If you go to the top of he forum and do a search on "solor pond pumps" you can read what others have said about them previously. Glenda

most solar pumps are low volume pumps.you will not get enough flow for a good effect.you could try a mag drive 1200 or 1800.they are energy efficient.

The technology and marketing for solar pump has changed quite a lot along with the time passing by. The cost for solar panels has dropped significantly since the year of 2012. Chinese solar panel manufacturers are accused of dumping their products, so that USA has imposed higher tariff on Chinese solar panel import, while the punishment does not affect the solar pump import since solar pump is more of a pump than a solar panel. The good side of this matter is that the solar pump manufacturer in China can purchase much cheaper solar panel due to the over productivity of Chinese solar panels, therefore the Chinese solar pump manufacturer can sell their solar pump at a much favorable price. We are a manufacturer in China specializing in solar pond/fountain pump kits for water feature, waterfall, fountain and drip irrigation, solar pond air pump kits for pond oxygenation, filters for pond water filtration and associated battery backups. Compared with mains power, solar power is environmentally friendly, easier to install and has no operating cost, but perhaps even more importantly, it is much safer for kids. We have exported our products world wide for more than nine years, mostly to Europe, USA and Australia etc. and established a good reputation. Moreover, all of our products are CE and RoHS certified. If you are interested in our products, we could be your trustworthy supplier. To know more about our company and our products, please come to our web site at http://www.solarever.com. If you need any help, Please contact Mr. Larry Li at larry@solarever.com. Thank you very much for your time. Best Regards, Larry Li, Hangzhou Gene Solar Industries Co., Ltd. T: +86 0571 85020097-801 : F: +86 0571 85020097-806 E: larry@solarever.com W: http://www.solarever.com Here is a link that might be useful: Hangzhou Gene Solar

. I'll agree that financially at least; you are better off trying to utilize solar heat gain to reduce your bills. PV works and is great; but it is expensive; even with various tax / state incentives that are available. At this time; doing PV doesn't pay back very well in financial terms. I believe that most thermal collectors can justify themselves rather quickly in financial terms . . can be as simple as pre-heating water before going into water heater, etc . . . to dramatically drop consumption. It can also be signifigant in contributing to radiant hydronic heating as well . . since it runs at a relatively low temperature. Consulting with a place that designs / installs such systems will likely give you a very good idea quickly of what makes sense as well as any rebates / incentives / whatever that may be in place where you are. I read that every dollar you spend in REDUCING your electric needs; will reduce the cost of a PV system by $ 20. By paying careful attention to what you have that uses electricity; and buying new stuff based on energy consumption rather than doo-dads; you can likely reduce you consumption signifigantly. I've got a 2.8 kW PV system here in central New York state; certainly NOT the sun capital of the world . . . am presently supplying about 80% of my annual electricity. 200 to 500W system is NOT going to run much of anything. Take a look at the power consumption of things you'd like to run at such times . . fridge, sump pump, whatever . . . see what they add up to. My system ( which included battery back-up at my request ) was a little over $ 30k. After state incentives, tax credit, and Fed tax credit; it was about half that out of my pocket. Still doesn't really "pay" for itself in financial terms at today's rates. But, I've got the satisfaction of knowing I've got back-up that kicks in IMMEDIATELY . . . ( you might see the lights flicker just a bit ), I'll never have to drain my heating system / pipes due to winter outages, my system WILL make financial sense when energy costs go up, and I'm doing something good for us all . . . Bob