Solar power for backyard pond pump? (solar panel, pumps, costs, energy)
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I saw the links on the other thread but they aren't for this application. We have a fairly large koi pond in our back yard (it was here when we bought the house). It is about 10'x15'. It is VERY expensive to run the pump and we are looking for a solar option to cut down on those costs as much as possible. The only think I can find is solar power to power a fountain. I need something to power the waterfall/filter pump for the pond. Anyone have any ideas or good companies to search? I have been looking online for a year with no luck.
I saw the links on the other thread but they aren't for this application. We have a fairly large koi pond in our back yard (it was here when we bought the house). It is about 10'x15'. It is VERY expensive to run the pump and we are looking for a solar option to cut down on those costs as much as possible. The only think I can find is solar power to power a fountain. I need something to power the waterfall/filter pump for the pond. Anyone have any ideas or good companies to search? I have been looking online for a year with no luck.
I know they make them, because one of the option for our well was a solar-powered pump capable of drawing household-supply water up 300'.
you might think of modifing your pump system to utlilize a 12v pump or a boat bildge pump....much easier to run that off solar and/or a battery system.
What is the power rating of the pump (Hp or Watts) and how much of the time is it used (hrs per day). This information will allow you to calculate the size of the solar collectors (watts) and storage battery (Watt-hrs) you will need.
What is the power rating of the pump (Hp or Watts) and how much of the time is it used (hrs per day). This information will allow you to calculate the size of the solar collectors (watts) and storage battery (Watt-hrs) you will need.
I don't know the size of the pump. We estimate that the pond holds about 2500-2800 gallons. It is used 24 hours/day as we have fish in the pond. It pumps the water up the back of the waterfall into a holding bin with a filter. That probably holds 40 gallons (rough guess), then falls back down a waterfall that is about 3 feet high.
have to know how many Horsepower the pump is then that can be converted into watts and or amps.....A 1500 or 2000 gph boat bildge pump (12 volts) would probably work nicely....could hook it to a deep cycle battery and a solar panel. battery should last 4-5 years if ya take care of it during the winter.
Hp of the pump should be on a label on the pump body. knowing the gph (gallons per hour or minute) would also be benifical....that should be on the pump somewhere too.
I tried a solar powered pump a few years ago. It produced a trickle compared to the amount of water flow you have. The setup I bought was about $100 and lasted about a year, then I think the panel was charging properly or getting power to the pump. It wasn't a big enough investment to try to fix.
I would guess by the picture that the demands of the volume of water you are trying to move would require such a large number of batteries to store the energy, it might take a long time to recover your initial investment in energy savings. Hope that helps
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