Solar Water Pump - SUPER simplified introduction
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- Опубліковано 25 тра 2021
- www.edibleacres.org
I will try to share some very basic notes here as a jumping off point for you to explore lifting water in simple ways with sun power. Of course the solutions can be more elegant and detailed, but this video is meant to be very simple for folks just getting started...
The pump type we like:
search '12v DC bilge pump' online
We have worked with many types, the 500 gallon per hour 'Rule' bilge has been excellent, but most we've tried have worked. Available on ebay, or local marina shops, etc, they can cost as little as $20 and run VERY well on variable energy.
Solar panels - look on local craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc to see if there are used ones around. The bilge pumps generally run on 12V, so look for a 12V based solar panel (most common). Off-grid folks, local solar installers, maybe road crew people all may have smaller panels around that they'd sell you cheap or just give you... Start there!
The bilge pump you end up with should indicate how many watts it would like to run, that is the size solar panel you want, ideally even more wattage... Eg... bilge says '25watts' - look for at least 25 watt or ideally up to 50 watts to run it super easily. Make sure you get 12V bilge and 12V panels to have them work properly.
Wiring - Black is negative, red is positive, or there are - or + signs available on the solar panel... You want to always connect black to black, red to red. If you want super simple wiring, you can twist together the two black cable ends so they are matched, and then use an alligator clip or even a rock to push the red and red sides together when the pump is under water... Bilge pumps can run dry a bit so don't get stressed about that, but ideally you run it underwater.
Don't overthink it, don't get all new perfect stuff, learn with simple components and only add more if you need to. You got this. 10 years in and I'm finally upgrading our system with better wiring, some new tools, etc, but it all worked fine super scrappy and simple for many many years...
Please comment with questions below and hopefully folks can help each other out :)
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Happy growing!
Yes, Yes, Yes! Walking thru with details how you use these kinds of systems on your property is exactly what I need! An early birthday present. TY.
I stumbled upon your videos and have been devouring the content. I appreciate the fact that you are showing others how to make sustainable gardening choices with minimal disturbance to the environment, all while diverting folks away from using Amazon as a resource for products. Well done!
We're tryin'
Thanks for making this intimidating project so accessible.
Also love the "buy new/ buy Amazon" alternatives.
I sometimes put out videos that are what I would have hoped for when I was just getting started
Thanks for watching :)
Please understand I tried to make this video as absolutely simple, minimal and accessible as I possibly could. There are many ways to improve and refine the info provided here for sure. If there is enough interest I will expand on this to explain Anderson Power Pole wiring, multimeter use, monitoring and refining the setup, etc.
This video is meant to empower folks that feel they don't know how to start... I hope it can get those folks over the hump. Please share questions and help each other out in the comments so everyone feels like they can have access to this important and simple technology.
Do you have a video of it in action? This is exactly what I need for my project.
Super interested in more solar and different ways to use the bilge pump videos. That stuff is the more technical part of homesteading I need to learn more about.
It's good to know it isn't actually that technical!
Oooh, timely! That's something I've had on my list, thank you for the extremely useful information!
Really hoping this is a simple tech approach that can work very well for you!
Thanks for this. The alligator clamps make perfect sense to me, after all, my solar fence charger connects to the fence with clamps. I have been watching 100W solar kits that are available through Harbor Freight , Northern Tool and even Costco sometimes and I want to get one and tinker around with it. I figured it would be a good enough solution for a light and possibly an outlet in my barn, but I have been afraid to jump in. Now I'm feeling braver about the possibilities.
great simple vid with great discriptions and suggestions..the way diy vids should be made..bravo
“Don’t buy this stuff from Amazon” that has become my life’s motto over the last year.
Absolutely, Bezos is far too wealthy already in my opinion.
I'll buy from Amazon when a real Amazon knocks at my door and hands me my box. Lets see Bezos do that when he gets back from space.
I love Amazon but it’s a great way to spend money on things you didn’t really need.
I'll buy from who ever can get me what I want for cheapest
Too cool! I would DEFINITELY like to know more about this system and see it in action! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! This is the information I've been looking for and you did make it simple! Thank you!
I’m excited to see the setup your friend helped with in more detail. I hope he’s able to put up a shop soon! I’d love one of those batteries he rescued.
They are amazing. instagram.com/ampeat3r/ is his Instagram account if you want to know what he's up to :)
@@edibleacres I'm following! I don't understand half of what he's got but I like every post haha.
