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Hi everyone! I’m totally new to solar power but I went ahead and tried to build myself a solar powered aerator for my pond. It works but not as well as I would have liked. I’m on a pretty tight budget so I thought I could run it without a battery, but that did not work for some reason. I got a cheap 100 watt solar panel kit from harbor freight that came with its own charge controller. Then I added a Blue Diamond ETA 80 pump and an inverter. The charge controller would not work without the battery, but even with one, the pump only ran for a few hours and then would have to charge again. Do I need more solar panels? Or should I have a smaller pump? Or is there a way to have the solar panels power the pump instead of just charging the battery? My pond is about a half acre and around 8 ft deep in the center. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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I am not very knowledgeable about solar systems. I am also looking to setting up a solar aerator. You pump is probably adequate. I suspect your battery is too small or too few of them. What type of deep cycle battery do you have and how "big" (capacity) is it?

What type of diffuser are you using and what is the cfm of the compressor? Both will let those knowledgeable help with more info.


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I used a 12v 275 amp lawn mower battery. The pump is 2.6 cfm. I just made homemade diffusers by making a circle with the air hose and drilling 1/16 holes in it. I originally had two set up but then I then I switched it back to one because it seemed like it might not have had enough power for both. Not sure which is best though?

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There a guy on YouTube who builds/sells solar powered systems on the cheap. There is something that you may need to override due to the low output during cloudy days and low light.
It is an official sounding channel...there it is! Missouri Wind and solar. You may learn some good info. I did!
Most DIY systems, he admits to, are limited by water depth. Septic pumps cannot pump air below about 8ft.
He has a lot of videos. It sounds like he would be willing to talk to you if you have specific questions.
Good luck! Please update this post or another with your progress


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So what you are saying is you are running an AC pump with the inverter.
Your Pump motor is an 80w unit. At peak Pv your panel will provide about 90% conversion in direct sunlight. Charge controller uses some power, inverter uses some power, etc.. you are quite a ways below supply power needed to run an 80w pump and keep battery charged.
I run 2 80w panels and 4 300ah batts in series-parallel to run a 60w (DC) motor. For daytime aerator operation it's best to run a 24v DC pump on a 18v panel and wire direct from panel to pump.

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What Snipe said! You need way more panel.

Plus the fastest way to destroy your battery, or any battery for that matter, is to run it down to dead a few times. Each time you do that it damages the battery. Try to work it to where WORST CASE you pull the battery down to 50-60% charge at the lowest. I try not to pull mine down below 80%.


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Originally Posted By: ShortCut
There a guy on YouTube who builds/sells solar powered systems on the cheap. There is something that you may need to override due to the low output during cloudy days and low light.
It is an official sounding channel...there it is! Missouri Wind and solar. You may learn some good info. I did!
Most DIY systems, he admits to, are limited by water depth. Septic pumps cannot pump air below about 8ft.
He has a lot of videos. It sounds like he would be willing to talk to you if you have specific questions.
Good luck! Please update this post or another with your progress


Thanks! I did watch a couple of his videos already. However, it didn’t seem like he went into too much detail about the components needed without buying one of his kits (I certainly don’t blame him for that). I actually went to their website before I got anything but it was a little more than I wanted to spend for the whole kit. I guess I could ask him about individual parts though

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Originally Posted By: Snipe
So what you are saying is you are running an AC pump with the inverter.
Your Pump motor is an 80w unit. At peak Pv your panel will provide about 90% conversion in direct sunlight. Charge controller uses some power, inverter uses some power, etc.. you are quite a ways below supply power needed to run an 80w pump and keep battery charged.
I run 2 80w panels and 4 300ah batts in series-parallel to run a 60w (DC) motor. For daytime aerator operation it's best to run a 24v DC pump on a 18v panel and wire direct from panel to pump.


That’s what I was afraid of! Do you think I can get away with a smaller or more efficient pump for my size pond? Or is getting more panels the way to go? I assume there is just some sort of adapter I could get to connect them all to the same controller right?

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Originally Posted By: wbuffetjr
What Snipe said! You need way more panel.

Plus the fastest way to destroy your battery, or any battery for that matter, is to run it down to dead a few times. Each time you do that it damages the battery. Try to work it to where WORST CASE you pull the battery down to 50-60% charge at the lowest. I try not to pull mine down below 80%.


I believe my charge controller doesn’t allow the battery to drop below 10.8 v, so hopefully that’s not too low to damage it. But yeah I guess I have to get more panels. Would another 100 watt panel be sufficient?

