What You Need to Know About Solar Pond Pumps Before You Buy One
Fish ponds need pumps that run 24/7 to make sure that contaminants originating from fish waste are removed by a water purification process called pond filtration (using a pond bio filter). Quite simply this means a solar pond pump is a bad investment for running a pond filter. Here's the reason ...
Solar pumps run intermittently depending upon light intensity (solar pumps do not need direct sunlight to work but they do need bright light) and once evening sets in the water flow from the pump slows down and then stops. Even if there is a battery charged during sunlight hours this charge is almost certainly insufficient to keep the pump running all through the night.
On the other hand if you just want a pump that will power a small pond fountain (fountains add dissolved oxygen to the pond water needed especially in summer when oxygen depletion worsens) you might be happy with a solar pond pump (but then again probably not based upon my personal testing of solar pumping in a pond ... and I live in a land of sunshine, South Africa).
A big selling point for a solar pump is the safety aspect and ease of installation ... no mains power, safety is guaranteed, with minimum wiring. This is true but if the pump doesn't work then what's the point and these pumps are not cheap. If safety is the main consideration then go for a low voltage pump discussed briefly here.
A solar pump also poses a further problem in a landscaped environment ... how do you hide the solar panel?
Conclusion unless you really must have a solar powered pump the investment is probably not a good one.
In remote areas where there is no other form of power then there may be no alternative to buying a solar pond pump.
This fountain is NOT using a solar pump.
Pond Keeping Units
Now we've started to talk litres you might find this table below useful. It helps to translate one set of units to another quite easily.
| Unit | Imp Galls/min | cu ft/min | Litres/min | cu m/min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imp. Gallons | 1 | 0.16 | 4.55 | 0.005 |
| Cu.Feet | 6.23 | 1 | 28.32 | 0.028 |
| Litres | 0.22 | .04 | 1 | .001 |
| Cu. Metres | 220 | 35.32 | 1,000 | 1 |
Example ... 1 cu.m per minute is the same as 1,000 litres per minute or 35.32 cu.ft per min or 220 imperial gallons per minute.
Factors to be aware of with all pumps. This is a good page to read before you buy any pump.