Solar Off-Grid Pool Pump - Does anybody know about these?

I have received an email offering to change over our pool pump to a solar powered one. It is DIY for $3,900 and I have asked for some detailed information about it, about how to install and for some references from people who have done this.

This is the detail from the email. Has anybody hear of this company or know anybody who has changed over to solar for their pool?

$pecial $avings for $ummer
$1,000 off all prices until 15th November!

Your pool pump is costing you $1,628 per year to run - in 2013, it will cost you $2,217 to run the pool pump.

Install a Solar Off-Grid Pool Pump now, and save on your electricity bill.

A Sunsaver Do-It-Yourself Kit for 40,000 L Pool is NOW $3,970.
The Lorentz Do-It-Yourself Kit is $5,948.

We can offer interest-free finance, or even better, a further discount for cash!

A Solar Off-Grid pool pump will last 3 times as long as your DC pool pump and will run for FREE all day. The solar panels have a 30-year life.

Contact us today for the best price for your System!

Rebecca & Diane | Solar and Energy Solutions
m: 0448 840 778
p: +61 2 9648 4148
f: +61 2 9648 6772
a: 7/71 Asquith Street
Silverwater NSW 2128 Australia
w: www.solarandenergy.com.au


I'm not keen on outlaying $3,900 without knowing more.
 
Did you call Rebecca or Dianne? They sound like they know all about it. Sounds exy though! Let me know when you know as I am about to do a pool too ( kid pressure).
 
I'm always sceptical when there are factual mistakes in a sales pitch.
Pool pumps are generally AC, not DC as implied in this ad.

Make sure they know what they are talking about first. Other than that, make sure that your pool will be fine with the reduced power.
 
Did you call Rebecca or Dianne? They sound like they know all about it. Sounds exy though! Let me know when you know as I am about to do a pool too ( kid pressure).

I haven't called either because I've not been home through business hours, but I have been emailing back and forth. Last email I requested testimonials, paperwork showing how to install it, and something more than just that bit in green that was lifted from the email.

I'm sure they will not send any testemonials saying it is not worth the money, is difficult to install etc, so I'm hoping somebody else has done this.

If it was $1000 I'd take the risk :D

I will be able to call her direct on Monday, but I want an unbiased opinion. She's going to tell me its great and to buy, buy buy :p:D

Our kids don't swim in our pool much and I'd love to be able to run it more cheaply than we do now.
 
I'm always sceptical when there are factual mistakes in a sales pitch.
Pool pumps are generally AC, not DC as implied in this ad.

Make sure they know what they are talking about first. Other than that, make sure that your pool will be fine with the reduced power.

I will google and see what I can find. I'll run it past our sparkie. He has a pool and knows his stuff about electricity. Maybe he knows something about this set-up.
 
From my quick glance.
600w pump, 760w panels. So the only time its going to have full power is in the middle of the sunny days. Below 600w its pumping rate will drop off and at some point it would have to stop.
No mention of flow rate of the pump?
When your not using the pump, winter etc you are just wasting the power generated by the solar system.

Personally I would be putting the money towards a grid interactive solar system.
For that sort of investment you would end up with a 1500w solar system that is going to be helping offset your power use 365 days a year.
 
Thanks Doovalacky. I've read that in some areas people are not allowed to hook up to solar as there are too many feeding it back in (or something like that).

It must admit this whole solar subject just confuses me so I tend to think that I'll look at it when the government has itself sorted out and can tell me in simple language whether it will save me money or not.

From the website in the email I have picked out these points from the FAQs -

1. How long will my solar panels last?

Photovoltaic solar panels have been stringently tested over the decades. There is a small reduction in power output with age mostly due to dulling of the glass surface. Solar panels are expected to last 30 to 40 years.

2. What's so special about the pump?

The pump itself isn't that much different to a traditional AC powered pump. The big difference is the motor. The pumps are coupled to low voltage (usually 48 to 72 volts) DC (Direct Current as opposed to AC Alternating Current) motors incorporating brushless technology. These motors are almost twice as efficient as a traditional AC motor and have no brushes to wear out.

3. How long will a solar pump last?

The low voltage brushless pumps have a life expectancy of up to 20 years.

4. Is it connected to the grid?

The solar pool pump systems need no grid connection. The DC power from the panels is directed straight to the DC motor via the dedicated controller, which utilises MPPT technology to ensure maximum efficiency.

5. How many solar panels do I need?

There are a number of factors that determine how many panels are required. These include size of pool, underground pipe length, pipe diameter, length and type of cables and so on. Once we feed all that information into the computer, we will know exactly how many panels are required. As a general rule though, if your pool is under 40,000 litres, 2 panels should do the job, up to 4 panels for an 80,000 litre capacity pool. We have pump / panel combinations to cater for any size pool including commercial applications

6. What happens on cloudy days?

On cloudy days, the pump will still run, albeit at a slower rate. The pump / panel combination is worked out allowing for all weather cycles.
7. What if I have water features that need to run at night? [back to top]
Our standard installation includes mounting the pump parallel to your existing AC pump, space permitting. This way, should you need to run water features at night or for any other reason, it’s just a matter of switching your old AC pump on. If the solar pump is stand alone, then the optional power transformer can take care of it.

8. Will my pool cleaner work?

Yes. The solar pool pumps have been tested with most pool cleaning devices.

9. Do I have to make any changes to my automatic chlorinator?

Most automatic chlorinators have a device to sense that the pump is running. If you don’t have this system then we recommend that you have it upgraded.

10. Can I use a solar powered pump to run my solar heating system?

Yes, even the smallest of our solar pumps have 14 meter lift ability.

11. What affects the installation costs?

As long as there is adequate space in the pool house and there is nothing untoward associated with your system, then our standard installation includes everything except for trenching and any excess of a 30 meter run of cabling. See our 'Standard Installation' details on the pool pump page.

