Soar-powered pond pump

[Bert Coules]

Just wondering if anyone's ever used or installed a solar-powered pump for a garden pond. Are they any good at all or (as I rather suspect) pretty useless except in full and powerful sunlight?

[Roger Mills]

No, I haven't - but I guess it depends on what you want to use it for.

If it's for a water feature which only needs to run on sunny days when you might be sitting by the pond to see it, it may be ok. But if there are fish in the pond so that the pump needs to run continuously to drive water through a filter - forget it!

[Bert Coules]

Roger, thanks for that (and for correcting my stupid spelling slip): that's pretty much what I thought myself. No fish are involved in the plans but I'd like to be able to run the pump most of the time: easiest and safest thing would presumably be to run out a low-voltage cable from the house.

[John Rumm]

A mate of mine has one as an additional pump on his fish pond. Handy for an extra boost when the sun is out, but can't be relied on for 24/7 operation. How much that matters depends on the scale of the pond and how much natural oxygenation it gets.

[Davey]

You could do as my neighbour did once: run an extension mains cable out and put a bucket over the socket end. It had an RCD indoors, so was protected.

[The Medway Handyman]

Most solar stuff doesn't run directly off sunlight these days. They have rechargeable AA batteries which are charged by the sun, then used to run the lights/pump/whatever.

If you can get one where the solar cell is on a separate cable, that can be placed in direct sunlight.

[Bert Coules]

One of the models I've been looking at has this in its description (bad English and all):

"The water pump will not working without sunlight, it will restart within three seconds once the sunlight re-appear."

Old technology, then?

Annoyingly, that same model is like that:

Thanks, Dave.

Bert

[The Natural Philosopher]

For occasional uncritical duties like water pumping no point in a battery at all.

[The Medway Handyman]

Unless you want continuous operation. They switch off when a cloud appears.

[The Medway Handyman]

I built a deck a while ago and there was a water feature like that. It had been moved behind a shed so it wouldn't get in our way.

Sun came out, it went on, cloud it went off. Drove us bloody mad!

Have a look at some of these. I install their awnings, good professional company.

[Bert Coules]

Dave, thanks for the link. I'll take a look. I've also discovered that at least one manufacturer makes a 24v model, which means my earlier conjecture about running a low-voltage cable out from the house is actually feasible. I do like the notion of solar power though.

Bert

[charles]

remember that lower voltage means higher current and thus more voltage drop on the cable.

[Bert Coules]

That's a good point, and distinctly relevant in my case. Thanks.

Bert

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its a great notion. Like having sex with a supermodel..

Unfortunately the reality of it is actually rubbish.

[The Medway Handyman]

I have 6 solar deck lights which are great.

[John Williamson]

Coming a bit late to this thread, I'm now wondering how *soaring* can power a pump?

A typo, but a good one.

[Davey]

He's using a water-wheel on the River Soar in Leicestershire?

[Adam Aglionby]

Low voltage in the garden can often be solved by the liberal application of speaker cable, high current, flexible, heavy insulation, cheap by the reel, it lends itself to vampire tapping, like scotchloks, for lighting.

Pond pumps tend to be mains operated, saves a warm running wall wart in the house, just use a dedicated plug in or wired to the cable RCD and a suitably IP rated box and arctic or preferably HO7 RNF rubber if you have to extend cable.

Been trying to replace for a while my solar powered plant turner from maplins years ago, could move a heavy pot , very slowly...

Pumps that are variable to the Sun level become annoying, its even on a cloudy day you want the soothing sounds of running water, fountain easier to get right sound out of than waterfall alone.

Very swish fountain controls have wind speed sensors..

Good pricing , decent service:

[Bert Coules]

I'm going to have to look up exactly what you mean but I think I have the general idea. Thanks.

Thanks for the link.

Bert

[Adam Aglionby]

in assosciation with , or its thinner counter counterparts

your welcome