Cost for solar installation

Not intending to be nosy but your inept calculations need a bit more information to be solved accurately:

- In what part of the country are your solar panels to be installed? (In order to determine the average annual sunshine.)

- Are your pumps DC or AC and what voltage?

- How much do you pay your kWh?


And, yes, your better half is right, you probably need batteries (deep cycle batteries which are more costly than usual ones.)

Return on investment on this type of installation is usually six or seven years.

Good'n Tim

Good q Tim, I was remiss. 115 vac

Also very reasonable q. Around 25 cents

I presume then Tim the implication it should run all night; thank you but can you enlarge on that

Thank you for that insight but to save me Googling for what remains of the morn, what's the advantage over say car batteries from Costco

Thank you Tim most kindly for the estimate, exactly what I had guessed

So another q: Can you guess under these conditions the life of either kind

Are you in USA? If so, where do you get the idea your electricity rate is 25 cents per kwHr? That would incredibly high. Considering the highest rate in the country is NY state at 15.7 cents per kwHr. State of CA is high at 12.5 cents per kwhr.

BTW, I'll add this much. If you have carp, (koi and relatives), you don't need much fancy stuff but a reasonable filter (and hence a pump) is needed. Heaters not needed in your climate, I believe (winter night temps not below 40 deg F?) .

Here's a link for info to a DIY Koi Pond fans forum in Calif.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f16/how-take-care-koi-pond-183612/.

Thanks Rag but then what do you think pumping only during daylight hours

Here in the Victorville area it always freezes a few times and has been known to reach zero f. However we have a couple of heater units we can throw in when it gets cold

Thanks Rog most kindly for that link

Are you in USA? If so, where do you get the idea your electricity rate is 25 cents per kwHr? That would incredibly high. Considering the highest rate in the country is Hawaii at 20.7 and then NY state at 15.7 cents per kwHr. State of CA is high at 12.5 cents per kwhr. Avg rate in US is approx. 9.5 cents per kwhr.

I just read that Houston and Dallas have some of the highest rates of any major cities. Most of the other most expensive places can be found on the coasts, like Long Beach, Calif., and Boston, with prices in the range of 15 to 17 cents per kilowatt hour. Whereas, Los Angeles enjoys some of the lowest total bills in the country.

Pond heaters might only be needed only for 3-4 weeks per yr...and only at night...perhaps.

As for the question of running the pumps part time...during daylight hours, I'd refer you to the DIY koi ponder site. I'd say that from what I know about aquariums issues, there could be an unfortunate ammonia buildup that might not be so good for the fish (burn delicate gill tissues) nor for the plants.

Oops Rag sorry, I just assume…..

An average is lower but the cost rises with consumption. As soon as my Better Half can find one for me, I'll give you a typical bill for summertime. Average cost in LA area for May about 22 cents

http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cpilosa_energy.htm

True

Thanks Rag for that caution

Interesting to note incidentally our present pumping system consumes only about 2 amps, suggesting that the proposed equipment might represent overkill

FWIW, I'm paying for a lot in a smallish apartment for lectric (mostly for a/c) in my place here in Sarasota, a higher than avg area in a higher than avg state of FL. Last month cost me 11.2 per kwhr. 1205 kwhr consumed and paid $135 month. Comparatively, my previous month was 1043 kwhr consumed and only $95 for the month at about 9 cents per kwhr.

Unreal. My rate figures were off...quoted from a site that apparently was from 4 yrs ago. I just read your site. Mea culpa.

Currently USA national avg is about 12.5-13.4 per kwhr (not 9.5 cents). Hawaii is most expensive at over 30 cents per kwhr.

Parts of LA Calif are between 19-21.5 cents per kwhr (23cents in winter months), depending on month quoted and where you are and what efficiency, area the size your house is.

Furthermore, I just Googled 'solar installations for koi ponds' and came up with this site:

http://www.everything-ponds.com/solar-powered-water-pump.html

Whilst reading the site for gotchya's, just came up with this info:

"Practicality Whether or not a solar powered device is the right choice in a certain situation depends on the importance of it's job. For example, if powering a pump that is used to supply an aesthetic fountain in a pond, then solar energy might be a good choice since the continued operation of a fountain is not mission critical to the health of the pond. On the other hand if a solar powered water pump was used to feed the main filtration of a koi pond, you will most likely end up with a problem since the continued operation of a koi pond filtration system is very important. Unless some kind of battery system is used to store extra energy converted during the day to carry the pump through the night, the pump will not be running often enough to support a healthy ecosystem."

Furthermore if you are looking for a calculator for a pump electrical cost wizard, go here:

http://www.everything-ponds.com/pump-electrical-cost-wizard.html

.25 a kw is kinda steep. I pay .075.

Yeah, you guys in Pa (right) get off cheaply. W. PA, WVA and particularly KY are the cheapest in the country.

Furthermore, if you need a guide to decide on what size and style of pump to choose (external or submersible) and proper water exchange rate (also if you want a waterfall etc.), go here:
http://www.everything-ponds.com/pond-water-pump.html

Thanks Rag for those links

de nada.

As a sidebar, I got to see how good we have it here in so FL with our rates, though $135-145 month for this little place is hardly cheap.

....but it's about $65 month in winter

Thank you again Rag for that link. I am positively astounded by the power consumption of these units, wondering if backyard ponds are exclusively a domain of the very wealthy

No, Dale, solar power is not only for the very wealthy.

It's for people who have some ideas about what they really want.

Look what you told us in the beginning and what you say now!


But let me tell you about a not too expensive solution for your pond:

- Buy a 200 W solar panel that gives you a nominal output of 27 V, 8 A.
- Buy two 24 V DC pumps, 3 A each.
- Connect the two pumps in parallel, each one with a switch and a fuse.

From my extensive experience, I can tell that the return on investment is excellent.

What I meant was, ponds, however powered

What exactly was it that I told you, and by "now," I wonder if you might specify specify the posting no.

But let me tell you about a not too expensive solution….... 200 W solar panel …...of 27 V, 8 A [and] two 24 V DC pumps, 3 A each….. return on investment is excellent.

Thank you Tim for that suggestion, I'll look into the idea. I presume I might then power by some multiple of two car batteries

..and yes, I understand how I'd have to wire them as I'm an erstwhile Harold Stephen Black

However I'm wondering if they'd be adequate. The proposed ac installation will draw 720 w, vs your dc system at only 150 w

Well, in this solution you don't need batteries.

The pumps will work as long as there's daylight (no need of sunshine), only slower.

A fish pond doesn't need constant filtering.

I've estimated the size of your pond by the average size of an American backyard but even if I'm wrong by 100 % it still works.

So, 720 W is an overkill not only in power but also in cost.