jolt Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 So, I'm thinking of using a kalk stirrer in my new system. But my electric bill has been so high I'm hoping to find a way to not add to my usage. So, I found this solar powered air pump on Dr's Foster and Smith: I'm thinking I can replace the motor on an Avast stirrer like this one: I found this this air-powered motor from grainger, so I can power it with the air pump. It's stainless steel so should not be a problem http://www.grainger.com/product/GAST-304-Stainless-Steel-Rotary-WP137593/_/N-1z0dn3l?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/3HDF6_AS01?$smthumb$ Then, I can hook the whole thing up to my reef angel using an SSR to control the flow of electricity between the solar panel and the air pump. Should pay for itself pretty quickly, IMHO. Opinions??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 You've captured my attention! I'm curious if the electricity generated by that little solar panel will be enough to power the pump. What are the psi requirements on that pump? Would a simple air pump designed for aquarium use produce enough pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Something fishy going on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I love the concept! One thing to think about, would you be using a battery to hold the reserve charge? We did something very similar for a client back in my consulting days with a solar powered groundwater remediation system. We used deep cycle marine batteries (4 of them) and used solar panels to keep the batteries charged. A DC pump was utilized to pull contaminated groundwater out of a well and into a giant baker tank, which was pumped out biweekly. It worked like a charm but two unique attributes of the system... 1) it was setup in the great IE (Inland Empire) which was mostly desert so there was plenty of sunlight and 2) it was not critical if the system did not have enough energy for a few days as that would just allow the contamination to start pooling up and then when the pump ramped up again, it would just pull more concentrated water. I'm sure you're still in the design phase but I would look into a reserve battery system and aim for the panels to charge the battery... and then the charge used to power the air pump. Another potential problem to think about is whether there will be issues cause by the stirrer being offline from time to time. I've never actually used a kalk stirrer but I might look into negative issues that can stem from the stirrer being offline for extended periods of time and if that'll affect your system. If it causes inconsistent alk dosing, then I'd be concerned about alk swings. I really like the experiment Jim! I could only imagine the possibilities! If you need a SSR, I know a guy that has a couple laying around. [emoji6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOceanTraveler Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Following.... This is very cool. Maybe you could even get a tax credit for going solar. Just kidding. I hope it works cuz I am going to copy you if it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Jim, Is this an April fools? The cheapest air drive motor in your link is $2375.00. It needs 20.5 cfm and max rpm at 10,000 rpm and a max torque rpm at 500 rpm. It is a 0.42hp motor. I'm pretty sure that the solar air pump that you listed may pump 1 cfm at its best. Probably closer to 0.5 cfm. Since a kalk stirrer only needs to run for like 6 minutes a day total it seems like a very expensive way to save almost no electricity. You would save more electricity by turning off your computer when not in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOceanTraveler Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 That will sure take a long time to pay for its self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 If it is an April Fools joke, kudos to you sir. It was well worth the brain power I expended! [emoji23] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Jim, Is this an April fools? The cheapest air drive motor in your link is $2375.00. It needs 20.5 cfm and max rpm at 10,000 rpm and a max torque rpm at 500 rpm. It is a 0.42hp motor. I'm pretty sure that the solar air pump that you listed may pump 1 cfm at its best. Probably closer to 0.5 cfm. Since a kalk stirrer only needs to run for like 6 minutes a day total it seems like a very expensive way to save almost no electricity. You would save more electricity by turning off your computer when not in use. I was wondering who would follow the price and specs on the grainger link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 And Im pretty sick today. I'm only at about 40% cognitive function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 And Im pretty sick today. I'm only at about 40% cognitive function. Sorry buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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