Solar Powered Pump for Watering Cattle

[sumdumguy]

Does anyone have experience with a set-up where we need to pump out a slough where we have no power source. There seem to be a lot of 12 V pumps but how do you power them? car battery? electric fence charger? solar panel?

[grassfarmer]

Does anyone have experience with a set-up where we need to pump out a slough where we have no power source. There seem to be a lot of 12 V pumps but how do you power them? car battery? electric fence charger? solar panel?

We use these kind of systems all the time. 12V pumps, RV batteries and a solar panel. You can either build your own or buy complete systems. Depending on the water requirement (lift/#of cattle) you can have either large storage capacity (trough-tank) with a small pump or have higher output pump and less storage.
We have built a slow pumping/large storage system using a little $100 sprayer pump but we have also bought larger output pumping systems like these Waterboy systems that are just plug in and go. [URL="http://solarpumps.ca/solar-pumps.html"]http://http://solarpumps.ca/solar-pumps.html[/URL]

A good resource for Sask producers is at
[URL="http://www.southsaskriverstewards.ca/ckfinder/userfiles/files/SkWateringSystems.pdf?PHPSESSID=sm30qoibr40f36bv2a oa5i9n27"]http://http://www.southsaskriverstewards.ca/ckfinder/userfiles/files/SkWateringSystems.pdf?PHPSESSID=sm30qoibr40f36bv2a oa5i9n27[/URL]

[GDR]

I use one for a short period in spring that I actually just use a car battery and take it back to yard and charge it for a few hours once a week. Pump out of a Creek. It's just a bilge pump and a in-line bilge pump like they use on boats. Dirt cheap system like $100 plus battery at the time, pumps really fast but they can't handle much lift.

Got another system on a 40ft well with 2 rv batteries set up 24vlts and 150 watts of solar panels, small trough but pumps close to 20gpm works great. Has a charge controller so don't end up touching it all summer. From Cap Solar in Olds but they have SK dealers.

In a slough they make floating pumps and anchor to shore. Doesn't take cows long to use trough and most won't go back to muddy drink holes.

Use fairly large water line, 12vlt pumps can move a lot of water but don't do as well under pressure. Need some panels around your gear, calves really seem to like chewing on wires!

Recent years guys have gone to either super huge troughs or a storage tank with a trough and float system to avoid having to buy as much solar watts and batteries. Some are even direct systems that constantly run when the sun shines. Personally I like decent panels and batteries as I feel it's simple and reliable and has good reserve for cloudy periods.

[grassfarmer]

And don't worry that these "alternative" power sources like solar won't work. Like the solar garden lights that don't switch on LOL.