Showing posts with label solar pumping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar pumping. Show all posts

Monday, May 25, 2015

Why Solar Water Pumps Are a Great Fit for Watering Livestock.

Advanced Power Inc. Solar Powered Water Well Pumps in use in pastures for watering livestock.

Solar Powered Water Well Pump in remote pasture location.

In a study in Midwestern climatic conditions conducted at Iowa State University over a five summer and four winter period it was observed that yearling feedlot cattle consumed more water in the summer than in the winter by nearly 35% in an uncovered environment such as an open pasture. The greatest water consumption periods were between 12 and 3 pm in the summer time and between 3 and 6 pm in the winter. It was noted as would be expected that ambient temperature had a greater effect on water consumption than did live weight. It was also observed that in lactating dairy cattle that at 35 degrees F cattle consumed 6 gallons per day and when the temperature rose to 95 degrees F the cattle consumed 17.69 gallons per day.


What does this mean in terms of pumping water with solar powered water pumps for livestock consumption? We know the sun heats the earths atmosphere so for there to be increased heat there has to be increased sunlight, and that sunlight produces the needed energy to run the solar powered water pumps. When the long hot days of summer are upon us, and the sun is beating down on the cattle the sun is also providing extended hours of pumping for the solar pumps. When water consumption is at it's highest point among the livestock the solar powered pumps are producing their greatest water output. The shorter days of winter provide less pumping from the solar pumps but that is when the cattle are drinking considerably less so the solar powered pumping system fits perfectly to the demand according to the weather conditions.
Solar Pumps
Solar Powered Well Pump for Livestock in Western KS. 
 Even on cloudy or overcast days most solar pumps will produce a limited amount of water when provided enough solar power. The more shallow the well typically the more water one will see provided by the solar pumping system. More solar power always equates to more daily water production even if it does not mean more gallons per minute in bright sunlight. At many times a solar pump may be able to function quite nicely on say 100 watts of power in bright sunlight but 200 watts will make the pump start earlier in the morning and run later in the evening and make the pump produce more water in low light and cloudy situations. The nice thing is on cloudy and over cast days typically the temperature is cooler and the livestock are requiring less water. Especially in rainy cloudy weather where there may actually be moisture on the forage that animals are consuming they may actually get enough moisture from the plants that they need very little if any water from the well.


solar powered water pump
Solar well pump system installed in 1990 in Western Oklahoma. 

Even extreme winter use with solar pumps typically works well as long as freezing weather precautions are used. There must be a weep hole in the vertical pipe in the well so that it can drain below frost level when the pump shuts off at night or when extremely low light conditions occur during the day. Also it is a must that the pipe delivering the water to the tank is on such an angle that it drains completely so that water can't freeze in it and crate an ice plug. It's very important that the delivery pipe to that tank have no loops or low places in it that can hold water and freeze. The solar pumps will certainly produce less gallons per day during winter pumping hours versus summer hours but the demand from the livestock will be less as well. 

This is why solar powered water pumps are a perfect fit for watering livestock. During the changing seasons as the hours of the day and the amount of water produced change, so does the demand from the animals the water is being provided for. 

Solar pumps
Advanced Power Inc. Solar Powered Water Well Pumping System
Above a solar powered well pump system replaces a worn out windmill for producing fresh water from wells for cattle. 


Watch a video about our systems and how easy they are to install.

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Saturday, May 9, 2015

Solar Well Pump Install with 1000 Watts of Power and a Deep Well High Flow Helical Rotor Pump from Solarpumps.com

View a video of Advanced Power Inc. employees assisting a rancher with installing a helical rotor solar pump in his well for filling a pond for wildlife use. The well the solar pump is being installed in is approximately 130 feet deep with water standing withing 80 feet of the top of the ground. This system will use 1,000 watts of solar power and should produce 12-13 gallons per minute in bright sunlight.

The rancher used a 1" pvc pipline to run the water from the newly drilled 5" well around the pond dam and down into the pond. This solar well pump application should produce around 8-9 thousand gallons per day in bright summer sunlight hours.

