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  • Equipment matching

    Hi folks,

    I have a spare 200W solar panel and DC bilge pump. My intention is to pair them directly (without battery) to aerate my fish pond for about 3 hours daily at around noon time. I would like to get some advices/suggestions on equipment matching and possible ways to improve this setup for better stability and efficiency.

    DC bilge pump - Seaflo 3700gph 12v, rated 14amp.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o00_s00

    Solar panel
    Power output; 200 watts
    Output voltage; 36.1 volts
    Peak current; 4.98 amps
    Open circuit voltage; 44.0 volts
    Short-circuit current; 5.45 amps

    I'm aware that output current from PV is much lower than the pump's requirement. I'm perfectly ok if the pump is not running at 100% capacity during the runtime (50%-70% are good enough for me). So my questions:

    1) Will the pump run when current is lower than 14amp (eg: 4.5amp). If i swap to use 200W 12v 10amp panel, will the pump run, or the pump will run only when current is higher than rated 14amp?
    2) Considering the low current from PV, I'm thinking to get a linear current booster (i.e. Solar Converters 12/24-15). Is this LCB a good fit to my setup?

    With thanks,
    Alan

  • #2
    You will need a LCB, but with the mismatch between your PV and pump, it may only pulse on 5% of the time, you will have to try it out. The LCB needs to be able to provide enough power for the pump, if it's undersized, it may not work either.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

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    • #3
      I have ordered the LCB. Will try out and see how it goes. Thanks a lot.

      Comment


      • #4
        You might want to add a venturi on the hose as it runs into the pond for added aeration. You tube has some great DIY examples for a few bucks.

        Comment


        • #5
          Yup, I have seen quite a number of youtube video on that. It looks good. Thanks.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by apple555 View Post
            I have ordered the LCB. Will try out and see how it goes. Thanks a lot.
            Likely the pump won't run much. If you paralleled another like panel, it would give quite a boost. Bruce Roe

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            • #7
              Originally posted by kellycross
              Not much idea about it.
              kellycross

              Your posts seem always short on words so we know so little about you and what you want to learn or install concerning solar.

              Why don't you go start an original post in the New Members section of the forum and tell us more about yourself.

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