NiMH vs 1800mAh NiMH).  Batteries in series need to all charge and discharge at the same rate.  If you got an oddball in there, one can start charging the other in reverse and result in a leak or worse.

Solar devices usually trickle charge so you probably don't have to worry about charger compatability.

Quoted: As long as you don't mix the 2 different types ....

+1

Thanks for the info. The factory batteries are the plain yellow cells. I may go with the NiMH's though because they sound like they will last longer as long as they are not a lot more expensive. Lights are not hooked together, just 2 AA batteries per light. So I guess it doesn't matter what I go with as long as I have the same 2 per light, right? Thanks again.

NIMH's will be brighter and for longer than your NICDs.

Think CELL phone battery vs. old shitty cordless phone; one lasts for days, the other only hours.

Quoted: Thanks for the info. The factory batteries are the plain yellow cells. I may go with the NiMH's though because they sound like they will last longer as long as they are not a lot more expensive. Lights are not hooked together, just 2 AA batteries per light. So I guess it doesn't matter what I go with as long as I have the same 2 per light, right? Thanks again.

<---- Electrician    You shouldn't have any problems doing that.  The major issue you'll run into with ni-cads and Ni-MH is the actually charging rate, when used in a plug-in wall charger.  Some batteres can only accept a certain amount of charge at a time, and if you exceed that.....   Oozy icky stuff happens    Basically, don't throw a ni-cad into a Ni-MH  charger, unless it's rated for both....

Those little LED and flashlight bulb landscape lights are trickle chargers......  They charge WAY slow, and at a very low rate.  You'd be hard pressed to ever overcharge a battery with one ot them.  You'll be fine, AND your lights will probably give light for a couple hours more, as well.