This Rancher also chose to clear several cedar trees in the pond area to take advantage of all the water the solar pump will provide. Cedars are known to rob lots of water, up to 50 gallons per day each. Removing all you can from a desired water storage location is beneficial in a pond or earth tank scenario.

For nearly 30 years the people of Advanced Power Inc. have been known for manufacturing and producing some of the best solar water pumps and water pumping systems in the industry. We are happy to keep that tradition alive.

If you have a need for pumping water in a remote location please give us a call and see what one of our solar powered water pumping systems can do for you. You'll love our friendly people and our great prices.

You can view a video of a smaller pump install here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKhYf8989oM

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Large Solar Powered Well Helical Rotor Pump Installed on a Ranch West of Vici OK for Wildlife Watering.

Monday May 4th, 2015 Advanced Power employees embarked on a mission to assist a rancher in Western OK install one of our large deep well/ high flow helical rotor solar pumps. This particular application was a new well that had been drilled to provide water to an old pond location to help put fresh water in the area for wildlife. There are an abundance of deer, turkey and quail in the area and this solar powered pump system will provide them fresh drinking water.



We had traveled out and viewed the site a few days before and went ahead and dug the hole for the solar panel mounting pole and set it in concrete so it could have a few days to set up and get solid before we placed the load (solar modules) on it. This is a fairly good sized solar array at 1,000 watts and we wanted to be sure the pole had plenty of time to set up. Pictured is the 4 1/2" pole and the 5" well casing for the new well they just had drilled.
The Pole for the Array and the New Well


The rancher trenched a line from the new well around the end of the pond damn so that he could bury the 1"  pvc line that would be used to carry the water from the well to the pond area. Since freezing weather can be a problem in OK like it can in many parts of the US it's important to bury the line to prevent freezing. As this was part of the process we installed a pitless adapter down below frost level in the well casing so there would not need to be any pipes exposed to the freezing elements during winter time use. You can see the pitless adapter pictured below. We drilled a hole in the side of the casing to do the pitless install.
The Below Ground Pitless Adapter to Combat Freezing Weather 

We unloaded the large solar array and then prepared to lift it up onto the pole. 
The Solar Array Preparing to Set on Pole

We had already placed the
pump pipe and fittings on the solar powered pump at the shop as well as taped the pump electric cable to the pipe ever 8-10 feet or so before heading out to the location. In the picture below we are attaching the safety rope to the pump.
The Large Helical Rotor Pump

We ran the electrical pump cable from the well to the solar panels in conduit to provide extra protection to the wire and to make a neater and cleaner installation. 

Running Conduit for Electrical Wire

Once the solar array was placed on the pole and adjustments were made to set proper tilt angle and direction (face modules to the south) then mounting angle adjustment bolts were tightened to hold the alignment. 
Tightening Set Bolts for Solar Panel Angel





This solar powered water pump system is wired with a simple high volt on/off switch. The black box. 
On/Off Switch


Note the additional wind brace located near the switch. It's bolted to the panel mount then attached to the pole for additional support and to hold the solar panels in place during extreme winds. 

K1000H 1000 watt solar array for solar water pump installed.


A simple neat and clean installation of a high powered solar water pumping system. This system should produce roughly 8-9 thousand gallons per day from 100 feet of lift pumping approximately 12 gallons per minute.  It would have only required about half as much power to produce that much water in bright sunlight but when you up-size the solar power you get much better solar pump performance earlier in the morning and late evening and in other lower light situations. You can bring the solar pump to full flow quicker and hold full flow longer the more solar power you have. Even the the solar pump has a limit to it's maximum gallon per minute output, you can achieve more gallons per day by increasing your pumping time with more solar power. 

We at Advanced Power Inc. are excited to have another satisfied customer. We have been assisting people with their water pumping needs for nearly 30 years. 

Video of the install coming soon! 

View the video at the link below. 


View a video of a smaller pump system installation here:


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Thank you! 

