Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I think your pump will read 12 Volt 5 AMP ,, that's 60 watts. So that 5 Watt solar panel , mounted and directionaled toward the sun for a full day ( no cloud PLEASE) may just give you 20 minutes pump run time per 24 hours.

Hi Bentaz
read this in Sigridi's thread but didn't want to hijack there


There are stacks of battery powered digital timers around that will do just about any timing job you want and matched with a suitable relay will control any voltage or current. So don't limit yourself to looking for 12 volt gear.
Jaycar have a 12vdc timer with up to eight cycles a day that doesn't look too bad see cat.no AA0361 on the jaycar site. Talk to them or a similar store about what volts and amps you need to control and they will sort the relays out for you
John

Thanks john will do.

Edit
Had a look and that is the same one I'm looking at!

Another thing to watch out for when using bathtubs:
A) Thermal conductivity - they're basically big metal heatsinks transferring heat from your water to the air around, so you have to make sure your temperature doesn't swing about all over the place
B) Heavy metals - if there are spots where the enamel is coming off, watch for Nickel (in particular) and other heavy metals. Apparently they use Nickel to bond the enamel to the metal underneath. Nickel kills fish (by inhibiting their immune system).

I did not not even think of that, I will keep it in mind when looking for new tubs! maybe I should line them with pond liner? what do people think?

Here in South Africa, the water volume is not the issue, it's the "production" of fish (in tons) so it's much easier to slip under the radar screen. Lets hope that our regulators don't get wind of what your guys are up to as water volume is so much easier to measure.

I learnt the hard way.

To remedy this, I put a layer of bubble wrap and then a layer of pond liner. The bathtub fitting seals the pond liner well enough so no problems on that front. This gives you the best of both worlds: Pond liner is as safe as houses in terms of leaching, and you get some good insulation at the same time.

Sorry double post

Cool looks like that will be the plan!!!
How well does pond liner hold up under gravel??

Well I now have my solar panels, batt and regulator all wired up!
Still need to get a DC timer so I wont be converting the system just yet, but heres some pics of the kit so far.

Really well. EPDM (or is it EDPM?) is a rubber, so it's pretty impervious to crushing forces. You need something pretty sharp to cut it, I don't think rocks would do the job. And if it's thick enough, and the rocks aren't moving around alot (they shouldn't be) then I really can't see you having any problems. From what I've read, the biggest problem with that rubber is if tree roots start getting into it.

When it comes to making things work with solar... the lads up in Nimbin have been doing it for years.... try this...

http://www.rpc.com.au/catalog/digital-timer-p-2108.html

Or these...

http://www.altronics.com.au/download/ads/flyer/12.pdf

https://www.photonage.com.au/index.php? ... ts_id=9791

Still limited in some respects... but they might help... might be worth talking to the "Rainbow Power Company" blokes in Nimbin...

Thanks Rupe the Rainbow PC one is the one I want to get, just waiting on funds now

hi all

could you turn a pump on and off with a solenoid controler like the one in this link?http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Irrigation-Controller-Battery-DDCWP-Series-4-Station_W0QQitemZ360053854949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Gardening_Equipment?hash=item53d4e1d2e5&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262