Solar Water Pump - SUPER simplified introduction

I will try to share some very basic notes here as a jumping off point for you to explore lifting water in simple ways with sun power. Of course the solutions can be more elegant and detailed, but this video is meant to be very simple for folks just getting started...
The pump type we like:
search '12v DC bilge pump' online
We have worked with many types, the 500 gallon per hour 'Rule' bilge has been excellent, but most we've tried have worked. Available on ebay, or local marina shops, etc, they can cost as little as $20 and run VERY well on variable energy.
Solar panels - look on local craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc to see if there are used ones around. The bilge pumps generally run on 12V, so look for a 12V based solar panel (most common). Off-grid folks, local solar installers, maybe road crew people all may have smaller panels around that they'd sell you cheap or just give you... Start there!
The bilge pump you end up with should indicate how many watts it would like to run, that is the size solar panel you want, ideally even more wattage... Eg... bilge says '25watts' - look for at least 25 watt or ideally up to 50 watts to run it super easily. Make sure you get 12V bilge and 12V panels to have them work properly.
Wiring - Black is negative, red is positive, or there are - or + signs available on the solar panel... You want to always connect black to black, red to red. If you want super simple wiring, you can twist together the two black cable ends so they are matched, and then use an alligator clip or even a rock to push the red and red sides together when the pump is under water... Bilge pumps can run dry a bit so don't get stressed about that, but ideally you run it underwater.

Don't overthink it, don't get all new perfect stuff, learn with simple components and only add more if you need to. You got this. 10 years in and I'm finally upgrading our system with better wiring, some new tools, etc, but it all worked fine super scrappy and simple for many many years...

Please comment with questions below and hopefully folks can help each other out :)


Edible Acres is a full service permaculture nursery located in the Finger Lakes area of NY state. We grow all layers of perennial food forest systems and provide super hardy, edible, useful, medicinal, easy to propagate, perennial plants for sale locally or for shipping around the country…
Happy growing!

[lindakurtz]

Yes, Yes, Yes! Walking thru with details how you use these kinds of systems on your property is exactly what I need! An early birthday present. TY.

[stacey_d]

I stumbled upon your videos and have been devouring the content. I appreciate the fact that you are showing others how to make sustainable gardening choices with minimal disturbance to the environment, all while diverting folks away from using Amazon as a resource for products. Well done!

[rossmail]

Thanks for making this intimidating project so accessible.

Also love the "buy new/ buy Amazon" alternatives.

[PermaPen]

Oooh, timely! That's something I've had on my list, thank you for the extremely useful information!

[mattjames]

great simple vid with great discriptions and suggestions..the way diy vids should be made..bravo

[renaissancewomanfarm]

Thanks for this. The alligator clamps make perfect sense to me, after all, my solar fence charger connects to the fence with clamps. I have been watching 100W solar kits that are available through Harbor Freight, Northern Tool and even Costco sometimes and I want to get one and tinker around with it. I figured it would be a good enough solution for a light and possibly an outlet in my barn, but I have been afraid to jump in. Now I'm feeling braver about the possibilities.

[SandcastleDreams]

Wow! This is the information I've been looking for and you did make it simple! Thank you!

[acsoul]

“Don’t buy this stuff from Amazon” that has become my life’s motto over the last year.

[edibleacres]

Thanks for watching :)
Please understand I tried to make this video as absolutely simple, minimal and accessible as I possibly could. There are many ways to improve and refine the info provided here for sure. If there is enough interest I will expand on this to explain Anderson Power Pole wiring, multimeter use, monitoring and refining the setup, etc.
This video is meant to empower folks that feel they don't know how to start... I hope it can get those folks over the hump. Please share questions and help each other out in the comments so everyone feels like they can have access to this important and simple technology.

[ImASurvivorNThriver]

Too cool! I would DEFINITELY like to know more about this system and see it in action! Thanks for sharing.

[acsoul]

Super interested in more solar and different ways to use the bilge pump videos. That stuff is the more technical part of homesteading I need to learn more about.

[CliffsidePermaculture]

That is so cool! Once I figure out how to get my brand new pond to eventually hold water this week be very useful to know about

[DylanFM]

Thanks for this walk through. We have a small hand-dug well, about 3m deep. I've been using an electric mains-powered pump to pump the water into an IBC tank, which we use for watering our small market garden. I'd rather have a solar powered pump which trickled whenever it was on. Do you think that a bilge pump could work well for that, maybe since it would be dealing with lifting a greater distance it would work out as a good slow pump. I would be happy if it trickled as long as the sun was out, with the pump living in the well.

[cleverjoe]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing. I’ll be trying this out this weekend with a couple older unused solar panels and a small bilge pump I’ve had hanging around. Cheers

[allonesame]

Ah, huh! Voila`! I'm thinking about making a natural pond for wildlife and wild flowers and those pond pumps are ridiculously expensive! This is the perfect solution! I won't even need that strong of a pump. I'm going to use a refrigerator drawer as the "water fall"... we shall see! Blessings Abound!

[dans]

Watching your vids is getting me more into a repurpose frame of thinking. :) Found a pressure treated 2x3 fencepost out in the woods and am gonna combine it with one of the plastic thingies that go under potted plants to make a no cost bird bath. I looked at buying one, didn't like the reviews on the "resin" ones and the concrete ones are heavy and expensive. So...don't need pretty, need functional. Want more bluebirds!

[dogslobbergardens]

"Head" describes how far up from the beginning the pump has to push the water. I mention this because I just found that manufacturer's specs sometimes list the flow rate at various levels of head. For instance Rule lists one of their bilge pumps as 500gph @ 0' of head, 360gph @ 3.35' of head, and 260gph @ 6.7' of head.
To help us figure out how strong a pump we really need for a specific application. I always take such specs with a grain of salt, but at least it should be in the ballpark.

[barbiedesoto]

I’m excited to see the setup your friend helped with in more detail. I hope he’s able to put up a shop soon! I’d love one of those batteries he rescued.

[dogslobbergardens]

I have really been struggling to find information on *exactly* this kind of idea, so thank you very, very much. In our case I think I might need a bigger pump because it's about ten feet from our creek up to the edge of the bank, then a mild slope up into the pasture where I need water the most. But even if I can only find a 500gph pump and it runs half or a third as fast due to the rise I might be OK with that, too.

[nicholasnapier]

Working 4 people to think out side the box..keep going exactly 💯