[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Why do I need a solar pond pump or solar fountain?
Solar pumps are for people who have no electrical supply to their pond or they but they simply want to reduce their electricity bill. Any additional filtration or aeration will help pond life, plants and especially fish survive and thrive.
Please note the solar products only work when the sun strikes the solar panel. They may work at a reduced level with light clouds. We stress this as a few customers have complained that the product did not work on a cloudy day or at night.
Which solar pumps should I get?
All our pumps are quite large measuring about 10 by 9 inches and about eight inches high. They are unlikely to fit into a small water feature such as a fountain as they need at least 50 gallons of water and 4-6 inches of space around them to operate efficiently. If the water drops below the top of our pumps it will stop. This is a critical safety feature so the pump will not burn out but it can also save you from drying out a pond in the event there is a leak perhaps in the waterfall. Many people have emptied their ponds killing their fish with cheaper pumps.
Any pond over 100 gallons up to over well 10,000 gallons will benefit from one of these waterfall/filtration pumps. We have some customers with lakes who have a fountain pump at one end where it can be easily seen. The solar waterfall/filtration pumps come in three sizes. The MNP SP 25 has one 25W panel and has a max output of 647 gallons per hour (GPH). The SP50 with two 25W panels has a max. GPH of 898 GPH and the SP100 with two 50W panels has a max output of 1,268 GPH. The SP25 has a max. head of six feet measured from the surface of the water and the large pumps have a max. head of ten feet.
We have two solar powered fountain pumps. Each comes with three different fountain patterns. You can also have what looks like a mushroom effect, a pillar of water or a classic full spray. The SF70 has a max GPH of 898 GPH powered by two 35W panels and the MNP SF100 uses two 50W panels to reach 1,268 GPH max. These are complete kits. They pump should be placed close to the surface of the water. Some people have placed the pump on one or two plastic crates. These fountain pumps are not suitable for a small pond as the water they throw up can come down outside the perimeter of the pond. We suggest the pond should exceed ten by ten feet to help avoid this. The mushroom pattern will work in a smaller pond probably down to six by six feet. Even on a large pond to a small lake these fountain pumps produce an attractive display. These pumps produce more aeration for a pond then the a pump used for a waterfall. As with the waterfall pump these pumps will stop running if the pump is uncovered and will also stop if the get jammed with weeds.
Where can I place the solar panels?
What’s in the kit. The SP25, SP50 and SP100 are designed to pump water to a waterfall, filer box or irrigation system. The kit has all you need to start right away with the pump, the panel(s) wiring and 16 feet of hose approx one inch in diameter. The hose connects to the pump using a supplied graduated adapter that can take a smaller or larger hose but the one we supply fits very well. There is 16 feet of wire from the pump to solar panels. We sell extenders that can extend this distance by multiples of 16 feet allowing you to place the panels in the optimal position for the sun and/or to hide them. We have customers who have bought 3-4 of these extenders for this purpose. There is nothing else to purchase and you should be up and running on a sunny day in minutes.
The SF70 and SDF100 soalr fountain kits are also ready to set up and run in minutes. No hose is supplied as they will pump water vertically up through a choice of three supplied fountain patters. There are plastic extenders supplied to the pump can rest some way below the surface. s with the waterfall pumps you can also by extenders for this allowing you to place the solar panels further way from the pump.
Where can I place the solar panels?
Clearly, the panels need to be in sunniest position you can find. All the pumps come with 16 feet of wire to allow you to position the panels in the optimum position but for some customers this may not be enough. To solve this problem we sell extenders that are 16 feet long that can be strung together to extend this distance. Four extenders would let you run the panels up to 80 feet from the pond to locate them in the best position and/or to possibly hide them from view. Some people have installed these on their roofs. The panels are weather proof and should last for years but we do suggest you avoid situations where the panels will be submerged in water. For kits with two panels we suggest placing one for the best morning sun and the other for the best afternoon sun. This may reduce the maximum throughput a little put give you a longer day of running.
What is the warranty period?
All our pump kits have a warranty period of one year from the date you receive it. If anything goes wrong please contact us as in most case we can suggest a fix by email or in a phone call. In the event a component needs replacing we will send this to you at our expense and send you a return label to return the part that has failed.
What can go wrong?
We have sold 100’s of these pumps and they have proven to be exceptionally easy to install and so far have been very reliable. A few people report having trouble connecting the wiring correctly. We know most people like to put these kits together ignoring instructions and 98% of the time that is easily achieved in less than ten minutes. However, if you miss the clear instruction we provide to check the arrows on the connectors line up you may well fail to connect the panels to the pump correctly and it will not work. Worse, by forcing the ends together you may damage the connectors and this will void any warranty. The two ends of the wiring have arrows that need to line up and then it should be a simple effort to push the two together and close them off with the screw in cap. The screw in cap must be tight to ensure the join is watertight.
Pumps will perform better if situated on some bricks off the bottom of the pond so the intake area is not sitting on debris but over time any pump can jam up with debris and stop. These pumps have locked rotor protection so will stop before they burn due to jamming. The instructions supplied show how the pumps can be easily opened up to access all parts potentially impacted by debris and this should be easily cleared. If you start seeing the pump slow down you might want to look inside before it gets worse. Fountains may slow down if debris gets into the spray nozzle jets. This is easily access and cleaned.
Do you sell solar pumps with batteries?
The MNP SP50B is exactly the same as the SP50 above but includes a battery weighing over 21 pounds, an extra 25W panel and wiring to store power after a sunny day.
MNP SP50 Battery Back Up Solar Pond Pump
However, even after a sunny day it will give you just 3-5 hours extra run time. There is an option to run the pump for 10 minutes every hour. We have yet to find any pump as powerful as these that has a a battery backup offering more than a few hours extra run time. If you find one let us know!!
We suggest you call us before ordering this to ensure it meets your needs.
Other questions?
We like questions. Please call us 855-723-3564 or email us at [email protected][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator el_width=”70″][vc_empty_space height=”52px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1329″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.mynaturalpond.com/what-is-aquaplancton/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1327″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.mynaturalpond.com/solar-powered-waterfall-filtration-pumps/”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”1328″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.mynaturalpond.com/pond-aerators-complete-kits/”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]