Home Solar Power

If you have ever wanted to make your garden more environmentally friendly, have you ever thought of buying a home solar powered pump fountain? Going one step further, have you ever considered making your own?

So why would you want to make a home solar powered pump birdbath?

The Advantages Are:

a: Fountains circulate the water, keeping the bird bath from going stagnant

b: It uses none of your main power supply

c: The pump runs on DC power, so no inverter is needed.

d: Only a few inexpensive solar panels are needed to produce around 6 volts

e: The fountain usually operates during the day when the birds are out in the sun, so batteries are not essential

f: You can save more money by making the entire birdbath and fountain yourself, even the solar panels.

g: The birdbath is wireless making it very portable.

So, what do you need to make your own home solar powered pump fountain?

The easiest way is to simply buy a birdbath with a pump and fountain already fitted. Then all you need to do is wire up some small solar panels.

The cheaper, more labor intensive approach would be to get a birdbath with the right holes drilled for the fountain to be installed. And then add on the pump, fountain attachment, irrigation and power supply.

If you go the DIY route, then you will need to get:

The Birdbath:

There are a variety of birdbaths to choose from - cascading, copper, terracotta, resin, or ceramic. It does not matter what you get, just as long as it is ready for a fountain to be installed.

The Water Spout:

Depending on whether you want the water to trickle or spout out the top, you can get the right attachment from most hardware stores or garden centers.

The Water Pump:

The next part is buying the small dc pump. A typical 6 volt pump should be adequate, but you may need to go bigger, if the birdbath or water feature is larger than normal.

PVC pipe for irrigation:

When buying the irrigation for the fountain, it is best not to get piping that is too wide, otherwise the right water pressure will not be maintained and the pump will not work properly. So before you buy the wrong tubing, get advice from your local garden center and see what they use in similarly sized birdbaths

Silicon Sealant:

This is one of those essentials that you should already have lying around the house. It will help seal all those joins and also protect electrics from water damage.

Solar Panels:

This is what makes this birdbath unique to your average water fountain. Depending on what size pump you buy, will need to get enough solar panels for the fountain to work properly. A a typical 6 volt pump, you will require solar panels with a capacity of at least 6 volts. But is better to be on the safe side and get a 12 volt solar panel instead, for times when it is cloudy and for late afternoons.

NB: For the solar panels, there are two options:

1 : Buy a small expensive solar kit from Wallmart or Target or any other local supplier.

2 : Make it yourself. With the right guide it is rather easy and much cheaper to make your own solar panel in a matter of hours. If this is something you would love to try do, then keep reading…

To maximize the efficiency of the solar panel, it could be mounted in a simple frame with the ability to be angled towards the sun.

How simple is it to build?

With the right tools and parts and a the right attitude you could have a fully functional home solar powered pump birdbath in an afternoons work. It really depends on your level of experience, but many of our friends (even housewives) have managed to make their own fountains.

If you want you could also add some type of power storage to the system. That way the batteries can store power, which can be used to operate the pump 24 hours a day. To have this option you will need:

1) 12 volt battery:

Because the pump is only 6 volts, a 12 volt battery is more than enough. It should be a deep cycle battery (car battery) that can store the power for a longer time.

Solar charge controller:

This is not essential, but it prevents your battery from over-charging. So it can really extend the life of the battery. It will be wired up between the solar panels and the battery.

Other than it being really cheap to make, the big advantage of making your home solar powered pump fountain is that once you have that skill it is there with you forever. You could even make it as an eco-friendly gift for your friend’s next birthday.

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