[RE-wrenches] Water Pumping 24/7

[Hilton Dier]

Here’s a lateral take on this. A 500 gallon poly water tank is far cheaper than the batteries needed to fill it. 

Years ago I rigged up a seasonal pump system for a man who had two ponds on his property. The lower one was well fed by a spring but the upper one wasn’t. I used a 200 watt DC piston pump and a couple of modules with a linear current booster. A couple of breakers but no batteries. It just chugged away quietly all (moderately sunny) day, filling the upper pond.

Using a positive displacement pump is key for minimizing power requirements. At 300 feet that’s about 125 psi, which is not out of line for a piston pump. Fill a big poly tank and pressurize it with a small DC diaphragm pump if necessary. 

Simple, efficient, cheap. 

Hilton Dier III
Renewable Energy Design
Missisquoi River Hydro LLC