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Post by horsall on Nov 5, 2012 15:56:51 GMT -5
Hello Cye The motor speed controller arrived ok I have wired in between the controller and pump and I can slow the pump down.
I have been experimenting(messing) with for the last couple of days to see what difference it makes to the system.
From what I have seen with the limited amount of sun available running it at 10volts or 12volts doesn't seem to make much difference other than the pump is quiet at 10volts but as soon as the voltage gets over 10.5volts it starts to get noisy!
At 10 volts it uses .42amps 4.2watts and at 12volts it uses .84amps 10watts
How does this pump compare to normal 230volt central heating pumps for noise? our CH pump is quiet it is a Grundfos 3 speed on slowest speed.
This would not be any good on CH to noisy do you think I have got a faulty one?
We managed to get the new cylinder(170lt) up to 95deg F on T3 and 85deg F on T2 today so I am quite pleased as the sun is in a low position at this time of year
What I am thinking is to buy a second pump off you to see if it is quieter as I cant send one back first as system would have no water in it and if it goes sunny panels may overheat then send the first one back for a refund if that is ok with you?
Roger
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Post by cye on Nov 5, 2012 16:54:42 GMT -5
hi roger. i would say they are slightly noisier than a ch pump. whilst i will have tested it before it went out the door at 12v, that's not to say that i will definitely have detected a slightly higher noise than normal.
send it back and i'll replace it and refund your postage, or refund in full without a replacement, whichever you prefer.
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Post by cye on Nov 5, 2012 16:57:55 GMT -5
sorry, i hadn't read all you said. sure, i'll send you out another one in the morning and you can post me back whichever one of them you wish.
the pumps are similar to the australian Davis Craig pump. i found the following info on noise with the davis craig which may (or may not!) be relevant "The impeller tip clearance is very tight for maximum efficiency, and may when new actually scrape the pump housing causing a slight noise. The impeller will bed in over time and the noise cease".
i do know that humming can be reduced by using flexible tap tails or flexi solar SS pipe rather than direct connection to a metal pipe, but i guess the easiest thing may be to swap in a replacement and see if there is any difference.
hope this helps.
cye
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Post by horsall on Nov 6, 2012 14:26:06 GMT -5
Hello Cye Thank,s for sending a spare pump I will fit it and see if it is any quieter.
I don't really wan,t to fit it with rubber tubing I like things to be permanent, I suppose I could use a pair of 15mm flexible tails as taps are fitted with, but I like the fact that the pump is in a fix position as there are no fixing screws or bracket.
I suppose I could make a bracket mounted on something like exhaust rubber bobbins to damp any vibration.
Roger
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Post by cye on Nov 6, 2012 16:21:52 GMT -5
no probs. posted today. definitely worth a try with a second pump to see if it saves having to figure some means of damping. please let me know how you get along.
regards
cye
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Post by horsall on Nov 8, 2012 14:47:33 GMT -5
Hello Cye When I get the new pump I am going to alter the pipe work and fit it with a pair of these for two reasons ease of removal and to help isolate it from the rigid pipe work and reduce noise. www.screwfix.com/p/flex-tap-connector-valve-15mm-x/18417?_requestid=2160968I was quite amazed today I was working in the bathroom and I heard the solar pump start up and it was only about 10.30 and the panels are a bit shaded at this time of year until about 11am T1 was 72degF T2 60gegF so it must be collecting some heat as I don,t think the ambient temperature was that high, not bad for 30+year old panels I must have got them about right? I thought you like to see a photo of what happens to a guyed wind turbine tower in 60mph winds! I thought the whole lot was going to come crashing down I videoing at a safe distance at the time, Scarey! Roger Attachments:
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Post by cye on Nov 8, 2012 17:46:22 GMT -5
they'll do the job but i am not sure what temp they are rated for, but if it's epdm rubber with brass fittings it'll be 85c or thereabouts.
your flat panels have clearly been built to last! as has your guyed turbine tower. i can almost hear the wires singing! have your tensioned them with turnbuckles? what size of scaffold pole is that 48.3mm? steel?
