1) QUESTION: “My Fireflyz does not move or illuminate ?”

First, make sure that you’ve placed your Fireflyz in an area that receives 2 hours of direct sunlight or more. If it is and the Fireflyz is still not illuminating or moving, place it in an area that can receive 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight *. If it still is not working, check the battery by removing the bottom cover and checking the voltage of the battery. With 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight, it should read approximately. 3.2 volts. If this is not the case, the battery needs to be replaced. You can obtain batteries at your local hardware or big-box store like Lowe’s or Home Depot, or online at Amazon. You need to replace it with a 14430 battery @ 3.2 volts and 400mAh or greater. If replacing with a new battery and it still does not work, please contact us using the “Contact Us” tab at the top of the Home Page. * When the ON switch is set to “TIMER” and the fast/slow set to “SLOW”, your Fireflyz can operate in the evening with just 2 hours of direct sunlight.

2) QUESTION: “The battery tends to pop out of place when inserting it and assembling the bottom cover ?”

First, make sure the o-ring is installed by flipping the fireflyz body upside down, installing the o-ring, and then the battery. If the battery seems to pop out prematurely, you can help to prevent this by bending and compressing the positive contact with a pair of pliers, as shown here. To ensure that the battery always makes contact, you must always have the stake installed. If you choose to place the Fireflyz on a wall or some other object without the stake, you must install a nickel in its place, like this.

3) QUESTION: “When unpacking my Fireflyz, one or more of them resulted in a bent wire strand. What can I do to straighten it ?”

For optimum operation, the Fireflyz wire strand needs to be completely straight (upright at rest). Gently bend the wire strand near where it is attached to the rotating armature. while holding the rotating gentle bend, the stand in the opposite direction of its bend until it straightens. See here for more details.

4) QUESTION: “My Wire Strands are rusting, and one has broken at the base. Is there anything I can do ?”

I’ve created a PDF document for this issue here or please contact me and I will arrange to have it repaired for a small charge.

5) QUESTION: “I cannot remove the bottom cover of my Fireflyz ?”

The bottom cover is sealed with a rubber o-ring, which causes enough friction to make the cover hard to remove. Using a jar opener helps to aid in the removal and assembly of the bottom cover. See here for more details. An alternative method is to use a quarter and insert it into the stake slot in the bottom cover. See here to be able to turn the bottom cover counterclockwise.

6) QUESTION: “ Is my Fireflyz waterproof ?”

Your Fireflyz is IP65, meaning they are water-resistant to strong spray and can be used outdoors in any weather conditions. They are water resistant ONLY when the stake and rubber o-ring are installed between the lower housing and bottom housing. Do NOT submerge your Fireflyz, making sure that it is installed with approximately one inch of clearance above any standing water. Also, if you can avoid it, keep the Fireflyz out of the field of sprinklers. Water sprayed on the Fireflyz will not harm it, but water spot buildup on the solar cell will degrade the recharging performance. Do not leave it out in the snow since snow can build up higher than the bottom cover, and when melting and ingress into the lower housing.

7) QUESTION: “ When unpacking my Fireflyz, the small green and/or white wire is protruding from the top opening ?”

If the pendulum wires are protruding, gently push the wires back down into the inner chamber.

8) QUESTION: “ My Fireflyz wire strand is stuck leaning to one side ?”

It is a rare occasion, but I have seen this happen. What’s occurring is that some of the batches of the neodymium magnet are stronger than others, and that they are attracted to one of the 3 metal screws inside the chamber at the base of the unit. The magnet is so powerful that when it swings to the position of that screw, the ferrite metal of the screw holds the magnet in place. The solution to this problem is to slightly bend the LED strand in the opposite direction of that screw when at rest, so that it is biased away from that screw and never reaches it.

9) QUESTION: “ My Fireflyz wire strand is stuck - something is holding it from moving freely?”

On a very rare occasion, the green or white wire can get looped around the magnet at the base of the pendulum, as shown here. The green and white wires need to be free to move on the left and right sides of the pendulum. You might be able to carefully re-route the wires correctly without opening the case, but if you can see here and go to STEP 2 for how to open your Fireflyz housing and re-route the wires correctly.

10) QUESTION: “ When unpacking my Fireflyz, the wire strand is bent. How do I straighten it ?”

If your Fireflyz wire strand is bent, you can bend it back straight. See here for more details.

11) QUESTION: “A green and/or white wire is protruding from the openings when I remove the bottom cover ?”

IF a green or white wire is protruding from an opening of the lower housing like this, then gently push the wire back down below the opening until it disappears.

12) QUESTION: “My Fireflyz is not moving very far or illuminating as brightly as when I first received them?”

