Posts Tagged ‘solar water pump’

Pedal Power

Posted in solar water pump, Sustainable living, tagged , on August 8, 2015| 16 Comments »

This was probably about 40 years ago, my sweetheart is showing how my bicycle can pump water. We had bought an old (very old) Fairbanks-Morse water pump and I think we were testing it out.

This was probably about 40 years ago, my sweetheart is showing how my bicycle can pump water. We had bought an old (very old) Fairbanks-Morse water pump and I think we were testing it out.

My sister sent me this picture from long ago of my wife using my old 10 speed Schwinn Varsity to pump water. That was when we were young and more energetic…probably about 40 years ago. Since then, we’ve hooked up solar…much less work.

Solar panels on handmade wheeled cart

Solar panels on handmade wheeled cart

Footnote…The first photo is a black and white which I had developed in my little darkroom.  I’m sure I made some 8 x 10’s and sent them to Mom and Dad to show off our pioneering efforts.  Recalling all the work that went into the darkroom, using different photo papers to get more contrast, hours of trying to get the perfect exposure with the enlarger, tray development, it’s a marvel to be able to perform all those functions and more on my laptop…40 years later.  Thank you digital photography!!!

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Grow with Solar

Posted in Gardening, Solar, Solar Cooking, solar water pump, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Get out the Solar Oven and let’s have enchiladas for lunch.

Enchiladas for lunch.

Now that the sun has warmed up the soil enough to plant, we’ve got to hook up the Solar Roller. These panels are mounted on a 2 x 4″

Solar panels on handmade wheeled cart

cart with some old lawnmower wheels attached. Since I have many trees shading parts of the garden, this roller allows me to follow the sun. I can actually get 12 hours of sun-pumping water into the large tank in the background and then gravity flow to 1/2″ pvc placed in the raised beds. The kit came with solar panels, submersible pump, and a Dankoff control box. This control box allows the pump to kick on in low light and works so well that it’ll pump on a gray shadowless day. I’ve even seen it pump during a light rain.

Gray shadowless day, solar pump still working…thank you Mr. Dankoff, for inventing the controller that makes the pump work on a very gray day!

The tank feeds into a regular garden hose and into the water grids. The grids are drilled with 1/16” holes. Hook up the hose to the grid and plant next to the holes.

Drip water grid in tomato bed

Drip watering potatoes

Placing the plants next to a pre-drilled hole.

Ready to close the tent on the warm loving eggplant and peppers

And that’s how we spent Mother’s Day, how about you?

For more solar check out my little solar system.

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