#Thegreatpoolpondconversion - 210321
We learned a lot about solar controllers this week. Well about ours anyway.
We know we have no idea what we’re doing. We read something, it seems easy and we try it.
Then something doesn’t go right, or goes wrong and we can’t figure why.
We’ve been toying with this on and off for four months.
Some solar charge controllers have a set of terminals for the ‘load’ - ie what you want to run - lights, pumps, whatever. Ours does.
Other controllers only charge a battery and you have to wire your ‘appliances’ to the battery or an inverter.
So we connected our two pumps to the trenched feed wire and the load terminals. And the controller circuit breaker kept tripping off. It would run the smaller filter pump, but not the new larger one, and certainly not both at once. We couldn’t figure why.
A bit of research and we started looking into other solutions; a DC converter, no battery, wire thicknesses, lengths, etc.
We found an obscure comment by a user on Amazon. The controller load outputs are limited to 10 amps. We were probably close to or over that because the new pump draws twice as much power as the old bilge pump. The controller outputs are for very low voltage stuff. So ours kept tripping cause it’s not really made for that.
Who knew? It’s not documented anywhere.
So a bit more research and we connected the trench feed direct to the battery and viola - both pumps as it should have all along.
Right now we have 2 panels to the controller that feeds the battery to keep it charged in the sun. The battery runs the two pumps no problem.
In clouds or at night, the panels stop, the pumps keep on and quickly drain the battery. Continuing this cycle would likely kill the battery pretty quick.
Enter a new device - the Low Voltage Disconnect module that will stop the pumps if the battery gets too low and lets it recharge. Ironically it’s what the controller was doing to the load output terminals. Now we have to add it on externally between the battery and the trench feed to basically get what we wanted from the controller in the first place.
Plus a third and final solar panel on the barn roof so we know we’re generating enough juice.
No worry about the pumps any more. We now know it wasnt the electrical connections getting wet, the wire gauge or any of that. It was the pumps connected direct to solar panels that varied the voltage so widely with the sun.
Looking back, these last few months were tough. Solar by itself is not a big deal. But it impacted hiding wires, pulling pumps, settling on locations, regular maintenance, possibly an electrical (ugh) solution. Now it feels like we’re back on track. We know we’re right and the design has been vindicated. We can button everything up and cross this off - finally. (We still have a backup plan that we won’t bore you with.)
Saturday
Now that the solar is solved we started finalizing stuff.
We rebuilt the sub terminal block neat and with proper wire ends.
We moved the third small test pump and turned it into a bubbler.
We swapped the waterfall and filter pumps cause it seemed the waterfall - with the new pump, was doing so much better. Didn’t help. Now we think the filter hose is too long. We cut it some but it didn’t help. Now that we have more confidence the bilge pumps might last, we’re gonna replace the electric hog.
We cleaned up all the pond plants within reach and lowered the water level - to facilitate what we want to do with the water wheel and so the top shelf plants can breathe easier.
We planted some new butterfly seeds in the bed under the screening.
It was a lot for a Saturday.
Sunday
Amid a fair amount of cursing and fuming, we finished replumbing the filter we started yesterday.
Then we started building the filter/water wheel / return water chute.
We’ve redesigned it 3 or 4 times as things have changed over the last 12 months! Today was the first day we actually worked on it and got it mostly done except for sealing and cutting to length, which we can’t do until the wheel and filter are in their permanent places.
We started with about 15 fish.
We must have somewhere between 50 and 100 now.
It’s creating a filter problem.
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