This is a symptom of the fireflyz not getting enough direct sunlight. In the winter months, the sun is low on the horizon, daylight is shorter, and weeks are filled with clouds and rain, your Fireflyz may not work as intended because, obviously, they are powered by sunlight. Remember that they need at least 2 hours of direct sunlight to operate for at least 2 hours (ON button set to TIMER). Where you planted them this summer might not receive the same light this winter. If you want to enjoy them in the winter months, reposition them where they will receive the minimum amount of sunlight. You can also set them to be more efficient with less sunlight by setting the ON switch to TIMER and the other switch to SLOW. These settings will conserve power. Also, this could be caused by a degrading solar cell. (see Question 13).

13) QUESTION: “The solar cell has become cloudy and as a result, my Fireflyz is not charging its battery?”

After a few years, the solar cell surface can become cloudy, which will decrease the performance of your Fireflyz. The epoxy coating on these solar cells degrades over a prolonged time in sunlight and its strong UV. You can restore the cell’s clarity by purchasing a headlight restoration kit from your local automotive supply store. Carefully polish the surface of the solar cell per the instructions of the kit, as if you were restoring your headlamp’s surface. I also recommend a product sold at automotive stores called “TR3 Resin Glaze”. You can use it with a buffing wheel on your drill or drill press. It does a wonderful job at polishing.

14) QUESTION: “The wire strand of my Fireflyz is sticky. How can I make it not sticky?”

The wire strand of your Fireflyz has a special coating that prevents the steel wire from rusting. Unfortunately, it also reacts chemically with the vinyl of the small wire that is wrapped around the steel wire. To neutralize the stickiness, dampen a paper towel or rag, and stroke the wire several times with the dampened towel or rag, and let it dry. If there is still a stick feel after it is dry, repeat the process. You can further alleviate the stickiness using isopropyl alcohol, but be careful to only stroke it once or twice since the IPA can remove the coating.

15) QUESTION: “There is an object that is lodged inside the inner upper housing chamber, and I can not remove it, which is interfering with the Strand/pendulum swinging?”

If leaves or small twigs are lodged in the inner upper housing chamber, try to remove them with tweezers and/or compressed air to completely remove all debris. Be careful not to damage or tamper with the green and white silicone wires. If A metal object is stuck inside the chamber, it could be difficult to remove, given that there is a powerful magnet at the base of the chamber. Try first to remove it with a needle-nose pliers, and if you cannot, please see this for instructions to open up your Fireflyz.

16) QUESTION: “I would like to use my FireflyZ indoors or as a nightlight for my child ?”

Since you will not be able to access an adequate amount of direct sunlight indoors, you can use what is called a battery eliminator in place of the solar battery that is installed in your Fireflyz. Do a search on Amazon for “AAA battery eliminator” like these, and choose one that can be adjusted to 3 volts. DO NOT set it to more than 3 volts since this could damage the circuitry of your FireflyZ. Make sure it is for AAA and not AA, since the 14430 Solar battery in your FireflyZ is the same size as a AAA (an AA is longer and will not fit). If you do not want them to be light-activated (come on in any light condition) cover the solar cell with gaffer’s tape.

17) QUESTION: “I broke one or more of the stakes. Can I replace them ?”

Yes, for $8.95 postage and handling included, I can send you 4 new stakes. Please note that these stakes are made of durable Nylon but are not metal, so they are not meant to be hammered into hard soil. If you need to purchase replacement stakes, you can leave me a note here, or message me through the Etsy messaging app that was part of your purchase.

18) QUESTION: “The wire strand has rusted and has broken at its base ?”

This is due to a manufacturing deficiency in some of the units. If your unit is broken, for $8.95 postage and handling included, I will repair it free of charge. If your wire strand is exhibiting rust but is not broken, you can follow this simple repair solution. If the wire is rusted but not yet broken, you can use some laquer-based hunter green nail polish to put a heavy coat on the wire where it is rusted, to prevent it from further rusting.

19) QUESTION: “The plastic housings of my Fireflyz have started to deteriorate and become cloudy white. Is there anything I can do to restore them?

Yes, first, I would recommend disassembling the upper and lower housings using the assembly guide. Once you have the upper and lower housing separated, tape off the solar cell with some masking tape. There is a wonderful product made by Krylon called Fusion Clear Satin. This is a special paint that has a prime base that attacks the plastic (in the case of your Fireflyz housing ABS). The paint infuses with the plastic so that it can stick. In the case of Clear Satin, it can make watermarks and aging disappear. If you choose to do this, this is at your own discretion, but I’ve had great success with this technique.