Thanks for the tip!

Agreed

Except with solar panels. You always connect the solar panels after the battery is connected to the charge controller, or you'll ruin the charge controller.

Ron Mele Thats awesome, how many barrels did you go with? I’m going to add some more during winter break.

And what’s the sprayer setup look like?

@@TexasOrganicGardening I just picked up twelve 30 gal screw top white food grade barrels for $20 each. They look brand new. I’m going to build a few into the ran collection system like yours. I’m putting in a rebased bed garden this summer. I’v got an ancient DerectTV dish on the wall in the back of the house. I can use the mounting arm for the solar panel.

I think 12V systems are considered safe, thats why most outdoor lighting and such is usually 12V, but if anyone has more info on this I am always open to discussion.

Some updates coming on this after two years or so at work. Watch for an upcoming video on minor modifications.

Very little to none. I think it only switches on when it detects water flow on the output side (ie timer valve comes on).

It is a DC pump, run from small battery.

Please check the other videos in the playlist for more details.

Ron Mele Its 1/2” ID 3/4” OD from Home Depot

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qJObfcWYvZy-n40.html

Good question, yes, its a 25 PSI Low Flow Pressure Regulator. I'll be sure to mention it in the upcoming update video.

Yes the pump puts out as much pressure as from the house. You could easily use a water hose.

@@TexasOrganicGardening Maybe I missed this in your video, but did you have to install a pressure reducing valve on the output side or is the pressure not strong enough to blow off the irrigation drip heads?

The pump has a built in pressure switch and only runs when there is a demand.

I put my guy at Home Depot through hell finding something that worked.

Amsterdam Tinus Yes since the pump is only running 15-30 minutes a day the charging can easily keep the battery topped off. The battery could probably run the pump about 2 hours before being depleted if it wasn’t being charged.

@@tdenarobackup thanx!

Are you connecting the pump to the load connections on the charge controller or wired right to the battery? I have two similar systems, but I replaced the charge controllers with something more robust. From what I understand, the load connections on the charge controller aren't really designed for higher loads. They're more for low voltage lighting or monitors. I wired mine directly to the battery (with a 10 amp fuse in between the pump and the battery on the + side). I previously had them wired to the load connections on the charge controller and one of them started smoking. I took it apart and part of the PCB was burned up. Just before, I was having the same issue you mention. Unfortunately, now in hotter temps, I'm running into thermal protection turning off the pump after about 10 minutes of watering. According to Pentair, these pumps are not designed for continuous use, just short term and intermittent use.

Jason W. I am in Austin, TX. Only issue is running out of water in the barrels. One good rain fills them all up, but its so hot here (already 99 degrees) 220 gallons of water doesn’t always last until the next rain. Haven’t had any issues with the pump.

Lonestar Worms Great, thanks for sharing! I’m in Houston, TX I figure the experience will be pretty similar, but in any case I look forward to trying.

Jason W. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. I think I’ll be adding more barrels over the winter season.

@@zenbrother If it is to hot you could run your hoses to the pump under your home in the crawl space. The floor insulation would probably maintain ground temps under there.

Check out our other video on the solar panel build, it has the panel details in the video description!

How about just a item list on what you have where you purchased it and cost

moyse_tv 1) Between the charge controller and battery bank, 2) between the charge controller and solar panels, 3) between the pump red lead and the controller.

What amp fuses do you recommend for each device?

Ben Moscatello These are what I ordered on Amazon: 3 Pack -12V Water-resistant Add-A-Circuit Blade Type Inline Fuse holder with Cap16 Gauge (Larger) - $7.99

Tony Franzetti thanks Tony! I ended up using the same ones. I’m using a 10 amp fuse for the pump and the battery, and a 5 amp fuse for the solar panel.

It’s should be in the video description, if not in this video then in one of the others in the Rainbarrel system Playlist

Google search for on demand water pumps. There are usually AC and DV versions of each pump. I chose to go with the DC (12V) just because I wanted to do a solar project and learn. Nothing wrong with use a plug in version.

It is an on demand pump, so if it detects water flow out the hose end it turns on and pumps more. Same pump used in RVs for something like a kitchen sink - turn on sink pump kicks on automatically. If you're manually watering garden have a nozzle on the hose that you can open/close. That will cycle the on demand pump.

Hi Mark, no I was not aware of zero pressure timers (but I just googled one). The system when full only put out about 3-5 PSI before I added the pump. As the water in the barrels depletes the PSI drops. My main concern is that drip irrigation in general needs 10-30 PSI depending on the quantity of drip lines, so I still feel a pump would be required, depending on how high the barrels are above the garden. If the garden was well down slope (say 20 vertical feet) from the barrel system it might work just fine with a zero pressure timer and no pump.

Oops, I see you did that already

Yes it’s in the video description, for anyone else seeing this

Depending on the pump you use, possibly yes. Most drip irrigation work best at about 25 PSI if i am not mistaken but check the specs of the drip lines and emitters you are using,

Not sure, but I’d check with the controller manufacturer

they look like standard barbed fittings. wal mart garden section or any home improvement should have them.

The pump comes with the fittings. You will need a to get a 1/2 inch inner diameter hose, clamps and fittings to hook up any hoses or tubes to the barbed fittings on the pump. I used this setup for on demand.

I'm so sorry for asking this but what is inline with a motory? He did list the fuse but didn't show an install.

Yes there is an inline fuse recommended. I need to publish an update video! It had not arrived in the mail in time to make the original video.

Johnny Khamnoy Sure, I don’t see why not. Just out of curiosity, why bury the manifold?