Watching your vids is getting me more into a repurpose frame of thinking. :) Found a pressure treated 2x3 fencepost out in the woods and am gonna combine it with one of the plastic thingies that go under potted plants to make a no cost bird bath. I looked at buying one, didn't like the reviews on the "resin" ones and the concrete ones are heavy and expensive. So...don't need pretty, need functional. Want more bluebirds!
With a dremel, or a hammer and chisel (and eye protection) you can carve a birdbath into any decently sized rock. Got any on site already?
@@nathanc9110 No, Panhandle Florida. All rock is down about 50' :p But my DIY one is functional now. Not pretty but holds water and saw a mockingbird sitting on the edge. With all the rain, plenty of water around at the moment.
That is so cool! Once I figure out how to get my brand new pond to eventually hold water this week be very useful to know about
Ah, huh! Voila`! I'm thinking about making a natural pond for wildlife and wild flowers and those pond pumps are ridiculously expensive! This is the perfect solution! I won't even need that strong of a pump. I'm going to use a refrigerator drawer as the "water fall"... we shall see! Blessings Abound!
Voila. Viola is a women's name. :-)
@@metamud8686 There. Fixed it. Thank you.
Excellent video, thanks for sharing. I’ll be trying this out this weekend with a couple older unused solar panels and a small bilge pump I’ve had hanging around. Cheers
Hope it works wonderfully.
"Head" describes how far up from the beginning the pump has to push the water. I mention this because I just found that manufacturer's specs sometimes list the flow rate at various levels of head. For instance Rule lists one of their bilge pumps as 500gph @ 0' of head, 360gph @ 3.35' of head, and 260gph @ 6.7' of head.
To help us figure out how strong a pump we really need for a specific application. I always take such specs with a grain of salt, but at least it should be in the ballpark.
Great notes here to add to the conversation, thank you. Yes, there are decent charts worth looking at if you have specific/challenging applications for this pumping setup.
I have really been struggling to find information on *exactly* this kind of idea, so thank you very, very much. In our case I think I might need a bigger pump because it's about ten feet from our creek up to the edge of the bank, then a mild slope up into the pasture where I need water the most. But even if I can only find a 500gph pump and it runs half or a third as fast due to the rise I might be OK with that, too.
I put together a system with an 800 gph bilge and a 75 watt panel that is really excellent. At 6 feet lift and 50' delivery it runs like a fully open garden hose attached to a home. Something like an 1100 gph bilge and a 100-150watt panel and you'd easily get what you've described worked out!
@@edibleacres Excellent, thank you. I briefly searched bilge pumps and even brand new I was shocked at how affordable they are. Previously I thought I was going to have to spend hundreds because all the info I was finding was not about bilge pumps but other styles that are, well, pricy. Just knowing the correct specific sort of pump to look for has already helped me a lot, so thank you again!
P.S. I will of course look for a used pump... and I certainly won't be ordering through Amazon. Don't get me started on my thoughts about Amazon...
Check marine supply stores, for larger BILGE pumps. I used on a waterfall feature and it is great.
I have a fish pond out back. To keep the fish happy they tell you to circulate the water through a pump and filter, up above the water surface, and then let it spill back into the pond to aerate the water. The pumps can be 80 dollars, and then you have to plug it into something... This looks like it would do the job for a fraction of the cost of the pump. Thanks for the idea!
Find a used solar panel for low/no money and a bilge pump for $20 and all day when the sun shines you are all set...
this was amazing, thank you so much for doing it!
More content like this please. Hopefully I can find the same things here in Australia.
Hoping you can find some good bits down there. I suspect all these components should be easy to find.
Working 4 people to think out side the box..keep going exactly 💯
Will prowse dyi solar is a good channel to check out. If you need a more complex system. He is very detail, but this is great for simplicity and cost.
I've watched a good many of his videos, really excellent detailed information provided there.
@@edibleacres I agree
I love it. I finally have my pump, panel, battery, controller!
I use an old battery charger to run my bilge pump to move rain water around my place Sean
Sounds like you have a system that works well for you!
Great information, thank you.
As always thank you this is amazing....
Ace hardware has the bilge pump hose by the foot that fits directly onto it. Easy enough to then reduce it down to a 3/4 hose fitting.
What a great idea.....
Thanks
Good info, thanks!
Interesting video again. 🌞👍
Hey I saw this video and thought could this be used on an off grid shower using a bucket of hot water
Great info, thanks
Would love a multimeter video!
Ha... well, I should encourage you to search for them on youtube since I have just an incredibly basic understanding. I generally am just reading the voltage.
Very interesting, please keep it coming.
I'll keep offering more videos like this.
