Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Wow that's a nice neat panel!

Very impressed.

Hey how did you go with your solar panel?

All this fluffing around I am doing isn't going to make the AP work any better so have been doing lots of reading of the forum. I saw your setup in there.

Looks like a test kit is one of the first things I should be looking at getting.

Hi Rod,

Very nice and neat panel - very impressive!

Looks like I've got the same charge controller - an EP Solar EPHC (or there many be many other Chinese OEM versions) which was part of my off-grid climbing frame project (https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1134 ... 6510836945) :



What make/model are your timers?

Cheers,

Mon

Hi Solarmon,
Yeah looks like the same unit. I think there is a fair bit of badge engineering but they all seem to be the same. I have four twelve volt systems running all sorts of things like security lighting, video cameras and garden features. They are ideal and save having to trench mains power all over the block.

I bet the kids love the climbing frame.

Here is a link to the timers. It is an ebay link so I hope I am not breaking any forum rules.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330817860608 ... 1439.l2649

Rod,

Thanks for the link. Always good to have some product references.

The climbing frame only got put up at end of summer (not that we in the UK had much of a summer), so not used much at this time of year at the moment.

I have some questions regarding your setup:

I see that you seem to have 6 individual solar panels. You mentioned previously that they are foldable camping panels - so is that 3 sets/pairs of panels, which matches the three charge controllers in your panel box? Or have you stripped them back enough to make six individual solar panels?

Also, why do you have/want three separate charge controllers for your setup? Are these all for the AP setup or are these also part of the various setups you have already mentioned above?

Cheers,

Mon

Thanks Rod, yes a test kit is vital :-)

I bought lots of bits and pieces for my super dooper microprocessor-controlled whiz bang combination voltmeter and timer... Then I saw the elegant simplicity of yours...

On the bright side my solar panel charges my battery so I'm happy.

How many watts is your water pump? Are you going to run an air pump? Are you concerned about the 5 watt draw of your timers?

Hi solarmon,
Yes the panels came as a pair and one panel feeds into the other in parallel. A single panel produces 60 watts and I can arrange them in banks of any number of panels. I have kept the original setup of two panels feeding one charger and one battery.

I have stripped the handles, hinges and legs from the panels.

I am self taught (internet) so I know enough to be dangerous but am not confident.

My thoughts about the system are based on the capacity to maintain 24hr cycling on the AP and to have some backup if a battery goes flat - switch to another battery. I have two 24amp/hr batteries and these have been set up with one for the 2 water pumps and one for the air pump. The two water pumps draw 1 amp each and the air pump 2 amps so a good balance I hope.

The third battery is 20amp/hr and is for lighting or anything else that comes along - eg glow light? One panel for this battery is partially shaded until 9:00am but it has a diode so it doesn't draw on the other panel.

I will be running two extra wires down the conduits so I can add or modify things later on.

Some additional information is that I have fused at the panels before the charger, on the input to the batteries and on the output of the switch. Probably paranoid but I had an experience where two wires were glowing red on a jury rigged connection on a small system. I figure it is much better to protect rather than get a surprise.

I like your idea of a micro switch on the voltmeter on your system.

Don't be shy in your comments as I would rather I get it right than blunder along as I am.

Hi nebbian,
The air pump is savage and I might change it for a different unit - just haven't found one yet.
It is 25 watt and 12 volts but it is noisy and vibrates. I have some sound deadening vibration absorbing mat from the Green Wharehouse but I am not confident it will do the job. It looks like the mat is recycled chopped up car tyres.
I'll put a link (ebay) but is it OK to do this on the forum? No doubt the link will expire so it may not serve a purpose later on.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/110612312712 ... 1439.l2649

The timer has been sitting on my computer table for a couple of months running on one AA backup battery. I think the 5 watt draw is while it is operating so not too worried at this stage. I have good capacity in the batteries so maybe I'll never notice it.

You should go the full monty on your system. I would love to see what you put together but be aware I am guilty of stealing ideas.

Hi Rod,



Like you, I'm also self taught - so I'm by no stretch of the imagination an expert. I'm still learning/understanding all the time. Google and forums are my best friends in these situations!



It is always better to be safe than sorry. Working with 12V has it's benefit in terms of low voltages but the high current from the batteries when their is a short can be dangerous and even lethal.

Having said that - I've still got to put fuses on my setup. Got the panel mount fuses but have not had a chance to retro-fit them.



Maybe my mis-reading, but do you only have a diode on the one panel? Is it a blocking or by-pass diode?:

http://www.solar-facts.com/panels/panel-diodes.php

What voltage are your panels (what make/model?)? It might be a better solution (efficiency wise, not cost) to use a charge controller that makes use of MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker/ing):

http://www.mysolarshop.co.uk/Solar-pane ... i-230.html

There should be some 10A MPPT based charge controllers that can be found on eBay.

There is always a trade off on how much you consolidate and how much to keep separate. They both have pros and cons and it is really sometimes down to personal preference and circumstances rather than which is technically better.



