Home lawn sprinkler system from solar, Does anyone have experience?

[rtthacker2]

Im new to solar but I was looking for information to run my lawn sprinkler system off grid. I was thinking my a pool solar pump, but you guys are the experts and I'm sure you know how I should do this. I would like to pump water from my pond. also thinking of creating a waterfall feature
Thank you in advance
Richard

 

[DThames]

Do you have a gallons per hour number? How much head?

 

[SkyBlue]

I'm in N. Central California, and we have plenty of sun during our 6 month irrigation season. So last year I converted my sprinkler system from utility power to solar power. The main tasks involved swapping out my single phase 1.5 hp sprinkler pump for a 1.5 hp three phase pump, building a ground mount and installing 6 310 Watt panels, and wiring a disconnect switch and a pump controller between the panels and the pump. My system runs 7 hours each day and pumps about 1500 gallons per hour through 6 sprinkler lines at 35-40 lbs pressure. This was my first DIY solar project and I wasn't sure how to match the components of the system, so I bought a kit from this company.

RPS Pro Irrigation Surface Pump

RPS Pro Irrigation Surface Pump SALE + FREE SHIPPING ON S750 & W1000 *Buying after hours? Be sure to leave your phone number during checkout for a free Post-Purchase Water Assurance Call --- to make sure you've got what you need to install.* Our Pro Irrigation Pumps are high volume, mid-head...

shop.rpssolarpumps.com

I had an excellent experience with RPS, but other companies like Grundfos offer solar packages as well. Spend some time on their web sites and look at some of their videos. Once you have a clearer idea what you want to do, the real experts on this forum can help you design and build a system for a lot less money than these packaged kits cost.

 

[tomy2]

I'm in N. Central California, and we have plenty of sun during our 6 month irrigation season. So last year I converted my sprinkler system from utility power to solar power. The main tasks involved swapping out my single phase 1.5 hp sprinkler pump for a 1.5 hp three phase pump, building a ground mount and installing 6 310 Watt panels, and wiring a disconnect switch and a pump controller between the panels and the pump. My system runs 7 hours each day and pumps about 1500 gallons per hour through 6 sprinkler lines at 35-40 lbs pressure. This was my first DIY solar project and I wasn't sure how to match the components of the system, so I bought a kit from this company.

RPS Pro Irrigation Surface Pump

RPS Pro Irrigation Surface Pump SALE + FREE SHIPPING ON S750 & W1000 *Buying after hours? Be sure to leave your phone number during checkout for a free Post-Purchase Water Assurance Call --- to make sure you've got what you need to install.* Our Pro Irrigation Pumps are high volume, mid-head...

shop.rpssolarpumps.com

I had an excellent experience with RPS, but other companies like Grundfos offer solar packages as well. Spend some time on their web sites and look at some of their videos. Once you have a clearer idea what you want to do, the real experts on this forum can help you design and build a system for a lot less money than these packaged kits cost.

Where do you find that much water in California to waste on a lawn?

 

[740GLE]

Wait are watering your lawn during peak sun? This is the least efficient way to water the lawn, most water is evaporated before it soaks in to the ground

Or are running it in the overnight (like every irrigation system) off battery?

 

[Shawn Hayes]

Looking for advice in a similar nature. I’m planning an off grid, stand alone lawn sprinkler system. It should only operate two mornings a week for about 1 to 1.5 hrs BEFORE the sun rises.
Based on my sprinkler calculations I need a 1.5-hp pump operating on 115vac to satisfy water needs. A 1.5-hp pump uses about 19amps running. 19a * 115v = 2185 running watts, X 3 = 6555 watts starting surge.
So my inverter needs to be sized to handle that.
Running watts should be: 2185w * 1.5 hrs = 3278 total watt hours each cycle it runs. (1.5 hrs twice a week)
Battery sizing using 280ah LiFePo4 cells:
12vdc at 280 ah is: 3584 watt hrs.
*Barely enough power
12vdc at 560ah is: 7168
24vdc at 280 ah is: 7168 watt hrs.
*More than double needed power

My question is; Does/Should the battery watt hours, be greater than the startup surge of the pump/system?
Could 12vdc handle that load even if I used a 12vdc 560ah diy battery?
Please check my math, I feel maybe I’m missing something? Any experience with off grid irrigation is helpful.