Thanks for this walk through. We have a small hand-dug well, about 3m deep. I've been using an electric mains-powered pump to pump the water into an IBC tank, which we use for watering our small market garden. I'd rather have a solar powered pump which trickled whenever it was on. Do you think that a bilge pump could work well for that, maybe since it would be dealing with lifting a greater distance it would work out as a good slow pump. I would be happy if it trickled as long as the sun was out, with the pump living in the well.
Great info 👍..
love to hear more Please
thanks for sharing these good information❤
Hope it was helpful
Ha! Ha! Ha! I've been doing this since 2005! Same thing. Bought a 30 Watt panel back then for $100 and $25 bilge pump to pump water out of my creek. Works fantastically! I think I bought the original bilge pump from Northern Tool, but it might have been another place in Minnesota. I would suggest Rule pumps because they really are good, but I wouldn't buy from Amazon. I think the last one I bought was from eBay. I also bought my 30 watt solar panel from eBay, but that was back in 2005 or so.
Great to know other folks are out there doing the simple setup style. So pleased to have found this very direct and very reliable way to move water.
@@edibleacres Well, it took me five (5) years and a lot of frustration to figure out that the ram pump I was trying to build wouldn't work because the amount of "fall" (i.e., measure from the top of where the water comes out vertically down to the base of the creek) had to be a *minimum* of three (3) feet and I only had about 24 inches. Then I had seen something about pumping water using solar panels, but all my research was showing DC pumps that were really more designed for industrial purposes and were way too big, physically, for my creek. I finally emailed a company (don't remember the name) who engineered water pumps and it was one of the engineers who suggested using a bilge pump. Bingo! Solved the problem lickety-split.
A neighbor has recently told me a someone he recently met who was having this same problem and suggested to him the same solution. I wish I knew the guy's name and email address so I can send him a link to this video.
@@kalinystazvoruna8702 So the bilge pump is a DC pump?
@@bigonprivacy2708 Yes. In fact, I think I have two or three (always have a backup!) The pump in this video is the same as what I have in my garden.
@@kalinystazvoruna8702 Thank you!
Thanks for the info. I'm also very interested in more details, especially about the batteries your friend built you. Maybe you could collaborate with him to show us where to get the supplies and how to build them? Oh, I'm also interested in your electric BCS. Does it have enough power?
The electric BCS is insane. We had him modify it so it only outputs 20% of the potential power of the motor he installed and it is more than enough to do all the rotary plow work we need which is just about the most demanding application. I'll certainly share a video on it.
Video is great
Thank you.
I would look into a DC step down board just to be safe. (may also allow the pump to run more hours)
Thanku Probably cover the pump with mesh to prevent sucking debris?
I would like to know the step by step building this.
An old door screen wrapped around it would be nice... Isn't critical but would be beneficial.
Hi Sean, thanks for this video. I've been thinking about trying to pump up water from a stream on my property but it's about 200 ft away and maybe 40ft downhill from where I need the water. Any sense of what size/ kind of pump might work for this?
So the drop in elevation from your stream to where you want the water is called the "head", and tbh 40ft is a lot for something like a bilge pump. A bilge pump is designed to pump a bit of water all day long as it sits in the bilge of a boat where the water that leaks in collects. you may be able to find a bilge pump that can handle what you want, but it'd probably be a lot larger than the one in the video.
It sounds like you'd be more after a shallow well pump, and that might require you still make a small deep pool that the stream can feed and the pump will be submersed in. Looking at those you'll start to see mentions of "head". Many of them can/will also be 12v, but may require more watts, depending on designs. As far as places to acquire them, you could try to connect with a rural store or farmers, someone who would be out where a well would be
@@timmyjacobs0 thanks for that; my situation isn't as extreme as Davis Wang's but I appreciate knowing what to look for if I need more ooomph.
Your application is definitely something you can accomplish with solar power and DC pumps, but you absolutely would need a more robust system. I suspect you'll be needing to research 24V systems (which could be two 12V panels run in series) and a DC well pump that is capable of lifting probably 100' or more to tackle both the lift and distance. I found a very rough idea (no idea if it's a good quality, but a frame of reference) of a 12V well pump for $80 that lifts almost 200' supposedly. It would want a 150 watt 12V solar panel to be able to work...
ebay.to/3oVSRlB
Not saying to buy it, but to look at a starting place of the type of equpiment you'd want to explore.
Thiis would probably be a few hundred dollar project, but quite doable. Good luck!