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There are all kinds of formulas for figuring that out, but I don't know them off the top of my head. Just know that a 100 watt panel is rated 100 watts in a lab, not the real world. So a 100 watt panel at sea level is more like an 85 watt panel. Then controller losses, etc. I prefer to over panel if possible. See how much panel your controller can handle and go with that - is my style. Then you could always add a second battery in parallel to double your capacity, but enough panel will be even more important.

It's a long learning process. I am just now feeling like I have improved from totally clueless to know enough to be dangerous.


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If you will list specs of your controller, such as is it 12/24v, 20 amp, MPPT or just PWM type. If you'll list specs I think I can help, but to start with, a single panel rated 100w is not enough for an 80w pump unless you are wiring it direct to pump (DC) but your pump is AC so you can't do that.
If your setup is 12v you have to be very careful about wire size, 24v-not so much.
It's not too bad figuring all of this out, we just need some info on your controller.

Last edited by Snipe; 08/26/19 11:55 AM.
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E26,
At the risk of starting something...

First thing to consider is what you want to accomplish. Then set the requirements. Then see if you can afford to do it.

I use poly or mono crystal panels and MPPT controllers. I "expect" 60% production at best. Currently I have been able to generate more, but I have a lot of experience.

About batteries, I use good deep cycle batteries. I use 6 volt batteries and set then up in series. I started out with a 12 volt system, but eventually I have upgraded to a 48 volt system. In 12 volts, you will be limited. At 24 volts, you have more options. When you get to 48 volts, you will have a lot of options.

If you are going to do this on a budget, consider getting the right panels for a PWM controller like the Brat and go 24 volts. If you don't use MPPT, you panel selection is paramount. If you use "12" volt panels, you will be waisting 40% of your power just to start with. I currently use the Kid MPPT charge controller and panels that allow for the Vmp to be used while tracking.

If all of this is greek to you, you can still do this but you will not have a best value system. Also, if you are using a step sign-wave inverter, your pump will wear out a lot sooner.

SO simply put, let us know the requirement and the budget and we will see what we can do.


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My barn is powered by solar; currently have three 200w Hightec panels wired in series, going to a Renogy Rover 40A MPPT controller, charging four Duracell 6V GC2 golf cart batteries in series, powering a 24V AIMS 2000W inverter/charger. Usable power from full batteries @ 25.6V to 50% depth of discharge is 2500W.

I have three more panels to install for two parallel 600W strings, 1200W total PV. My panels are oriented west-southwest, so not ideal, and I've never generated more than 450W/75% from my current three-panel string.

I'm about to pull the trigger on an aeration system, which will be powered by my barn solar and therefore the solar is a significant limiting factor. I'm torn between getting a larger diaphragm pump that will be near maxed out on my 0.4A, 12' deep pond (I think a single 9" or 12" diffuser would be fine, two 9" might be pushing it with diffusers at 10' depth) because it is so much more energy efficient, or going with a 1/4hp rocking piston pump that uses twice the energy but more CFMs at higher PSI, allowing for faster turnover and shorter run time.

At a MINIMUM I would go with 200w of PV into a MPPT controller, and two 6V GC2 batteries in series. Yes there's a bit more upfront investment, but it'll help alleviate headaches from compromised equipment down the road.

Last edited by Paul FNG; 08/26/19 03:19 PM.
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Originally Posted By: Snipe
If you will list specs of your controller, such as is it 12/24v, 20 amp, MPPT or just PWM type. If you'll list specs I think I can help, but to start with, a single panel rated 100w is not enough for an 80w pump unless you are wiring it direct to pump (DC) but your pump is AC so you can't do that.
If your setup is 12v you have to be very careful about wire size, 24v-not so much.
It's not too bad figuring all of this out, we just need some info on your controller.


It is 12v, 10A. I don’t know if it is MPPT or PWM... I didn’t see that anywhere. It came in a kit... thunderbolt magnum from harbor freight. The wires in the kit look like 14 or 16 gage braided wire... I was wondering if that’s enough. I was actually considering trying to return the pump I have and getting a DC pump that’s about 60w. I think that may be powerful enough for my pond and then I won’t have to get more panels. Would that be wise or are more panels the way to go?

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Harbor Freight is all cheap PWM controllers.