12. Is there any maintenance involved?

There is actually less maintenance than a traditional pump. Firstly, the solar photovoltaic's are virtually maintenance free. The face of the solar panels are treated and clean themselves every time it rains. The pump itself is far more efficient and more reliable than a traditional AC pump, with a life expectancy 2 to 3 times higher than traditional pumps.

13. I'm a very capable handyman. Can I do the installation myself?

Yes. Because the system is low voltage and 'SAFE', you don't have to have any special qualifications. The system is available in DIY kit form which will save you over $1,000.00. However, if you intend to mount the solar panels on the roof, we do recommend employing the services of a person with experience working on a roof with the correct restraints.

14. Do the panels have to go on the roof of the house?

The panels can be mounted on the house roof, or, space permitting, on the roof of the pool house, a pergola, backyard garden shed, or anywhere else where you have adequate space. If roof area of any kind is not available, then we have available a fence line ground mounting system which can be purchased as an option.

15. What warranty can I expect from Solar City Enterprises?

Solar Panels: 25-year performance warranty
DC Pool Pump: 36-month warranty
Mounting System: 10-year product warranty (manufacturer)
Workmanship: 36-month warranty on workmanship (installer)

16. Is it a reliable investment?

The solar energy system has no moving parts, therefore extremely reliable. The pump motor is brushless, making it the most reliable electric motor available.
 
Your pool pump is costing you $1,628 per year to run
I don't know who's doing their sums. At 20c per unit for power you'd have to run your pump 24/7/365 to get near that $1628 figure.

A much better option, as has been mentioned, is to put your $$ into a quality grid-connect solar system.
 
The problem with solar at the moment is it does not stack up to well as a return on investment (i.e. installing purely for financial return). We know electricity costs are still increasing way above CPI, but will the solar technology become cheaper in the future. A combination of these two could change the equation in the future.

I agree with mikew. The running costs mentioned don't apply to me. I have a 45,000L pool and i run the pump admittedly very lean, about 2hrs in winter and 4hrs in summer. The pump draws 1.1kw. So my power usage over the year is average 3hrs per day x 365 x1.1kw = 1,205kwh. At my current electricity rate of around 23c per kwh that = $277 per year.

Regards
 
I agree actually about the figures. Our pool is 40K litres and I also run the pump less than recommended. The pool company told hubby last week it should be running eight hours per day through summer :eek:

We run it about four hours and if it needs more, I give it more.

Because our kids are older and don't swim much, it stays pretty clean and through winter we don't add any chemical at all.
 
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Solar powered off grid pump

Hi I have fitted solar powered pump to my own pool basically the same as wylie was being offered at start of this thread. Mine works well using a 750 watt DC motor on a 60000 litre pool. At the price $3900 it is too expensive.
I am also building a solar powered salt water chlorinator - can make for any one interested as well great to know you pool is not costing anything to run

I imported several complete pumping systems and they arefor sale if anyone is interested- can offer them from $1800-$2400-$ 3000 500watt-750- watt-1000w
At this price the payback is worth it
 
As a concept they are fine - you only need to run a pool pump when the sun is out and the sunnier it is the more the pump should run. It also avoids running cabling down to a pool shed. They will definitely payback well compared to a grid connect solar system because you aren't wasting any of the energy as you do with grid connect units when you start exporting for next to nothing.

It sounds like people here have oversized pool pumps that run for only a few hours - a solar pump can be sizes smaller in the knowledge it will run for longer and only when required. But it's obviously not a good fit for night time water features but that's gotta be a first world problem if ever I've heard of one.

But I have no idea if the system these guys are selling you is any good. It actually takes a bit of work to sort the good stuff from the dross so if you have no interest in the subject I would recommend against it. And the thing about warranties is that they are only as strong as the company that provides them.

Having said all that I will be putting in one of these following my pool renovation. But I'm an electrical engineer and can design and build it myself using components I know about - which helps makes it cheaper...

Oops - just saw the age of this thread - never mind someone may find this useful!
 
HiEquity

I have found you are right - pump need to run more when sun is out- so there is a very good connection here. Even on a cloudy day it will still run slowly. A 240 volt pump is usually run for minimum hours to save electricity the solr one can run all day and the chlorinator run for as long a you want so the chlorine level is kept up.
 
1.5kw solar grid systems have been advertised for as low as $1700.00
in Sydney lately , not sure how much money these pumps cost to run but
wouldn't it be cheaper to install a grid system these days over the off grid ones for pumps.
 
When power companies were offering high feed back tariffs of 60 cents it would most certainly be the case. But at 6-10cents there is no gain from the extra electricity you generate. I think most new installations are net systems. Therefore you have to be generating the electricity and not buying it when you want it at 26-40 cents a Kwh. You need to control the system to make sure you are really getting the savings. DC technology is very efficient than converting to 240 volt and then operating a 240 volt pump. With a DC off grid system the whole system is simple. My pump starts about 8 am and runs to 4pm on sunny days. On rainy days Sydney has been having lately it still runs most of time even if slower and with good chlorine production from the salt water chlorinator has been kept perfectly clean.
As it is low voltage can be DIY. The small $1800 system would be fairly equivalent to the 1.5KW solar grid systems being used with a pool without all the complications of grid system. They quote the systems as 1.5KW but remember this is 1.5 Kw on a sunny day at midday when the panels are facing in the right direction. With some of the installations I have seen I really wonder what actual KW they are getting. The best way at the moment for grid systems is to fit them facing west to catch the afternoon sun at the maximum to provide electricity when the peak rate of 40cents Kwh for mains supplied electricity is being used at around 5-6pm for cooking you dinner rather than running your pool pump.
 
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