@@edibleacres thanks, that helps give a sense of what might work. Appreciate it
not related to this video but i know you have a bit of experience with pawpaw seedlings. i have a bunch of seeds and theyre really staring to germinate now, some have a decent taproot already and i planted a few where i want em but i still have a bunch left. right now theyre all in a standard maybe 10 inch deep clay pot and i was wondering if i should try to find something deeper to put them in.
Ideally get them in rich, deep soils in a garden with shade in the late day... Don't have to meet every criteria there but thats what they love. Keep them hydrated and happy all growing season in that soil, let them overwinter there, and transplant out to final destination in the spring. Good luck!
i wonder if i can try this to add water pump as pond circulation. for some reason my koi pond seems to have stagnant water even though it has a pump and bog filter. i don't want to buy a solar pump on amazon as i think they always break down. this is giving me some hope i can build one myself.
I could imagine that being a possible way to work.
Thanks for this, most vids assume a basis of electrical knowledge or the funds to purchase a $20,000 set up from a contractor that I simply do not have
Like inverters and temp controls and phone apps to monitor everything sounds cool but way out of range for right now, while this I can use right away, just start checking craigslist and kijiji and fb barter groups for equipment and go from there
Yep, this right here is the main reason I make videos like this :)
I admit that I know even less about electrical hook ups than you do, but I tried to replicate your exact setup with nearly identical pump and a 100W solar panel. And nothing happened. My pump work when tested and the solar panels is putting out the correct amount of power. The one thing I got from another video is that a solar panel putting out 20 V open circuit, which it is designed for, will quickly burn out a pump designed to work on 12V . I would think you need some kind of regulator. I tried to get the pump to work by hooking it directly to the solar panel and after the controller that came with it and still nothing happened. I cannot see how this can work without a battery in the loop.
I would love to see how you use this in real time. Are you walking around with it like a hose or are you filling a container and using gravity?
Good questions. Yeah, I should make a follow up video with more details, showing the anderson power pole system and how we actually water!
@edibleacres Do you think this setup could work to drip irrigate air prune boxes on a timer? Got four of your style air prune boxes, looking to make it as automated as possible for when im working out of town.
It seems like it's a possibility, although you may wanna battery involved for more even and reliable electricity, to run controllers and such
Hoping someone can help me with an issue I'm seeing. I put together a system nearly identical to this. When I connect my multimeter straight to the 12 volt panel it shows around 2 amps and 20 volts. However, as soon as I connect the bilge pump, the voltage drops to around 0. I tested the pump separately using my drill battery and it does work, so I'm wondering what could be happening. Thanks!
Hi, how would I make this thats on a timer ? Powered via solar
solar panel how many watt?
Your the long hair brother on "Year One "vocab is nice
Great ! I think I can find all the material. Was looking for a way to empty my bathtub after a shower into a water holding in the garden. (Gravity is against me)
I'll end a pump that stops itself whe n the water level is near zero or it will fry
Bilge pumps can run dry for a little, although you don't want to let that happen for too long.
@@edibleacres oh OK, that widens opportunities.
If you get an automatic bilge pump, they shut off when the water level goes below the float. Kind of like a toilet tank float. I only know this because of boat ownership in the past. A bilge pump turns on and off automatically when water comes into a boat, and pumps it out the side of the boat to keep it from sinking.
Trying to set up the same thing out of a 55gallon drum
So if you use the alligator clamps on the pump cord, are you exposing a bit of wire from the solar panel cable and you clip onto that? Do I have to be careful this connection doesn't touch anything damp like grass? So it can't be left out in any weather and is just temporary? I need to ask because I really don't know enough yet about it and really do want to try this! Thank you anyone who can tell me.
I can see very much that what you see in the video is functional AND very very scrappy and not best practice. With a 12V solar panel under 100 watts I can't imagine you doing any damage to property or people with this approach, and I've had those clips in various conditions and it still functions just fine. Consider it a fine enough place to start that you would want to hopefully evolve and deepen as time allows...
@@edibleacres Thank you so much for your reply. Just yesterday I ordered the little bilge pump and a 100 watt panel from ebay. The solar panel has wires that have alligator clips or you can plug into a car cigarette lighter. I'm not sure what kind of end is on the bilge pump; is that the wire I may need to strip the end off to clip the alligator clips on? I'll have to look at it all when it comes and see what I've got, I'm super excited to get started finally using a solar panel. I hope the 100 watt isn't too much for the pump (same size as yours), if it is I can get a small battery I guess to use with it. What do you think?
Rule pump is the best
Nice video, but why didn't you show this nifty assembly in action? How about a little demonstration?
Does it work in a little cloudy days or it must be in full sun only ??
