diy solar

diy solar

Beginner planning solar pond aeration

Yup.
Voltage set points on that particular controller are set digitally by pushing buttons (no potentiometers) and a bit of trial and error adjustment should get it all working pretty well.
 
Rednecktek said:
I've seen too many people try to run pumps right off the panels and yes, it can be done sometimes, I've seen 80% of those systems fail in the first week because the pump worked REALLY WELL and then died. Experimentation is expensive and the OP wanted the simplest system that would use the parts he already had to get it working.

Granted, the experimenting can be WAY more fun! ?
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Interesting comment. I haven't heard of anyone who will try it ... always so many reasons why it can't work though.

Having said that, I've been running my pool pump for three and a half years directly off 6 x 250 watt panels in series, running a treadmill motor and a belt to the original AC pump. Works for me.

I am on my third belt, so it isn't perfect.
 
rogerdw said:
Interesting comment. I haven't heard of anyone who will try it ... always so many reasons why it can't work though.

Having said that, I've been running my pool pump for three and a half years directly off 6 x 250 watt panels in series, running a treadmill motor and a belt to the original AC pump. Works for me.

I am on my third belt, so it isn't perfect.
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Glad to hear its still working very well Roger.
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.
 
Than
Warpspeed said:
Glad to hear its still working very well Roger.
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.
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Thanks Tony, though I may actually retire the system soon and go back to ac ... not because there's any issue with it ... but my inverter is finally getting close and I can combine those 6 panels with all the rest.
 
Warpspeed said:
How is the vacuum tube heating system going ?
Click to expand...
Haha, the original one is still going ... for its third winter now ... but the big version is just crowding out my workshop, still only half finished. Bit embarrasing really.

No question it is a great system and the idea is solid ... I just need to get my butt in gear.

There are a few weeks in the middle of winter when it is not all that effective (the little one that is) ... but as soon as there's even a hint of sun, even if it's freezing cold and windy as, the thing pumps heat beautifully. So it's brilliant leading into and heading out of winter and the big one will probably need to be throttled back on better days.

Davo wanted to know what it would do in the middle of summer, so one day I did turn it on for a few mins ... didn't seem to get all that hot which confused me ... but some time later I noticed that the heat had melted and collapsed the hot air outlet manifold and the ends had popped off.

I thought it was stuffed and time to throw it away, but when winter started this year I resurrected it and it's going well. I had to replace the thermistors and wiring inside the tubes ... they had all disintegrated over summer. :LOL:
 
rogerdw said:
Haha, the original one is still going ... for its third winter now ... but the big version is just crowding out my workshop, still only half finished. Bit embarrasing really.

No question it is a great system and the idea is solid ... I just need to get my butt in gear.

There are a few weeks in the middle of winter when it is not all that effective (the little one that is) ... but as soon as there's even a hint of sun, even if it's freezing cold and windy as, the thing pumps heat beautifully. So it's brilliant leading into and heading out of winter and the big one will probably need to be throttled back on better days.

Davo wanted to know what it would do in the middle of summer, so one day I did turn it on for a few mins ... didn't seem to get all that hot which confused me ... but some time later I noticed that the heat had melted and collapsed the hot air outlet manifold and the ends had popped off.

I thought it was stuffed and time to throw it away, but when winter started this year I resurrected it and it's going well. I had to replace the thermistors and wiring inside the tubes ... they had all disintegrated over summer. :LOL:
Click to expand...
That is another amazingly successful project !
My apologies for hijacking the thread.
 
@Rednecktek , @Warpspeed - I really appreciate your thought and advice here, but... you've lost me ?

Did the final suggestion above entail connecting the inverter to the solar charge controller load port? If so then I might follow..

Sorry to be dense about this - but again, appreciate the guidance!
 
Not surprised, I think between the two of us we threw 3 ways to do things that would all work. Here's the breakdown as I see it:

Connect inverter to Load ports -
Pro's : Would provide low voltage shutdown, should have plenty of amperage for such a small pump
Con's : If it shuts off the inverter the timer stops so 8am will be some time after the sun has recharged the battery throwing your timer out of whack.

@Warpspeed 's method -
Pro's : Provides a low voltage cutoff, pump timer keeps time
Con's : Not sure what part he's talking about to do that but I'm sure he knows, requires getting a second timer/controller/something involved

@Rednecktek 's method -
Pro's : Provides low voltage protection, no worries about overdrawing the Load ports, keeps timer on time
Con's : Requires involving an automotive relay ($20 at O'Reily's etc.), requires a little rewiring.
 
I tried to find a user manual on line for your TOPSPC-DA solar controller without success.

I did however find a u-tube video for installing what I think may be the same controller you have.
But not absolutely certain of that ?

