Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Feb 27, 2009 3:27 pm Has anyone got a solar water fountain?
Does it work ok? Do you know a good place to buy? How would you put a small water fountain in your garden if it is only low to the ground and you only have a tiny yard maybe 4 metres wide (can't remember off the top of my head)? Would you put it in the centre or off to the side or into the corner? I am still waiting for my unit to be built, but no working on what to do with my little tiny bit of dirt at the back and front of my 2 bedroom unit... Thank you for your help Re: Solar Water Fountains 2Mar 14, 2009 2:47 pm Solar water fountains don't work unless they are essentially a solar panel charging a battery, with associated electronics to control the system?
Why? Think about how you use a fountain. Normally you want it on at specific times of day, or when guests are visiting. A solar system can only provide electricity to the pump when there is full sun. A small shadow (even 5%) on the panel means virtually no electricity is generated. If you want to run a solar panel with a battery backup, you are looking in the order of $400-$500 for something which will give 1000L/hr. The other option if you are a long way from power is to use a low voltage (12 or 24v) pump. You can purchase 1000L/hr low voltage pumps for $70 (eg Resun King 2 FL) and if you ran this all day every day, it would cost you about $12-$15 a year in electricity. The reality is you'd run it for a couple of hours each day, so it may cost you $3-$5 in electricity if you're lucky. You can run low voltage cable wherever you like, yourself. You can extend it yourself. I'd suggest looking at Google's results for low voltage pond pumps: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=low+voltage+pond+p ... +australia Re: Solar Water Fountains 3Mar 14, 2009 3:16 pm Thanks DeKa I had seen them advertised and wondered how they would work, but it doesn't sound like they would work that well.
I will be having solar electricity for my cottage so that will be virtually the same anyway... There is a much better range of electric water fountains as well. Something else to go shopping for now. Thank you for your help DeKa I looked into it a few years ago and my conclusion was to just build a carport that will support panels and get a system installed separately. The company I looked at had… 1 6804 Hi Im having trouble getting anyone to provide useful advice on going for an insulated slab North facing extension. I had Lighthouse group do the energy assessment last… 0 2457 thanks Chippy, i hope they have applied sealer but i am doubt to be honest, so i am gonna do this job after handover. 8 17264 |