If you get a panel that is a bit stronger than what you need it works in cloudy conditions. Pump needs 30 watts? You wire up a 100 watt panel and it will work in partial shading...
Hi. Thanks for this. However i cant get mine to work. the pump needs 3A and my panel onlgive 1.4. I bought a 12v panel but when it arrived it says 18v on the back. But i think the problem is the amps. Any ideas?
Your best bet is to think about it through the lens of watts... If you have a 3amp pump that is rated for 12v you need 36 watts of panel BARE BARE minimum... 100 watt panel in decent sun would work wonderfully... That is how I'd focus my attention on it...
Yes that makes sense. But how come his works in the video when I got the same rated panel and pump. There's another video posted where the guy does the same and hey presto it works!
A bit cringey on electric side, but it will work for a while.
Find a solar DIYer and get some proper waterproof connectors, and it will last for years.
Float the pump, so it gets cleaner water.
I hear you on the details and those are all good, but it's important to have folks see a system that iis super super low tech so they feel that they can start somewhere!
@@edibleacres yes just getting something started on a budget is where I'm at. I would prefer to really do it properly the first time if the budget allowed, but that's simply not the case. And really doing it properly can frankly be pretty daunting, from what I've read - some systems get real complicated real quick. But I also appreciate the tips from CorwynGC.
How do you add float switch
I don't know but there are good instructions out there I'm sure
You should show the final product
Yep, should do another whole video series on these things!
Be careful which "12V" panel you buy. The one I got from eBay was advertised as 12V, but is actually an 18V panel that only delivers 12V with a charge controller that you have to buy separately. The pump works fine on a 12V power supply, but doesn't work with the higher voltage (25V no load) actually coming from the panel.
Good reminder. The closer the panel in wattage to what the device needs, the more reliably it seems to work. I tried plugging in a tiny 12V pump that maybe needs 20W in total into a 150W panel and NOPE... Too much open voltage I suspect. But a pump that wants 50w at 12V can take that extra and make it work. I think I may look for used super cheap charge controllers to put inline to regulate a bit.
next up; pump system in operation...
(plz?)
Yeah I thought of that... I can do another video showing a few different pumps working.
Know that the voltage of a 12v panel can be up to 18v in full sun which can ruin a pump. Consider a buck converter which regulates the voltage for the pump. $15 max
Something for me to look into, although I've found 100-ish watt panels with a roughly 20-30 watt drawing pump seems to work pretty darn well with no other bits inbetween...
Why wasn't it tested?
why dont buy from amazon??
I'm not a huge fan of making one of the most wealthy people on the face of the earth more wealthy in exchange for many small businesses going under.
@@edibleacres great answer :) I have never used amazon either. Never had a reason to but that sounds like a good reason not to :)
Sometimes i order items on ebay and they arrive in am amazon package 😑
Yeah, I've had that happen too. Strange. No super clean solution I guess but at least it's aiming in a better direction.
Thats exactly the pump i use,
I love the bilge pump!
But you didn’t demonstrate it working!
Sorry about that. I have intention of making more in-depth videos on this subject.
Dude. Wire nuts. Also, dont put your power junction so close to the pump that your connector is under water. Leave more length. But if you must then you can splurge for waterproof wire nuts.
The wiring on the pump comes super short so I work with what I've got. I know I could do a heat shrink or something to extend that but to be honest after 8 years it hasn't been a problem so I just don't worry about it. I hear you though, I'm sure there are way better upgrades to this super simple approach.
I cannot seem to shake my fear of combining electric with water. Nonetheless, thank you for this information.
Super super understandable. I felt the same way, and still get sketched sometimes. BUT, 12V panels at low wattage and small bilge pumps like this are insanely safe. No battery to store extra energy and let it loose very fast, nothing like that. I haven't felt anything remotely near a zap with what I've shown here.
Bilge pumps are made to be water tight when submerged in water, so they can pump water out of a boat to keep it from sinking. Water tight connectors might be found at a marine supply website or store, since most bilge pumps are connected to a marine battery.
A warning against utilizing a used bilge pump in the garden: boat bilges can contain a lot of petroleum products we don't want near food production. Carefully inspect or clean it first.
Good note.
Don’t buy this stuff from Amazon. I love you and your altitude. enough of supporting crooks. Lovely
I'll be honest I get kind of tired of seeing permaculture youtube channels with affiliate links to Amazon. At some point folks need to call that one out and make a cultural shift.
Extremely valuable. Say I have 100w 12v panel and want to run pump like that 12v 3amp max. the panel can put out 18v and sometimes 6amp. How can I protect the pump from too much power? Can somebody recommend a specific converter?