Many solar controllers have a load port, and that can have various functions and features depending on the particular make and model of controller.
The above controller appears to have an under voltage disconnect for the load port which would be very useful for us.
Some controllers also have an inbuilt time clock for connecting and disconnecting the load, but this one does not seem to have that.
Use of the the load port is optional, you can also connect a load directly to the battery if you wished to do so.

If you can confirm that is the same controller that you have, knowing exactly what features the load port has would be a good start.
 
@Rednecktek , @Warpspeed - thank you for the replies, again!

Right - I replaced the incredibly cheap and featureless controller than came with the Topsolar kit with an HQST 20a MPPT. Their documentation seems decent, but admittedly I haven't read it closely yet..

Appreciate the clarification on options - this weekend I'll look to replace the inverter<->battery clamp cables to connect to the controller load ports, and more closely read the pros and cons, figure it out from there.. !

(Stay tuned, please ;) )
 
Many ways to skin a cat !
Its just a case of using what you have in the simplest and best way.
Key to that is understanding the features your solar controller has controlling the load port.
 
Do you even need batteries? I use solar for both pumping water and for aerating the water tank. The former uses a Grundfos solar pump, and the latter is12V pump connected directly to a small panel. They work when the sun is shining, which is all that is needed. While the details are different, the essential question is, is it OK if it only works when the sun is shining? If so, then skip the batteries. (You may need a small battery to keep the inverter happy.)
 
One advantage of using a battery for pumping, is that when the sky is all grey and horrible, there may not be enough solar to start up the pump.

But it may be possible to trickle charge a battery at a very low rate over a whole day, then run the pump for just a short period at the end of the day.

Not wonderful, but a bit of useful pumping each day is still better than no pumping at all for perhaps several days in a row.
 
What a great project! I made an aeration system for my pond several years ago using hot tub jets to Venturi air into the bottom of my pond. It was powered by my well which had the added benefit of introducing cooler water in the summer months. The only problem I ran into was the cost of running my 3HP well pump on grid power. Hoping to add a small solar well pump in the future if I can figure out how to fit it down the well casing with my current setup. I might just have to try this instead! Cheers from the new guy?
 
Happy spring, all!

I recently re-deployed our panels and pump setup - and, while everything is working "fine" so far this season, I'm reminded of the pain points.

Namely, I'd really like to remove the need to manually reset the inverter each time the SCC cuts off power, then restores it.

In searching around the forums, I came across this similar post by @thesundayranch , where he located an inverter that auto restarts after a low voltage shut down.

Are inverters that auto-restart really that rare? (my searches for "auto restart inverter" haven't turned up much - is there a better search query?)

Any reason not to simply pull the trigger and try this one (Victron Pheonix 12/500) .. ?


As always - really appreciate everyone's input! I'm looking forward to learning more and making further improvements to the setup this year.


p.s - welcome @Boardmstr ; I've learned a ton through these forums and received a lot of help in this thread (although I'm still a newb)
 
I'm very familiar with the HP60/HP80 air pumps, as that's what my septic treatment system uses, and it runs 24x7. A couple of notes:

It's essentially an overgrown aquarium air pump, there's an armature in the middle that moves back and forth at 60Hz and runs a diaphragm pump at either end, so there's no 'variable speed' or 'startup surge', and I suspect running at inappropriate voltages will result in failure (see below).

Every couple of years the diaphragms wear out, the armature gets off-centered, stalls out, the pump overheats and melts a little plastic nut/bolt assembly that's essentially a thermal cutout. Then you need the diaphragm kit: https://www.septicsolutions.com/sep...low-hp-60-and-hp-80-diaphragm-replacement-kit and an hour with some hand tools to get it up and running again. I have two pumps so I can swap them and rebuild at my leisure, but then yours probably isn't as critical as keeping my septic system running. 8*)

After a number of rebuilds the other parts will start to wear out, and then you need the complete rebuild kit: https://www.septicsolutions.com/sep...-and-hp-80-complete-diaphragm-replacement-kit

The Amazon listing says you need a new pump after a couple of diaphragm kits, but I've got two pumps that I've been swapping/rebuilding for 18 years now and they are still fine. Yes, you should replace the air filter yearly, but I have to admit I don't always remember...

Mine runs 24x7, yours runs less, but we're in different environments, so Your Milage Will Vary. Also, your fullfillment time will be shorter, and the downside of having your system offline isn't very significant, so just keep an eye on it and don't be surprised when it stops working. Mine has a small takeoff that goes to a pressure switch that sets off an alarm, but it doesn't always work, so I have a CT switch that sends me an email when the pump stops drawing power.
 
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