Friday, March 6, 2015

Rotational Grazing Information Including Water Supply

An Article from Ohio State University with information about rotational grazing and water supplies.
Click the link below to view the article.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/gsg/gsg_6.html

Solar powered water pumps can be instrumental in providing water in rotational grazing operations.

View solar pumps from Advanced Power Inc. at www.solarpumps.com or apiok.com. 




Watch a video about our systems and how easy they are to install.

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Beef Cattle Water Requirements and Source Management

View the article in the link below provided by the Mississippi State University Extension Service for information.
Including cattle water requirements and intake levels, water source management and supplies and much more.


http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2490.pdf





Use solar powered water pumps for pumping groundwater from wells or for pumping from ponds, rivers and streams that have been fenced off for protection from livestock entering the body of water.

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Advanced Power Inc. Solar Water Pumps.






Monday, June 16, 2014

Our solar powered water pumping system being used to pump from a pond to distribute water for wildlife.

Pond Solar Pump

 Updated: 06-16-2014
We attempted to drill a well on a rather difficult Arbuckle formation and opted to use water out of a collection pond we use as a small, but ineffective duck pond.  When dry during the summer after pumping, we will harvest the rich soil and use it on gardens or wallow areas, which will also increase the holding capacity of the pond.  We can also plant some millet if we wanted for forage improvement for ducks.  The half-acre pond catches 100 acres of rainfall and can easily fill up in a day.  Instead of trying to make the well, we will use the solar pump setup to place in the pond and pump up the pasture to some spreader dams that were built in some clayish soils.  We obtained our pump from the folks at Advanced Power, who were great to answer questions and comment on our specific installation.
The pump  is placed in a 5 gallon bucket with rope and float for retrieval via canoe.  The pump can easily pump the 20-30 feet of uphill head pressure and as long as we run 1″ PVC pipe, the resistance of the flow can handle the 750′ of travel distance.  We made one box near the pond to connect the 1/2 inch black pipe from the pump to the PVC and added a backflow preventer to keep the water from flowing back during cloudy periods of the day.  We will have to disconnect the pump during the winter as there is no way in this set up to protect the piping from freezing and blowing the pump due to back pressure.  Small price to pay to get the water up the hill to the future quail oasis locations.
We had an interesting opportunity due to the topography to run the flow in two directions using gravity and a simple inexpensive 9 volt landscape system timer.  We placed the solenoid valve in the box at the top of the hill below the rock overflow which is about 2 feet above.  We set the timer to open for a few hours a day at different times which opens the pipe flowing downhill in the opposite direction.  When the valve closes, the pump pushes the flow back up the rock overflow which is directed the opposite direction.
The valve and landscape timer have been used for over a year in another installation with great reliability.  The two 9 volt batteries have lasted over a year.  For the cost of about $100, the functionality can’t be beaten.    You can order the valve here.
(UPDATE:  The valve just mentioned works well on pressurized systems.  There is almost no pressure created by the solar pump and after installing the Hunter valve, we discovered that the valve wasn’t opening.  After reading the trouble shooting page, we deduced the valve needed pressure, but we needed confirmation.  We had a simple garden hose timer on hand (about $30) to regulate the bird dog misting system and tested it to see if water would flow through it when we held it vertically.  The valve did open with just gravity pressure, so we rebuilt the manifold with the new timer and brass garden hose fittings to connect to the 1″ PVC piping.  Once set we tested the functionality and it works just as designed.  When the timer allows, the valve opens and water refuses to flow uphill to the rock structure and instead flows downhill in the desired direction.  You can order this valve here. )
The installation worked as intended and yields about 3 gallons per minute, enough to saturate the soils over time and allow a diversity of plants for bugging and cooling during the hot summers.
 Valve box left of rock stack Water Flowing to spreader dam system
d bar b 1223d Bar b 1272
 Overflow about 2 feet above valve Black pipe to be trimmed
d bar b 1225d bar b 1224
d bar b 1228d bar b 1230
Right pipe from pump, valve closes for water to rocks  Hunter valve that didn’t work w/o pressure Garden Hose timer designed for slow flow and pressure worked in this design installation (pics are flipped to each other but flow the same)
d Bar b 1251d Bar b 1273


http://arbucklequ.com/water/pond-solar-pump/



As always check out our full line of solar water pumping equipment and other items by visiting www.solarpumps.com.



Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Solar Powered Submersible Water Pumps from Advanced Power Inc. Introducing the Ranch Pump.

This is a picture of our Ranch Pump model RP4, prior to adding the protective coating, intake screen or wire. It's purpose is to show the quality CNC machined aluminum housing and parts. It's a very impressive and durable piece of water pumping equipment


   We couldn't be more excited to be offering you one of the finest solar pumps on the market.     
                                                          
                                    Meet the Ranch Pump! 

25 years of solar pump manufacturing experience went into designing this state of the art, aluminum housed solar powered submersible pump. It has one of the strongest and most durable motors on the market. Our unique internal driver/controller makes this pump run extremely efficiently which means you save money on buying solar power.  To get the same amount of water our competitors normally need to sell you a lot more solar power to get the job done with their less efficient pump styles. 

Since our controller is built into the pump, that also means you save on the expense of having to buy an additional above ground power controller as you normally need with other solar pumps of this style. 

We are so confident and impressed with this Ranch Pump series that we are offering a 5 year warranty.
(This pump comes with a 3 year standard manufacturers warranty and an additional 2 year prorated warranty can be achieved if you fill out the registration card and send it in with a copy of your receipt within 30 days of purchase, no additional charge! )


These pumps are also great for pumping from ponds, rivers and streams when no freezing weather is present.

RP4 Aluminum
Solar Pump.
Part # 535474

$ 1130.00  
NO additional controller required! 

4 Piston brushless motor submersible solar pump. 

Over volt protection.
Thermal over load protection to help from over heating and causing damage.
Abrasion & Corrosion resistant.

Pressure relief valve installed to assist in an over pressure situation such as a clogged weep hole or kinked line.

Aluminum Housing and Head.
Reverse polarity protection.

Brushless Motor 12-40 volts operating range.

Max gpm 3.75 at no lift or pressure, flows decrease as lift and pressure increase.



   These RP series aluminum solar pumps come with a 3 yr. full and 2 year additional pro-rated warranty. 

Factory rebuildable. Designed CNC Aluminum parts. Positive displacement solar pumps. Lightweight and durable.  Temporary run dry capability. Come standard with 100ft. of wire attached so no under water splice is needed. (due to our hard coating process actual product appearance or color may vary)
RP4 Pumps require a 5" diameter or larger well casing. Max lift 150ft.


Keep in mind when we refer to lift we mean static water level. Your  solar well pump can be set deeper than max lift if it's in the water. Lift does not begin until you come out of the water. EX: Well 220ft. deep total, but water at 80 feet from the gound. If pump is set at 120ft. pump is still only lifting 80 if that is where water level maintains. Do not submerge pumps greater than 50ft. in the water.


Our aluminum solar pumps are a product of 25 years of solar water pump manufacturing experience.We have taken what we have learned over that time, what worked and what didn't, and we have created for our customers our best solar pump ever! 


These solar submersible well pumps are the latest in solar pump technology, with some of the best state of the art features on the market. Such as not requiring the use of an additional controller between the pump and the solar panel to control the voltage or drive the pump motor. This means less expense to you the consumer, and one less component to cause you grief should it fail. Most of our competition requires you purchase additional solar pump controls that can cost up to $400 in addition to the pump price.

We do "recommend" our ALC advanced level controller, but that is to monitor the water level in your tank and save wear and tear on your pump when the tank is full, it is not required.  When used however, it can add years of life to your pump by causing the pump to shut off when the tank is full and not waste run hours on the pump when water is not needed.


What's the big deal with aluminum?  Aluminum dissipates heat over 1,000 times better than our old PVC pumps, and much better than most other stainless steel housed pumps on the market.

