diy solar

diy solar

What automatic cutoff switch to use for no battery water pumping.

I think you could use this:

Voltage Monitor Module,DC 99.9V Voltage Control Board for Voltage Detection Overvoltage Undervoltage Control​

 
Last edited:
hwy17 said:
This is why you buy a solar pump so you don't have to reinvent the electronics to make it work.

I mean if the electronics is your hobby, great, but this is a solved problem. They make pumps that do all this out of the box.
Click to expand...
Sure you could but this is DIY solar.

Kind of like saying ignore everything talked about in the forum and just have Tesla install your system.
 
Solarcabin Channel said:
but this is DIY solar
Click to expand...
We all draw the line somewhere. You gonna make your own solar panel too?

If you want to draw your line on the other side of no battery solar pump controller that's fine, I'm just warning that it's not simple territory. Voltage monitoring won't be enough.

In mongolia they do diy solar without controllers. 12v panel, 12v battery, 12v light bulb. You solve the SOC flicker problem by turning out the light when you're done using it. And they're more resilient than any of us. Global supply chain collapses? Oh well, no more light bulb.
 
Last edited:
hwy17 said:
We all draw the line somewhere. You gonna make your own solar panel too?

If you want to draw your line on the other side of no battery solar pump controller that's fine, I'm just warning that it's not simple territory. Voltage monitoring won't be enough.

In mongolia they do diy solar without controllers. 12v panel, 12v battery, 12v light bulb. You solve the SOC flicker problem by turning out the light when you're done using it. And they're more resilient than any of us. Global supply chain collapses? Oh well, no more light bulb.
Click to expand...
The OP said what he had for his system and I posted a voltage monitor that should work for cheap.

Not everyone has access or money for new stuff which is why they come to DIY solar for help.

I am old school solar and was one of those people that used a 45 watt HF solar panel, truck battery, halogen car lights when I first went off grid and learned how to make things work from what you had or could scrounge up.
 
I
donb108 said:
I'm not doing any of this, but it's an interesting thread. If I'm following it correctly, when under-voltage is detected, the monitoring relay opens and stops the pump. However, this creates an open circuit to the panel and the panel voltage increases (nowhere for the sunlight energy to go). When the panel voltage increases, the monitoring relay is satisfied, closes the pump circuit, and starts the pump again. When the pump starts, the panel is no longer open circuit, so the panel voltage drops. The very fast on-off cycle sounds like a bad thing.

To break the cycle, you add something that prevents the panels from going open circuit. It looks like the buck converter is attached to the input of the monitoring relay? Do you attach the 2 ohm load to the output of the buck converter? Would something like this work, or...did I get this all wrong?

Click to expand...
 
I see some skepticism and encouraging hopefullness. Ok, I will report back when I actually do it. I have ten years experience running Shurflo 2088 12 volt pumps to supply household pressure in a 1000 sq. foot mfg home. I have a bunch of these pumps, have sold them to neighbors who needed to lift water to their homes from 30-100 meters. 100 meters takes 3 pumps, and me and my neighbor have 3 pump systems currently, him with grid, me with batteries and solar for the last 3 years. I live in Central America now that I am retired and we have real decent AM sun here. It is mountainous, and there are cattle farmers who would like to lift water to stock tanks where there is no grid, as well as off grid homeowners.Batteries are an extra expense in a poor country, and we get a lot of sun. I plan to use 200 watts or more in panel, 12 or 24 volt. Some of your answers were gold. I really appreciate the help and I will check back when we get it done.
 
Last edited:
hwy17 said:
This is why you buy a solar pump so you don't have to reinvent the electronics to make it work.

I mean if the electronics is your hobby, great, but this is a solved problem. They make pumps that do all this out of the box.
Click to expand...
Dankoff pumps, whose website claims they run without batteries, cost $1100 to $1600. A Shurflo 2088 is $75 on Amazon. I've run Shurflo 2088 for 13 years. I have built systems for two of my neighbors using them too. They're my favorite. They pressurize a 50 liter bladder tank in a few minutes and do not cycle. Mounted on wood with flexible tubing they are quiet.
 
Last edited:
There is a very funny part here called the Shurflo 902-100 / 902-200 / LCB-GO.

They look like something straight off aliexpress yet they are pictured with a Shurflo sticker and there is a Shurflo manual.

If I haven't just been tricked here, then it seems like Shurflo saw what customers were using and instead of reinventing it, just started reselling it.

In any case, this seems like good evidence that a Linear Current Booster type controller can work, and you might find a generic one inexpensive in your market.

I don't think it's going to work or work well with just a panel plugged in with or without voltage sensing. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.
 
hwy17 said:
There is a very funny part here called the Shurflo 902-100 / 902-200 / LCB-GO.

They look like something straight off aliexpress yet they are pictured with a Shurflo sticker and there is a Shurflo manual.

If I haven't just been tricked here, then it seems like Shurflo saw what customers were using and instead of reinventing it, just started reselling it.

In any case, this seems like good evidence that a Linear Current Booster type controller can work, and you might find a generic one inexpensive in your market.

I don't think it's going to work or work well with just a panel plugged in with or without voltage sensing. But I'm happy to be proven wrong.
Click to expand...

I’m pretty sure that Shurflo has been making LCBs for decades. Like back when the four digit years started with 19xx.

I could go through some of the HomePower magazines and see.
 
If that's all true then I double down on my sentiment that this is a problem that is done and solved by the commercial solution and not a wheel worth trying to reinvent, unless the goal is the hobby of reinventing wheels. I know budget is a concern but this is the budget solution from OP's preferred vendor even.
 
hwy17 said:
If that's all true then I double down on my sentiment that this is a problem that is done and solved by the commercial solution and not a wheel worth trying to reinvent, unless the goal is the hobby of reinventing wheels. I know budget is a concern but this is the budget solution from OP's preferred vendor even.
Click to expand...
Newbie doesn't know what OP is, but Shurflo makes a great pump that is cheap enough for the common man to buy.
 
I want to check it out. The one from the solar store (non Shurflo) is offered on Amazon at $99 for the 10 amp version
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Problems with 12v water pump
Replies
15
Views
495
740GLE
7
H
stand alone system for water well runs hour, then shuts down
Replies
6
Views
237
time2roll
T
daklein
Heat pump powered via automatic transfer switch
Replies
0
Views
283
daklein
daklein
D
No battery DC water pump system setup?
Replies
6
Views
382
DannyG
D
J
Newbie needs help re: pumps for two water sources
Replies
2
Views
371
gotbeans
gotbeans
Back
Top