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Post by horsall on Nov 9, 2012 5:16:13 GMT -5
Hello Cye That,s a good point about temperature I will have to check, there are some more expensive ones that are WRAS approved I wonder if these would be better(don,t wan,t to spoil the ship for ha'perth of tar) The turbine tower is water pipe the same size a scaffolding tube(I know a industrial fire engineer) They guy wires are 4mm with turn buckles for adjustment but you don,t adjust them to tight. I modified the design after that storm and added another set of guy wires closer to the turbine and made it a bit taller(50foot) so now there are 3 sets of guy wires probably a bit over the top but it looks much better in high winds now. I have just received the new pump and the low voltage lamps I sent for, they look good and the led one looks good for a table lamp type situation and seem bright will have to wait for it to get dark to really see how they look, they are not cheap but you can use them in any normal light fitting as long as it is the right voltage so better options than MR16 or GU10,s if like me you have a permanent low volt supply. Roger Attachments:
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Post by horsall on Nov 14, 2012 8:33:17 GMT -5
Hello Cye I have tried to new pump and I think it is marginally quieter so I will keep this one. Shall I post the first one back to Eco co-op BT9 ? I am still waiting for my voltage controller from Hong Kong !!!!! I have got the 24volt Led and 24volt cfl and they both seem good, I ordered a medium white Led and it would be good for a work area situation perhaps a bit bright for reading by for any length of time. The Cfl seem about the same as any other 9w cfl, I measure the power consumption on my variable bench Psu The Led used 0.12amps @ 24volt = 2.88watts The Cfl used 0.28amps @ 24volt = 6.72 watts The only down side is the price! perhaps it is something your Co-op could look into to get the price down to a more afford able amount? This is the size turbine that would be nice in the back garden(except for the noise!) Roger Attachments:
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Post by cye on Nov 14, 2012 15:01:18 GMT -5
thanks for the update. yes, that's the postcode and thanks for your patience. i will reimburse your P&P. i must try and figure a way of measuring noise scientifically.
cfls: if there are other expressions of interest i'm sure we could look into a group purchase.
do you know what size of turbine that is? we've just put a few hundred quid on behalf of the kids into drumlin wind energy co-op who are building 2 X 250 kw turbines a few miles from here. they're sponsored by energy4all who set up baywind and westmill wind co-ops. i think the turbines are WTN german affairs. they had originally planned to use vestas but eventually settled on WTNs.
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Post by horsall on Nov 14, 2012 15:43:31 GMT -5
Hello Cye I do not wan,t you to refund the postage just glad to have such good service. I don,t know the size or make of the wind turbine I took the photo in Brittany this year while touring after having been to The Le Mans Classic 24hours races Attachments:
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Post by jmansion on Jun 29, 2013 12:58:32 GMT -5
Can I assume from this that the pumps are fine with PWM? Any caveats about switching speed (either high or low)?
I'll probably build something with an arduino or the like.
Am thinking I could alternatively run the pump off PV and divert through the tank if what's coming down looks hot enough or through an old radiator if I need to dump heat.
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Post by cye again on Jul 1, 2013 12:22:54 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum!
if it is the black pump you are referring to (i.e., one of the PV pumps), then these are designed to run directly from a PV panel. The issue then is preventing the pump from cooling the tank at those times when there is enough pv power to run the pump, but the tank is hotter than the panel. if your panel is vac tube type and the pipe runs short and well insulated, then this should not be an issue, as there will be little heat loss via the panel and pipework.
traditional flat panel collectors however can act like a radiator (some are even made from radiators!) and you may want to consider controlling the pump with the addition of a differential temperature controller (DTC). If on a tight budget, we can show you how to make your own simple DTC for just a few pounds.
Regarding PWM, the use of such a speed controller with one of the black PV pumps would mean running the pump from from a power supply or battery rather than a PV panel directly. Commercial 12v PWM speed controllers are available for very little and doing PWM with an arduino may be overkill unless you have plans for the arduino to do other clever stuff at the same time.
if you would provide a little further detail on what you have in mind we may be able to give better advice!
hope this helps
Best regards
Cye
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