Solar Solutions for Tubbing

[Tihshho]

So with many of you doing tubbing, have any of you gone with a solar solution for either powering airpumps or pumps? I believe I've seen a few folks using solar fountains, but trying to see what everyone has used so far and had success with. 

The location of my tubs currently doesn't have access for power, and ideally I'd like to get some circulation to keep up with O2 levels on hot days. Tubs are placed where they get the least amount of direct sun during the day and get decent shading. Shade or not, when the summer starts to get in the upper 90's it's going to be a challenge to keep up with the O2 levels without some form of circulation. 

[Ken Burke]

I’ve seen several post asking about this, but have not seen any success or failure stories.  One that comes to mind involved solar charging a usb power bank to run a usb nano air pump.  I think that setup could work as long as the solar could keep the battery charged.

 

recommendation: Go for it.  And start a thread in the  Experiments forum so we can see your progress.😉

[Ken Burke]

For the power, think something like: https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-generator-Flashlights-Rechargeable-Emergency/dp/B08JZ3D9GK

[Tihshho]

Experimenting is something I enjoy, but I figured I'd start with a baseline rather than starting from scratch. My main concern with a solar charged powerbank is two fold: 

1. Having it protected from the elements
2. Allowing it to have adequate airflow for cooling and/or not overheating due to being stored in an enclosure that gets saturated with outdoor temps

Going with a solar setup with a battery backup is pretty straight forward in terms of design, the issue is getting the design to work with spacial and environmental constraints. Most 'cheap' power banks that could run a USB pump generally get hot during charging and even some during discharge. Batteries generally hate to get heat saturated and generally die prematurely if not allowed adequate cooling. Batteries that handle larger heat soak generally increase on a base cost drastically, which would theoretically mean it would be 'cheaper' to get an exterior GFCI drop installed to handle power. At this point I think I'm more so focused on direct solar to cover circulation during the day, at night the temp drop should be adequate enough that additional flow for O2 isn't as dire.

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Tihshho

[Biotope Biologist]

I have a friend who did something perhaps similar to power his driveway lights at his cabin.

 

He had a small 12v lead-acid battery that he buried so only the top showed in a rubber lined aluminum box and ran cables underground to a small solar bank. He installed a breaker I think on the top of the box. And put one of those fake rock things on top so that animals didn’t accidentally flip the breaker.
 

I’m not sure if that’s useful or not but perhaps it could get the creative juices flowing. Don’t ask me anything technical though, when it comes to electricity I am a plug and pray type of guy.

[Tihshho]

This is actually an interesting set of info for food for thought! I'll have to look into this more.

[OnlyGenusCaps]

So, not an aquarium pump, but I have set up loads of remote weather stations in deserts in Arizona and Sonora that ran off solar.  I fully agree with @Biotope Biologist's suggestion of using lead acid battery.  If you get a panel to charge it, and run a DC water pump off the rig, it should avoid having to mess around with inverters, etc.  Ours held up to some pretty extreme heat (as you might imagine).  Really this is just a "second 🙋‍♂️" for BB's suggestion. 

[pcb09]

bringing this back up to encourage more discussion, i am curious in this as well. the easier the better, i like the options wtih battery to my pump runs all night.