Lonestar Worms I am looking into building a vertical living wall.

Thanks, I will be testing my current one in an upcoming video in next week or two. Will provide updates here and there on what controller and where to order (I may need a new one).

I used an on demand pump. When the RAINBIRD timer says it’s time to water the pump turns off. When the timer is up the pump shuts off. There is no pressure to maintain. The water pressure is always there on the pump inlet from gravity and the barrels.

@@TexasOrganicGardening I have a 45 psi demand pump hooked up to 330 gallon IBC tanks, and my pump cycles on and off to maintain the pressure. I have it set to a rainbird timer with 3 solenoids, that run at different times of the day. Was thinking of putting a pressure tank on it so the pump doesn't cycle on and off.

Install it between the battery and the rest of the system on the positive lead.

Never connect an inverter to a charge controller. The inverter is connected (with a fuse) to the battery.

Isaac Rodriguez depends on how long I run the timer but probably about 30 gallons in 10 minutes because it will empty 220 gallons in a week.

AJ DIY Its an on demand pump so if water is allow to flow the pump will come on. You could pinch the hose, use a sprayer with trigger etc and it should shut off. It’s the same pump used in RVs. Always ready but only comes on when a faucet is turned on.

Patrick Harvey Is it an on demand pump?

Lonestar Worms yes it is

Patrick Harvey not sure then. The only time mine has acted strange like that was when we had a week of cloudy and rainy days and the battery level got low. Resolved when the weather got sunny again. Check the basic like adequate water to the pump, solid wiring connections into the controller, and good battery charge level.

Hi Patrick Harvey, did you figure out this issue? My husband and I just set up our system using this video as a guide and we are having the same issue. We can get our pump to turn on when it is manually turned on via the charge controller, but we can't get the on demand feature to turn the pump on. We are stumped.

@@deborahjorgensen9414 hi Deborah I finally got mine to work by changing out the controller as when talking to a engineer at a solar company he said the controller is specs need to be larger or it is I’ll fry the computer in the controller. I used the great people at newpowa in California. If you give me a couple hours I’ll get you the model of the controller. I put mine to bed as we are headed towards freezing

Robert I have the same issue, did you figure it out?

@@patrickharvey9790 Hi Patrick, it did start working for me. I think the issue was that I had a wire incorrectly positioned.

Check for no loose wires and that everything is properly connected. Then also make sure you have adequate charge showing in the display and that the buttons on the controller are all turned on.

Thanks Tony for the help. One last thing that I was wondering if you've run into...I have the unit hooked up and working, but after running the pump for only 5 min. I smelled and saw small amounts of smoke coming from the charge controller unit. I stopped the unit and powered everything down and I noticed that the end leading to the pump was indeed very hot and I could see a visible bubble forming int he plastic case on the end nearest the wires leading to the pump. Any chance you ran into a similar issue? I have also sent a message to the charge controller company. Thanks

Thanks for the info gents. Thought I’d provide an update. Binen indicated that even though they advertised the maximum current draw was 20 A, in fact the maximum is actually 10A. This is what was causing the burning while I was running the pump since my pump draws about 17max. When I informed them of their advertised 20A, they immediately indicated they would provide a refund and update the product description. Thanks

It’s from Rain Bird. Something like this will work: store.rainbird.com/rby075mptx-3-4-in-inline-rby-filter-with-200-mesh-screen.html

This filter is often sold with the pump. www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-255-313-Twist-Pipe-Strainer/dp/B000V2W0GE

Manuel Salgado I’m not sure that car batteries are the optimal choice for solar charged systems. Deep cycle batteries are typically a better choice, as the deep cycle batteries perform better in situations like solar where they may get fully discharged and then recharged.

Lonestar Worms 10/4, thanks for the response

@@TexasOrganicGardening that said, there are a few deep cycle car batteries, like the Optima blue top. www.optimabatteries.com/products/bluetop

hey, did you ever figure out where the fuses go?

@@lynsey911 no.

@@woodsykris I found that he said: "1) Between the charge controller and battery bank, 2) between the charge controller and solar panels, 3) between the pump red lead and the controller." however, this is my first wiring project, so I am still lost. If I figure it out, I'll post it here

Pump has some strange fittings, must have made 6 trips to Home Depot trying out what seemed like common sense connectors and nothing worked.

Theresa Humes You didn’t miss it. They were on their way from Amazon and didn’t arrive in time to make the video. Good catch though. I

Where would the fuses go? Is there another video?

Theresa Humes 1) Between the charge controller and battery bank, 2) between the charge controller and solar panels, 3) between the pump red lead and the controller.

Manuel Salgado 1) Between the charge controller and battery bank, 2) between the charge controller and solar panels, 3) between the pump red lead and the controller.

@@TexasOrganicGardening I'm a little lost on this. any chance you would be able to add a short video showing yours?

Got myself sorted out! When my pump first turns on, there is a surge that is slightly over what the controller can handle, so the controller went into error mode. The two solutions I found are either 1) get a controller with a higher amp rating 2) use a fuse box to connect the pump directly to the battery, rather than to the “load connector” in the controller. The systems works great now and the pump is fully on demand.

Thanks for adding the follow up!!

@@benmoscatello1026what kind of fuse box and what size fuse did you use? I planned on following this but connecting the pump directly to the battery. Or what amp controller would you suggest?

@@Adurning10 it’s been a while so I don’t remember my entire troubleshooting process, but I just checked and the controller I’m using is actually a 20amp as well (what I think the original controller suggested in the video also is), just a different manufacturer.