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I understand you want to do this on a budget so I'm going to tell you my thoughts based on what you have.
If using 12v only, with a single panel yer already in trouble-trying to do what you are..
I also understand where the guys above me are going with high-end systems.
With that said, I know you don't have enough power to run your pump without charging a battery, so let's back up.
To get the inverter to work properly, you need 2 panels in parallel to get the amps up. You probably need a minimum of 2 100w panels to make this work.
Not knowing what type controller you have, this can be an issue in efficiency-this is not the place to cut corners.
You really need an MPPT controller, #1. Poly panels would be best but mono will work, #2. You need an inverter that can handle the input safely and this is where you need to do some research on making sure it can optimize your input (That is maximized by your MPPT controller) to properly cycle the battery and I believe you need (at the least) 2 batteries of decent quality. Series or parallel will depend on panel type and output (usually 24v is more efficient) so series wiring is in order.
Whether you can run this at night or in the day is dependent on how far you want to go money-wise. If running day time only, then forget the battery, The controller will only provide power to the inverter when it reaches a minimum value required and the pump will kick on.
For night-time operation, things get more complex and more expensive and there really isn't any way to get around that part.
Bottom line is what are you trying to do with this kit?
The guys above have touched on the important bullets for an optimum system.

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E26,

There are a few things here being said that are not your best options, so I'll lay it out.

Panels, you need two 100 watt "12 volt" panels minimum. Expect $100 per panel plus shipping unless you can find them locally.

Charge controller, Use the Brat if you want to go PWM. Quick search, $100 delivered.

Batteries, use two 6 volt Golf cart batteries. 200AH minimum. Expect $150 each.

You have an inverter and the pump. Use them until they quit and then look for a better matched pump.

Using this setup, I would expect 1.2 KWH of power nominal. If it is cloudy in your area often, then cut that in half.


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"There are a few things here being said that are not your best options, so I'll lay it out."

Was there something I suggested that was incorrect??

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Thanks guys! That was all very helpful. I do understand the perks of putting in a better system right away, but it’s just not an option right now, so I appreciate the input on how I can do this as cost effective as possible. I thought taking some action now and improving it as I can would be better than waiting until I can afford a better one. 3 years ago my pond was at least 75% covered in lily pads. I used an herbicide to remove the majority of them and only left 3 smaller patches. At the time the water was crystal clear, but gradually I have been seeing it get worse each year. This summer the pond really got mucky and has a lot of algae and seaweed growing up. So I was hoping an aerator would help.

So back to my aerator... My original plan was to run it just in the daytime without the batteries, so I think that may be the area where I can save some costs. I will get another 100w panel, and then that should run the pump without the battery, right? Or do I need something else to make that happen? If I get poly panels, will that be ok with the ones I have? I will also look into a new charge controller and inverter (I got a cheapo inverter too). Any suggestions for quality affordable ones would be appreciated. I may try it with what I have too just to see how it works. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Thanks again

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E26,

Your panels are amorphous film solar panels. They will not work well with poly or mono crystals as their production voltage is different. There will be other incompatibilities as well.

Your panels need to be the same type and have the same specs. ( A matched pair is obviously best).

For an inverter, you need to think of the startup current pulled for any pump you have or are considering. If your inverter is too small, it won't work. Pure sine wave inverters are much better for anything sensitive.

If you are going to try to get a DC pump and run it straight off the panels, you must learn about Linear Current Boosters or you risk damaging your pump. Yes there are other ways to connect them, but that is even more advanced than using an LCB.

I cannot talk to wether or not your current setup will help or hurt your pond. But I do know you are eventually going to have to decide which way you want to go. Yes you can use what you have, or you can upgrade when you can afford to do so. Either way, learn about balancing your system so you do not damage your batteries, panels, or pump.

If you upgrade one piece at a time, buy the batteries last as they have a "shelf life" if not used and charged regularly.


Brian

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Highflyer has a very good working knowledge of this as I learned on the phone with him today. Great to have that knowledge here to tap into and I look forward to speaking with him again.
Thanks for the info highflyer! And yes, I still have a couple of questions but we're on the right track.

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Thanks again guys! I ordered a 500w pure sine wave inverter, and on Friday I’m picking up another 100w of the same panels that I have. I’m going to try it without the batteries and with the controller I currently have (unless you think that is a risk for messing something else up?). I’ll update you when get it running!

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Loss of the majority or your water lilies contributed to your cloudy water. Higher types of plant life in the pond competes for nutrients and in other ways tends to create more toward clear water and vice versa.


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Yeah I figured that out a little too late lol. Either way I needed to get rid of some of those lilies... the pond was pretty much unfishable. But yeah I fixed one problem and caused another. Hopefully the aerator helps!

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E26,
With the type of controller you have, you will damage your inverter and pump if you don't have a battery in your system. If you are going to run daylight hours only, almost any battery will work. It is there to stabilize the voltage. Without it, the voltage will spike and sag with the solar output and inverter load. If you are going to run at night, I would go with the golf cart style 6 volt batteries as needed for the load you anticipate (two batteries minimum obviously).

Let us know how it goes after Friday's upgrades!


Brian

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