Simple panel - battery for 6.0A water pump

[Josh B]

Greeting everyone.. so I know I'm probably about to get a rash of harsh comments because of my lack of research but unfortunately I am on a bit of a time crunch because I don't have constant internet access to do the research that I need. So.. first off I apologize for the question which I am sure is easy answered here. If there is an answer already posted please just link me to it and I will read it.

So, with all that said I just have a pretty simple question. This is all 100% new to me as is electricity work in general. I bought a 12v water pump to run a rain water system. This is the pump..

http://www.seaflo.us/product/diaphragm-water-pump-51-series/

My question simply is. For the moment this is the only piece of equipment that I will have running on 12v. The label on the pump says that it draws 6.0A with a Max of 10.0A. My power usage I figure will be the pump running for around 20 minutes per day.. not continuous. I simply need a suggestion on a small panel, charge controller and battery (which can be stored indoors/semi-ventelated..will be stored near the front door) to keep the system working. Cheapo Amazon kits are fine.. I just have NO idea how to size this at the moment without doing more research.

I have direct sun for about 8 hours in summer and I am not sure about winter yet but I am guessing that will drop to around 4-5ish. I do have the option to throw on a battery charger but would love to simply run off of solar as I plan to one day.. when time and expenses allow.. to begin to develop a bigger setup but that is probably a long way down the road from today.

Again I am sorry for my complete ignorance and would greatly greatly appreciate any helpful tips or suggestions. Thanks everyone.

~The new dummy

[Logan5]

Do not buy the 12 volt version of this pump, go with the 24 volt version, It will only draw 3.0 amps and max of 5amps, much easier to design a system to meet your needs with anything but that 12 volt pump. If you already purchased return it for exchange..

[bcroe]

If the system components are located some distance apart, the higher voltage system will greatly
reduce the cost of wiring for good efficiency. But for a compact system, 12V should work fine. Bruce Roe

[Logan5]

distance is only par of the equation, battery size is greater at 24 volts w/o parallel batteries to maintain 12 volts nom.

[Josh B]

Well, being a complete newb with all of this I had no idea and I already ordered the 12v. To further complicate things I live in Europe and had it shipped to me so I think I'm just going to have to work with what I have. The distance from the panel to the battery will be about 7' and the pump will be about 4' from the battery. I have read about power loss and how 24v is the "new" way to go, but that was much later after I already ordered the pump. :7 Thanks for the suggestion though.

[bcroe]

6A for 20 minutes a day is 2 AH a day (24 WH a day, SK), hard to find a 12V battery too small for that. The start surge doesn't matter, even if voltage
dips a bit more. And he already has the pump. Bruce Roe

[Logan5]

somehow I missed daily run time of only 20 min's.

[PNPmacnab]

Dump the battery and controller. For outback pumping without batteries look up linear current booster and just get an extra panel. If just pumping a minimal head it is likely to draw a lot less current than the spec. These are actually pretty easy to build for those technically inclined or retail less than $200.

[littleharbor]

Linear current boosters are a great way to go in cases like this going direct from module to load (pump). It's too bad they have to be so freakin' expensive. Must be a pretty small market seeing the limited choices available.