I didn't want to have the voltmeter on all the time, consuming power. So a momentary switch allows me to quickly check the battery voltage level. I do like the analogue meters you have used - very retro, along with the toggle switches.



I suspect if you are intending to use this setup to run 24/7 (I couldn't find anything you said that suggested it was for backup or 24/7) then the battery capacities might not be enough, especially during the less sunny months. Normally, you don't want to drain your batteries down below 50% - so your actual battery capacity should be halved for long term performance benefits. Then usually people add a percentage more to have some margin of safety.

From my basic calculation, based on the consumption figures you have given for the water (1A each) and air pump (2A); the battery capacities (24AH), and using the 50% rule, that would probably give you 12 hours (if running straight off the batteries at full capacity and no solar generation/topup)? (Somebody better qualified correct me if I'm wrong!) This is assuming the batteries are actually healthy and can reach their fully charged capacities:

http://www.mmbalmainauto.com.au/PDF/Sta ... teries.pdf

I suppose the only/best way to find out is get it all working and see what happens!

Good luck and I look forward to more updates from you.

Cheers,

Mon

You may already know this, but hydrogen is the lightest gas. So the vents need to be at the very top of the door, or preferably the highest point in the cabinet. You definitely don't want hydrogen to gather in the cabinet, as it violently reacts (ie explodes) with the oxygen in air in the presence of an ignition source (eg a cigarette, or even a poorly insulated switch).

Those air pumps are not designed for 24/7 use. They are great for use in transporting fish or as a backup but I recon you would be lucky to get a week out of it running continuously. I used to use them a lot in transporting fish which often would be for 8 - 10 hrs once a week and even then they are generally stuffed after 1 yr.

Did you take into account the fact that Rod is probably not going to run his pumps continuously?

I calculate two days of operation with his setup operating at 15 min on, 45 min off.

Hi,

I didn't see anything in the thread that suggested non-continuous running. Thus, my calculation was based on continuous running.

Actually, I'm not quite sure now how I came up with the 12 hours figure in the first place. I've revised my calculations as below - there would be different figures for the water and air pumps, since they are fed by different batteries:

2 x Water Pumps

At 1A each would use 2A per hour in total. This is being fed by a 24AH battery. Using the 50% rule, the capacity would only be 12AH. Thus, this would provide 6 hours, at 2A per hour.

1 x Air pump

At 4A would use 4A per hour. This being fed by a 24AH battery. Using the 50% rule, the capacity would only be 12AH. Thus, this would provide 3 hours, at 4A per hour.

(Again, some please correct me if the above calculations are off/wrong).

This is assuming continuous running and batteries at full health and capacity and no solar generation/topup.

Cheers,

Mon

Hi People,
I started replying but took the wife to work then did the rounds of the hardware shops. Seems that nobody wants to carry stock anymore so if you want something other than screws you have to order them in.

On the third store I visited I got lucky and found some old stock and got another meter box and this one is to house the air pump and somwhere close to the tanks to make all the connections to the water pumps. It's a neat narrow unit used by builders for site connection so isn't too big. It also lifts the air pump above water level so no syphoning problem.

When I run the conduits today I quickset a post in to hang it off so should be right tomorrow to fit it up.

Hi bythebrook,
I hear you on that. On my rounds tonight I got some small louvre vents and will fit them to the battery box. I can put two in the top of the box and one in the bottom of the door to provide some flow through. I don't need any surprises. I though about running a computer fan but decided not to as it might provide an ignition source. Probably getting a little carried away but better to be safe.


Hi Troutman,
Agree with you on the air pump. They run too fast, run hot, are noisy and vibrate so i don't expect too much from it. I will bolt it to a heavy chunk of steel and sit it on a anti vibration mat and see how it goes. Noise is a real problem as I do not want to cause trouble with neighbors. Unfortunately they are low pitch noises so likely to travel.
Did you know of an alternative 12 volt air pump?

Hi Nebbian/solarmon,
I think there are too many variables such as solar efficiency and what I end up running and for how long. If you read above you can see I am already having problems with the air pump.
Perth has very good solar conditions and with a 1.5kw house system we produce more energy than we use at the moment - it is the end of Spring here. Nebbian knows this of course.
At this stage and just to get the thing up and running I will go with what I have got. It hurts my head thinking about it and I don't know how you guys do and know all this.

The good news is the other two solar regulators arrived today so I can finsh off the electrical panel. Much easier while it is out to mount things on.


It is too late to take photos so will put something up tomorrow night after another day of fiddling.

It moves along despite some bad weather and some technical problems. The switchboard is finished except tidying up the wiring - had it in and out a few times. Have installed two vents in the top of the cabinet and one in the door so that should take care of the hydrogen from the batteries.



The pumps I siliconed to a brick and then some rubber. The rubber will stop the brick chaffing the tank and the pump water level is fail safe if something goes wrong.
On silicone I learnt a while ago to use acetic cure around fish.



I fitted a secondary box near the tanks to provide a place for the air pump and additional switches making it easier to work on the system. The air pump is going as soon as a replacement arrives. The air pump is above water level so should not syphon back from the tank. The box will be handy as a work top and somewhere to store fish food.