Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Brand & Model - Rule 350
Capacity - 1375L/h
Electical - 12V, 20W(?)
Max head - not stated- suspect about 1 meter
Cost - $30-35 AU
Duty Cycle - Will run for 7-8hours per day- about 9 or 10am to 4 or 5pm??
Start date - 1st Aug 08
Expiry date - ?
This is on my little heater circuit- I am not confidant that it will last more than 4 or 5 months but time will tell.
I have used the same pump in a solar pond setup in the past - they usually last from 3 to 12 months- very variable.
They are not repairable or rebuildable as they are glued together.

Maybe next time... go for one of the 12v bilge pumps...like they use on yatchs....

Rupe,
I think these are for boats- but they are very cheap so I don't really think short life is such a major problem.
I forgot to add the pic to the first post.

Doh... of course the 12v series of Rules are......

But as you say... they're designed for intermittent use....

You can get ones that are rated "continuous"..... continuously for how long....

Like you say.... they're cheap....

cheapest are pumps used in caravans and mobilhomes

sorry for the Dutch language, but this is where you can see the prices:
http://www.ivra.nl/accessoires.asp?cat= ... mpelpompen
here are the descriptions in English from the home page of the manufacturer:
http://rk-reich.com/index.php?cat=c20_S ... 956db8e26d

the Dutch importer told me has had one running now for 8 months 12/24 hrs in his pond to feed a fountain

I have had the luck of buying a shipload of these (and the accompanying hot/cold water mixing faucets with integrated on/off switch) on a bankruptcy auction.

but sending them overseas will kill the benefit.

greetings

frank

I have one of those Jim connected up for power fail backup - had it connected for over 12 months now without any problems

think it has about 3-4 hours running time so far...not many power fails

What is required to run a bilge pump? I have one 5 volt Photovoltaic panel, would it be able to connect directly or would it need to be connected to a battery, and then would I also need a charge controller?

HB

HB -It is unlikely that your solar panel is 5 volt. Much more likely to be 5 Watts.
The little bilge pump I use draws about 20 watts and doesn't run well on a single 20W panel unless I use a maximizer in the circuit.
This gadget basically adjusts the output of the panel to ensure the total output of the panel is close to its rated 20W. In fact I don't have a maximizer on that particular pump- I have a couple of 20Ah SLA 12V batteries- and even then I have to top them up from a much bigger battery bank.
And yes you would need a charge controller IF you have a battery in the circuit.

This bloke used to be listed elsewhere and could be found goggling "mini-maximiser"...

Now he has his own website... and a couple of models... also a pump speed controller kit...

http://shop.ata.org.au/cart.php?target= ... ory_id=251

watch out with controlling speed of pumps:
if a centrifugal pump, you are most likely going to ruin the little energy efficiency they already have
they are not designed for varying speeds
if a positive displacement pump, that should be ok

frank

Rupe,
The ATA maximizer is the one I use- although they only had the one type when I bought mine- I think I have the 6amp one in use on a little half wine barrel pond with the same rule 360 pump. No battery and therefore only runs when the sun shines- but it works fine for that application as water movement is really for effect only.

The pump died yesterday.
So lasted 4 months- running about 6-8 hours a day.
It is on a differential temperature switch so not really sure how long it operates per day.
Life time was about what I expected.
Replaced with a similar but slighly different chinese one from e-bay.