How many watts?

[Shovelhead]

I am installing a pond aerator to my 1/2 acre pond that's at the back of my 5 acres. I would like to run a solar unit out there instead of running electric that far.

I did a search and this forum showed up and someone had done this but once I signed up here I couldn't find the post thread.

This is the aerator kit I purchased.

https://www.amazon.com/HQUA-Aeration-Compressor-Weighted-Diffusers/dp/B07MKJ71QR/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=pond+aerator&qid=1612129810&sr=8-9

I'm trying to figure put what size solar kit I'd need to run it. It wouldn't need to run at night just during the day or even in a few hour cycles.

Any help on how many watt solar panel kit would run this?

 

[Q-Dog]

Search results for query: aerator

diysolarforum.com

 

[Shovelhead]

Would this be enough to run it?

https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-600W-Solar-Power-System/dp/B079QH61YT/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=800+watt+solar+panel+kit+complete&qid=1612140062&sprefix=800+watt+solar&sr=8-9

 

[chrisski]

First, I hope someone that has a 1/2 HP solar powered motor will respond.

That is a very ambitious project. 4.8 amps at 120 volts is about equal to 55 amps at 12 volts, taking into account the inverter inefficiencies.

It’s very important about how long this will be powered on. If it’s constant use throughout the day, running an electric line to it would probably be cheaper. Probably would be less maintenance, especially as you get this system fine tuned. There’s a reason you don’t see solar commonly powering things like this, and its because its’s super expensive. I take that back. I’ve seen the government spend money on projects like this.

I had 1000 watts of solar panels and 4 golf cart batteries set up for 12 volts, and I only run 55 amps to brew my coffee three minutes at a time. I can have as many K-Cups as I want. I can’t however produce enough amps to brew that cup of coffee without dipping into the battery. Although in theory my panels should produce 68 amps, in actuality, I’ve topped out at 40 to 45 amps an hour or two before and after high noon.

To run that 1/2 HP motor, you probably want a 3kw or larger inverter, which should be done with 24 volts or 48 volts. Motors have a large start up surge.

I’d be very, very cautious about getting a kit. I nearly purchased a kit from Eco Worthy which seemed like a deal, but it left out stuff like batteries. The kit listed above does not come with mounts. I bought some nuts and bolts for my mounts and that came out to $50, and my mounts costed a bit more than that. If you do a solar build with the kit listed, my guess is you’ll need to spend at east as much as the kit in hardware. After all, the batteries need to go somewhere And the inverter can’t be left exposed to the elements. I’m saying spend as much as the kit itself, but I’m really thinking much more.

I have done no calculations, but if I had 2000 watts of panels, I’d consider a daytime, good weather run. If the system can operate for four to six hours a day that is. I’d hate to see how much battery storage would cost.

 

[MichaelK]

Any chance you can return the kit and replace it with a DC substitute? The problem is that the pump you selected is a standard 120VAC pump, and that's going to require a lot of infrastructure on your part to get it to work. Chriski above has already outlined some of the requirements for batteries, an charge controller, and inverter, and all the extras to run this. It ain't gonna be cheap!

You might actually be ahead money-wise if you sell this pump/kit at a loss and start over with a DC replacement pump. Something that would start out slow at sunrise, reach maximal power at noon, then drop back down to zero at sunset. There are solar pump controllers designed just for running pumps during daylight hours, and have the circuity built-in to control the widely variable amperage presented to the pump.