Why is this important? It's important because motors, mechanical parts such as bearings, and electronics survive better and longer in a cooler environment. The reason our pumps can run dry is because they are not water cooled but are in a sealed can that does not allow water in the motor housing, those motors working as they do in that environment cause heat to build up inside the can. Our new aluminum pump housings dissipate that heat at a much higher rate and keep the pump motor working in a more friendly environment for the motor.

Please feel free to view our website for complete information on this and all of our other pump models. We hope we have one to suit you and your water pumping needs. 

Visit us today at www.solarpumps.com or apiok.com for all your remote or off grid water pumping needs.












Explanation of the Ranch Pump 5 year warranty. 


Explanation of the Ranch Pump extended prorated warranty. The RP comes with a 3 year factory warranty for defects in workmanship and materials. An additional 2 year prorated warranty can be obtained by filling out the registration form and sending it and a copy of your purchase receipt to the factory within 30 days of purchase. 


How the two year additional prorated warranty will work: If after the three year original warranty period expires the pump should fail due to a cause deemed a warranty item by the factory, then Advanced Power Inc. will give the customer a new pump for the cost of $10.00 dollars per month for the number of months the pump was in service.

EX: If a customer has a pump for 48 months and a warranty item causes the pump to fail, the customer could purchase a new pump for the cost of only $480.00 as opposed to full retail which on a RP4 at this time is $1,130.00.

All other pumps come with a "repair or replace" type warranty, but the Ranch Pump comes with a new replacement warranty while new supplies last.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Monday, October 21, 2013

Have you ever wondered about a solar water pump and how it actually works?  
Well many of our customers were wondering the same thing before they checked out our website at solarpumps.com and got educated on our Advanced Power Inc solar well pump products.


Perhaps the best thing about our website solarpumps.com is the installation video on our home page. Most people assume you have to have a well driller or pump installer come and install your solar system. Well that just isn’t the case. Once you get a good look at this video, you will realize that anyone can do it. Yes that’s right I said anyone who is healthy enough to perform normal day to day activities can put in their own solar powered water pump up to depths of around 200 ft. If your water is deeper than that, then the weight of the pump and pipe may start to dictate that you need someone with the equipment for some heavy lifting. Still, if you don’t happen to have it, normally a neighbor or friend may have the necessary equipment instead of having to hire someone to do it.
The system we have in the video is either a K170SR4 or the K170R4. The only thing different about these systems is the warranty of the pump. The SR4 has a 2 year warranty, where the RP4 has a 5 year warranty with registration. This includes a 3 year factory warranty for defects in workmanship and materials. An additional 2 year prorated warranty can be obtained by filling out the registration form and sending it and a copy of your purchase receipt to the factory within 30 days of purchase.
The kit does not come with everything included in the video. Our solar water pumping kits that we ship all over the world include a solar pump with 100 feet of wire attached, 1, 2 or 3 solar panels depending on the size of system you order, and the mounting brackets and necessary wiring harnesses for the solar panels.


The customer is to provide the pump pipe, plumbing fittings and the pole for the solar panels.  It is also a great idea to have a ground rod kit.  Now for the top of the well we do have either a cap or seal available for a 4, 5 or 6 inch casing. If you already have a cap all you would need to do is drill a hole through the top so your pump pipe will fit thru and use a hose clamp to secure it so it won’t fall through. You will also need a second hole drilled in the cap so that the wire can be run through as well. It's important to note that with an Advanced Power Inc. solar pump you don't want to attach the weather pac connector to the end of your pump wire until you have pulled the wire through your well cap.
The most important thing that we would need to know to be able to size the right solar system for our customers is the casing size, depth to the top of the water and if there is any more elevation above ground to where the water is being delivered. We will also need to know how much water is needed for your specific situation.  We have 2 different sizes of diameter in our solar pumps and knowing the casing size will help us to help you better select the proper pump for your exact pumping situation.

Please feel free to go to our website at www.solarpumps.com and view the installation video and examine our information on our products pages. If you have any questions as always feel free to give our friendly staff a call at 866-519-7892 or shoot us an email with your situation at sales@solarpumps.com.


Water just about anywhere, even way out there!


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www.solarpumps.com