Anyone got these setup for their polytunnel or greenhouse. I was mulling over the idea this evening to have a system running from a few IBCs that I can use for both watering and feeding.
It's one of the banes of my life coming home from work in the summer where the temperatures were reaching 40 degrees or more and quickly watering my little lettuce plants that have baked in the heat.
I'm getting my head around it slowly, the bits and bobs needed and will post my progress as I create it for anyone interested or if I get no responses on this.
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Solar powered drip irrigation system
Re: Solar powered drip irrigation system
First thing it needs to do is come on via timer while I'm not around. Also that the battery and panel are up to spec to power the pump. Which currently I haven't really a clue about other the requirement that it is a marine or fencer battery. 
Maybe CR or Kadman can help in this due to their camper van adventures. I also haven't a breeze what size solar panel to get.
The ready made pump kits are either to small or in the case of one of them drinker setups they are selling for cattle, too expensive. So the DIY road I shall be be going.
Maybe CR or Kadman can help in this due to their camper van adventures. I also haven't a breeze what size solar panel to get.The ready made pump kits are either to small or in the case of one of them drinker setups they are selling for cattle, too expensive. So the DIY road I shall be be going.
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knownunknown
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- Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:55 pm
Re: Solar powered drip irrigation system
If it’s only drip irrigation you’re looking for then this video below might be an idea. Comes from a guy I’m following for years on YouTube. He uses solar power, but no solar panels or batteries, the difference in density in water as it changes temperature. This itself can act as a pump if you can get a big enough temperature differential. He also has a series on gardening, hydroponics, where he goes into detail about his setup with batteries and panels etc..
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CelticRambler
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- Location: Central France
Re: Solar powered drip irrigation system
Will get back to you on this, next week. Am in the process of packing up for another weekend's rambling, and if last week is anything to go by, I won't have any mobile/data signal till I return to base sometime on Sunday.
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CelticRambler
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- Posts: 2586
- Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:19 pm
- Location: Central France
Re: Solar powered drip irrigation system
Right, I'm back! 
This is something I'm in the process of setting up, which will be a made-to-measure system and strictly speaking isn't a "drip" feed. My problem is that I have no-one I can depend on to supply my seedlings and young plants with the right amount of water while I'm away, so I need an arrangement whereby the plants themselves can decide how much water to draw from the supply, day by day, hour by hour.
To that end, I've recently moved and rebuilt a couple of concrete rabbit hutches that came free with the house and which have a nice flat top on them. I'll cover this with a bed of compost, about 5cm thick and set my seed-trays and pots into it. I have an old 100l bath set up now that'll serve as the reservoir, and I'll run a bit of regular PVC waste-pipe from the bottom of it across the back of the compost bed. The pipe will be drilled along its length to dribble water continuously onto the compost.
A gutter at the front will take excess water back to a collecting point, and I have cheap 12V pump fed from an old car battery to move the water from there back up to the bath. The battery is kept topped up by a cheap flexible 1W solar panel.
So far, although I've only tested the different elements on their own, everything's looking good. The rabbit hutches went into position in September, the bath was hoisted up at the start of November. I'm hoping to get the rest of it put into place in time for my late winter/early spring sowings.
As far as in-the-ground plants are concerned, I do flood irrigation rather than drip - far more effective and uses a lot less water in the conditions I experience.
This is something I'm in the process of setting up, which will be a made-to-measure system and strictly speaking isn't a "drip" feed. My problem is that I have no-one I can depend on to supply my seedlings and young plants with the right amount of water while I'm away, so I need an arrangement whereby the plants themselves can decide how much water to draw from the supply, day by day, hour by hour.
To that end, I've recently moved and rebuilt a couple of concrete rabbit hutches that came free with the house and which have a nice flat top on them. I'll cover this with a bed of compost, about 5cm thick and set my seed-trays and pots into it. I have an old 100l bath set up now that'll serve as the reservoir, and I'll run a bit of regular PVC waste-pipe from the bottom of it across the back of the compost bed. The pipe will be drilled along its length to dribble water continuously onto the compost.
A gutter at the front will take excess water back to a collecting point, and I have cheap 12V pump fed from an old car battery to move the water from there back up to the bath. The battery is kept topped up by a cheap flexible 1W solar panel.
So far, although I've only tested the different elements on their own, everything's looking good. The rabbit hutches went into position in September, the bath was hoisted up at the start of November. I'm hoping to get the rest of it put into place in time for my late winter/early spring sowings.
As far as in-the-ground plants are concerned, I do flood irrigation rather than drip - far more effective and uses a lot less water in the conditions I experience.