Anyone have a solar pump?
- Thread starter amandahein3
- Start date
Sorry about the slow response.
What specifically are you asking about? If it is 12V pumps to run directly off of solar, then I am not sure I have ever seen a member with one ... too expensive to to practical I think.
What specifically are you asking about? If it is 12V pumps to run directly off of solar, then I am not sure I have ever seen a member with one ... too expensive to to practical I think.
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Or maybe, are you asking about a pump to circulate water through a solar heating system on your roof?
I have a solar direct pool pump - manufacturer is in my signature line. It is powered directly from 1500W of solar PV, and moves water through my sand filter, heater and SWG. And I love it. But we are off the grid, and I did not want to run a pump directly off my batteries. That said, as a redundancy measure, we also have a 220V pump in order to allow flexibility of moving water on rainy days. I have been using our solar pump for 1 full season, and are in early stage of second season now
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
FYI, Most of the solar pumps out there run at voltages of about 90V and are brushless motor type. I agree the cost may be a challenge, but they have their applications. I would also be careful in assuming they are not cost competitive, as there are a number of variables that will influence ROI - and if you have a pool for 20 years, you may be surprised!
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Interesting setup. You'll be a new resource here. Most members here have residential pools and are on-grid, but maybe another off-grid type will pop up. I've often wished I could use my surplus PV capacity to put heat in my pool, but have decided to go with a device that sends my surplus to hot water, when my gas hot water system wears out. Solar PV adoption here in Aus is quite high, but so far, batteries are only economic for off-grid situations like yours.
Agreed, re, lead acid batteries only economical for off grid.
My pump runs direct, with no batteries needed, through a controller that smooths the power. The pump is a true variable speed motor, and the rpm will go up or down depending on cloud cover (aka, solar radiance). Under some circumstances, such as 40 c/kwh electricity, the lorentz (solar) pump may also make economic sense.
Also, because we had the batteries already, when we shut the pool down for winter, we switch the 1500w of solar from feeding the pump to charging the batteries (48V bank). It is a sweet set up, and I have a **** of an electrician!
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
That sounds slick. Is it a separate device connected to your conventional inverter to send smoothed power to the pump?
Totally separate from the house inverter. An off grid system has several main components: inverter to switch ac/dc; charge controllers to regulate charging of batteries; the battery bank itself and the generation sources (diesel, solar, wind, etc).
We did not want to draw from our batteries to run the pool pump (220V x 5amp x 4 hr/d = 4.4 kWh/d)...just way too much.
The solar pump is completely isolated from the house, and runs from the 1500w of solar through its own controller. When we are not using the pump or I shut it down for the winter, we switch the power and divert the 1500 W that normally goes to the controller/pump, to one of our charge controllers and then to the batteries. It is a slick set up, but it needed careful planning to ensure correct voltages from the panels and the pump controller, as well as from the panels to the charge controller. It had the inspector scratching his head a few times! Lol
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
We did not want to draw from our batteries to run the pool pump (220V x 5amp x 4 hr/d = 4.4 kWh/d)...just way too much.
The solar pump is completely isolated from the house, and runs from the 1500w of solar through its own controller. When we are not using the pump or I shut it down for the winter, we switch the power and divert the 1500 W that normally goes to the controller/pump, to one of our charge controllers and then to the batteries. It is a slick set up, but it needed careful planning to ensure correct voltages from the panels and the pump controller, as well as from the panels to the charge controller. It had the inspector scratching his head a few times! Lol
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Makes sense, thanks for the description. It struck me as we were fixing up our house for low operating cost that there will be much better ways to do things as time goes along. Our PV panels make DC, which is switched to AC, then mostly powers two air conditioners that use DC for their variable speed compressors, losing energy with each switch. Not to mention, there's a pool there getting heated at the exact same time we need to cool our house. Leaves a lot of room for smarter energy use!
Maybe the title of your thread would attract similar is it read "Anyone have a DC pool pump running off solar panels?" or something to that effect.
Maybe the title of your thread would attract similar is it read "Anyone have a DC pool pump running off solar panels?" or something to that effect.
True enough. The cost of solar has plummeted. Hopefully batteries soon. But they are still high.
But just to be clear, this wasn't my thread that i started! You and I just took it over! Haha lol
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
But just to be clear, this wasn't my thread that i started! You and I just took it over! Haha lol
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
I haven't seen very many people recommend them yet. But people do say to make sure to have your PB plum for adding one in the future if they become efficient and/or affordable enough. To do so add a 3way valve, check valve, and capped off the pipes. And have some extra space available on your equipment pad. Then you can add one easily enough.
They are far more efficient than traditional pumps (DC-DC brushless motors), but their upfront costs are higher indeed. But they have zero electricity costs. I agree one has to look at the math carefully, and I would wager for 99% of pool owners, it doesn't make sense - in our situation it made sense, since we are off the grid...
As for planning the plumbing under the notion of a future solar pump addition, I agree completely with you there. We have two three way valves, and will switch to our 240V pump for chemical mixes that need 24 hours of circulation, or for when I am vacuuming...
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
As for planning the plumbing under the notion of a future solar pump addition, I agree completely with you there. We have two three way valves, and will switch to our 240V pump for chemical mixes that need 24 hours of circulation, or for when I am vacuuming...
68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG
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