solar powered water fountains
dogs_dolls
19 years ago
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maine_gardener
19 years agofaltered
19 years agoRelated Discussions
Solar light and pump for a birdbath Fountain
Comments (1)Update: I just took a look at the statue. The height that water has to rise is,actually, only 15"....See MoreSolar pump for disappearing fountain
Comments (3)I doubt that you'll get enough energy to run a pump which is as powerful as you want without spending more than you figured. But here's some figures. A 15 watt panel costs about $50. Typically they come as '12' volt meaning they're made to charge 12 volt batteries. However they put out 15 volts (About) in full sun. And will put out about 1 amp. In real life meaning less than perfect conditions you can expect to run a motor which requires 10 watts to it's full potential. But you'll need a motor that is a voltage requirement of 12 volts to 15 volts. And to compound the electronics part of the problem.. only a certain pump and panel combination will get the most out of the 2 sq meters (about) that your panel covers. Get a motor that needs slightly higher voltage and the panel won't match well enough to give full performance. Ask around and learn what you can. It's not all that hard make the pump spin. But when you get to where you're expecting certain results that's when the problems will begin to show up as lack of performance. Now that I've scared you a bit. What about the mounting for the panel? It's glass with metal frame. You must put it into another frame to keep it safe. ie you can't just screw into the panel's frame or the glass might crack. Battery backup? You could help the situation if you used a battery in that the battery would suck up all of the power the panel had available and the battery would also 'fix' the voltage to about 13.4 volts. Get a pump for 13.4 volts and your match will be better than a panel and pump only. But you've added some cost. You don't need any electronics between the panel and battery (if you use a car type lead / acid battery) but if you use NiMH or especially Lithium you must have some electronics to regulate the current and voltage. Let's put it this way. If you can find what you want already as a product for the price you want to pay except that it's 30% higher than you expected.. You probably can't do any better than that unless: A. You have a background in electronics and know what kind of products , pumps/panels/voltage converters are available off the shelf. That usually requires someone working in the field daily. B1. You have a friend who's done it and will help you. B2. You have a reputable site which tells you what to buy and tells you how well it worked. I wish you luck. If you want to mention how much water per minute / hour / day you want to move and how high it has to spray and if it's moving something with the water pressure .. mention what itis and how much it weighs and how far it has to move.. I can look back in a week and give you more accurate power requirements. Andre...See MoreSolar powered water pump with battery
Comments (3)I did a search on the forum and am now actually considering the 1.6 Watt pump from allsolarcentral.com. I keep calling what I want a fountain but forget that I'm just looking for a pump to create a similar effect. I currently have a much weaker version of the 1.6w that is what I want...just weaker....See MoreSolar powered pump and 'bird bath'
Comments (12)Hello, rouge21, Babs tipped me about your enquiry and I will share my bird bath experiments with you. I tried a solar-powered small fountain when they were first available and it was not good. Being in zone 6, our share of cloudy days is ample, hence, no working fountain most of the time and when the sun shone strongly, it was, at best, a weakling's effort. Were I to try another one today, I would opt for a small fountain with the solar panel separate from the fountain - not one of those with a floating disc in the middle. Similar to this style Any shallow 'bowl' of water (sans fountain power) will serve birds, bees, butterflies well, but should be rinsed out every couple of days for multiple reasons. If you have an area close to the house where you can watch the bathers and sippers, a simple dish (planter base, whatever you have) filled with or without small stones will serve little birds and bees. (the stones give the bees a place to land and drink.) Overkill info - but if you're interested... Deciding that electric was the best way for me, I bought an outdoor extension cord and using a 1940s ice chopper, I wiggled out a 5" deep trench through the lawn to where I wanted the cord plug to be. That was about 20 years ago. It is still in place and it still works. I just put the ice chopper into soft lawn and literally wiggled the chopper back and forth to separate the lawn and make a mini trench for the cord to lay in. Once the cord was stuffed into the lawn - using a wooden shingle to push it down - I pushed the lawn back together and nobody knew the cord lay below. With power in place, I could plug in anything from a summer fountain to an outdoor Christmas tree - and did both. However, the biggest and year round draw for the birds - all of them - is a heated bird bath on our deck railing. Unplugged in summer, I plug in this red fountain below for the smaller bird - including hummers - and they seem to like it, despite it being out of my camera's view. (green link below for buying info) Should you decide electric is viable, here is more info than you need. I have not regretted laying a power cord for the winter heated bath and the summer red fountain; both have been very dependable and work on cloudy days. It has a large enough reservoir for about a week's worth of bathing. I change the water often though to prohibit mosquito development. red fountain The cord runs from the back outside outlet to the red fountain and also to the heated birdbath on the deck railing. Heated bird bath for winter - unplugged in summer. heated+bird+baths+for+outdoors In winter, the water remains at 37 degrees and the bath is used constantly as a source of open water. I'm in central Connecticut and some winters are closed prohibiting running water being available to critters and birds. I just fill it by hand with a gallon jug of water. And then there is a larger Japanese font for the big guys. No fountain. Be careful what you wish for, lol. Everybody needs water. Way too much info, but if you have the opportunity and means to help birds, et al, get water, go for it in the way that works best for you. Kindly, Jane...See Moredogs_dolls
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