| Duncan's Pump | Solar Pumps | Solar Pumps |
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We had already built a couple of pumps when we saw a great idea for a
pumping solution during a pasture tour at Duncan MacMillan's ranch north
of Vermilion. This fully portable and self contained unit served
as a prototype with a couple of changes on our part.
Iain's Pump Iain Aitken was gracious enough to request some assistance with his new pumping system, and to forward some pictures of the finished project.
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Our first solar pumping system uses a large 100 Watt panel on a sled.
This panel is more than large enough to run the water pump and we also
use it to power our electric fencer. The pump is built from an
Attwood V1250 Bilge pump as they deliver the highest volume with the lowest
power requirement in consumer tests.
We have made a few choices that we feel are advantageous to our system. We have used standard plug in ends for our main connections. This allows the system and the hoses to be easily extended or located away from the solar panel. Also, we have located our wires to the pump inside the water hose. We learned this the hard way, as our cows really like to chew on plastic coated wire. |
We have built a system similar to Duncan's with a few slight changes.
It is shown below.
Wires are located inside the the water hose to protect them from cows. As well, we ran into problems with lift in some of our pumping locations, so we switched out the bilge pump (in the pail) for a 12 volt sprayer pump assembly that sits on the bank. We have built an easy priming system for this pump and added a foot valve that we will likely remove once freeze up season occurs. We joined the barrels with spacers made from 2" hose and caulked and then once the rims were bolted together, we filled the space with expanding mono foam. All hose connections are made using quick couplers from a local farm store. This makes setup and transport easy. Combined with the electrical plug in ends and an extension cord, it makes the system fully modular and expandable. |
| Solar Pumps | Solar Pumps | Gas Pump |
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The following document outlines the components in a solar pumping
system. Solar Pump Components This is a spreadsheet I use to size solar
systems and price components. This is a copy of a presentation made to
Saskatchewan producers Spring 2009. We have found several good suppliers of
various pumping system components. Below is a list of suppliers that we feel offer good
value and service. |
All connections need to be watertight. This is accomplished
through heat shrink tubing, and/or silicone sealant. Flotation to the
bilge pump assembly is accomplished with Styrofoam in the top of the
bucket. Connection from the pump (1 1/8" outlet) to 1 1/4" hose is
done with a piece of straight 1 1/4" radiator hose. This stuff is
priceless, but you only need about 4" per pump.
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We operate a gas pump for some applications. Combined with a large storage tank we can generate high lift and then gravity feed water to troughs located in strategic locations for grazing. |
