Solar powered pond pumps

I was wondering if solar powered pumps with a battery were any good? Can you use them in conjunction with a filter the same as a mains powered pump?
Do they still work during the UK winters?
Any pros or cons welcomed, whats your opinions?


Thanks,

Phil

 

Hi Phil

cant really answer this with regard to pond pumps
do have some experience on solar garden lighting and water features (small and not for stocking with fish)

depends on the type and size of solar panel , how much power these things can put into the batteries

typically items tested in China - will work for 8 hours once fully charged up, but when the products reach UK the lighting up period will reduce depending on time of year and availablity of sun light - products that are working all night in China are being tested at same time in UK and giving less than 50% of the performance in Nov/ Dec (tests done last year using sample batches of production runs in both countries at same time)

if you can post a link to the item you are reffering to I can get it checked out by one of our solar lighting suppliers , who will give an honest appraisal of the units potential in UK

Steve

 

Thanks Steve for you prompt reply, I was actually asking on behalf of a friend. Spoke to him today and he hadn't decided on any particular model just wanted to know if it was possible to run a pond filter with one. From what I've heard the battery life doesn't last very long and he has decided to try something else...

 

im curious to know if there gonna make solar powered pumps for aquariums though be nice to cut the power bill my tank creates every month

 

Where would you put the solar panel? on your roof I guess... or in the garden/ on your shed roof.

 

my experience w/solar power:

I have a solar powered back yard light (by my door on the wall). This thing has always worked awesome. It has a motion sensor, so it's only on a little bit at a time. And I wouldn't notice if it's dimmer by the morning


Now, the yard lights, like to mark a path... junk. Barely worked a week. In a Houston summer. tun o sun. By day 5 they'd only stay on about 3 hours.

They'd be "on" all night, you could see a speck of light, but they didn't provide any light... And the way they were built, you could only see the spec from a distance/angle. Once you got close to it, the top/solar panel blocked that spec of light...

 

well id either put it under my tank lights where they wouldnt interfear with coral photosynthasis or if drill a hole threw the wall and put it on the other side of the wall