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I am a member of La Plaza garden in the east Village NYC www.laplazacultural.com also a building inspector for NYC DOB and spent a year inspecting solar installations, construction not electrical aspects. I installed a small low voltage solar array directly wired to a Johnson bilge pump in a small koi turtle frog pond in the garden.
At my community garden we have a seasonably adjustable solar array: (see profile picture)
8 panels
each 20 watt 17.2 volt 1.17 amps wired in parallel.
Wired directly to a Johnson bilge pump
DC 12v 12 amps to create aeration and a waterfall in our koi and turtle pond.
no battery storage, converter, regulator, etc involved, just a switch.
The trouble is for which we would fully appreciate someone's advice is:
the pump only lasts at most a year. I'm told the motor gets burned with over voltage i full sunlight
the windings get burned and with under amperage when the irradiance lessens.
So, should we add a small battery that would charge up and then feed the pump? With appropriate regulators etc? Trouble is we want the pump pumping when the sun is out, not charging the battery.
Any ideas anyone?
Jonathan Keller
for La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
www.laplazacultural.com
At my community garden we have a seasonably adjustable solar array: (see profile picture)
8 panels
each 20 watt 17.2 volt 1.17 amps wired in parallel.
Wired directly to a Johnson bilge pump
DC 12v 12 amps to create aeration and a waterfall in our koi and turtle pond.
no battery storage, converter, regulator, etc involved, just a switch.
The trouble is for which we would fully appreciate someone's advice is:
the pump only lasts at most a year. I'm told the motor gets burned with over voltage i full sunlight
the windings get burned and with under amperage when the irradiance lessens.
So, should we add a small battery that would charge up and then feed the pump? With appropriate regulators etc? Trouble is we want the pump pumping when the sun is out, not charging the battery.
Any ideas anyone?
Jonathan Keller
for La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
www.laplazacultural.com