Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi there,

As I don't have direct access to mains water or mains electricity, I'm looking for an automatic irrigation system that would work from a water butt / header tank that would be powered from a battery.

Has anyone come across a system that can do this??

Thanks!

Mr Cecil It looks like I have found what Primrose's business is

http://www.primrose.co.uk/solar-pumps-c ... wgod92IFnw

Google search
Solar pumps for water irrigation for other suppliers

There also used to be some 12volt DC water pumps imported from Italy. They were however only small. I know this as I was in that business over 25 years ago.
Don't know if they are still imported though. Probably.

Sorry, Not much help other than confirming it was possible once upon a time.

You can get 12 volt bilge pumps from any marine store , our plot floods that badly I bored a 20cm hole 3 meters deep I use a car battery a couple of small solar panels and it works perfectly I did have a float switch on it but after replacing it twice I gave up now I use a crocodile clip on the live wire when I visit the plot if it's flooded I turn it on for a couple of minutes the water is pumped around 30 yards to the other side of the fence where their used to be a small brook I've been lead to believe

Robo,

Do you happen to know what type of solar panel you used? Do you need some kind of regulator to prevent over charging the battery?

Note from what I understand, the technical problems with a home made solution are:
1) you need some kind of battery powered timer
2) you may need to prevent back flow
3) you need to stop the syphon effect
4) you need a power source - I am assuming an old car battery / motor cycle battery

So a pump does not address the problems above. Any ideas on points (2) and (3)?

I can see there is product on amazon, but I would prefer not to pay £100
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00J ... _pC_nS_ttl

Another idea, I was wondering was just to have a header tank and some kind of solonoid valve to start and stop the flow, and let gravity do the rest. However, I'm not sure what valve to buy.

I can also see thing like this on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-12V-16A-Pr ... SwgQ9VnO82

I can see Maplins make electronic kits that might be able to repurposed:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/mk111-adjusta ... tput-vt27e
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/555-monostabl ... -kit-n32fl

Ha ha from Primrose. If I were running a waterworks accessory business I would be bankrupt from incompetence because for the past year we have had two water butts connected up to a house guttering drainpipe and we have not yet worked out why we are not getting any rainwater into the butts.

I use small solar panels I think the largest is 10amp you do not need a controller for this size

Robo,

Do you mean something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biard-Solar-Wat ... anel&psc=1

No you do not need a controller on small solar panels
In Spain we have a small bungalow powered by solar panels and generator, we have 4 panels which add up to 500 amp, wired to a 50 amp m.p.t. controller then to 600 amp batteries then to an inverter which gives 220 volts we only use the generator to power the washing machine or if we have days of cloudy weather, down the plot we have a total of 20 amp of solar panels wired straight to a car battery the pump is wired to the battery and has a none return valve fitted in the pipe to stop it back siphoning the complete set up cost less than £40 but the battery was from a scrap yard