When you make your pond a bit larger using the current ditch you dug, you might want to put in an irrigation gate to take advantage of the spring rains. That way you could open the gate when the water is higher than the pond and take advantage of that run off. But I suppose if the pond is full and your overflow is working correctly there wouldn't be any need for the irrigation ditch to bring more water in. Thanks for the update, I love what your doing with the pond and what you have planned for it.
Thanks Pete! I have actually been struggling with what to do there. I thought about doing what you suggest, but in theory, it should never be low enough to run in. Still not sure what I'll do. At minimum I may lay a pipe in and just cap it on the end outside of the pond.
@@IndyFarmLife I have a similar issue with run off, I installed a irrigation gate that can be opened if the pond is low enough. In the event the pond level is up, then I have a solar powered pump installed that runs during the day to slowly pump the run off into the pond. The solar pump system is still a work in progress, working on the solar array size and the pump rate. But it does work, but currently is too slow.
Thanks for the update. Really intrigued with this whole thing. Started following when you built the dock, went back to older vids to see the pond build and have been following along since.
So pleased your well is working for you. It’s going to look great when full. I estimate, having listened to all your math and not understanding a word, that your beautiful pond will be full by Monday 4th November 😊
Haha thanks! I went through it a little fast but I think it all makes sense. 🙃 Time will tell! I think the weather will be a big factor as to when it's full.
It has been super dry here SE of Indy going on a month with no rain. My creek is super low and slow. When you set up the waterfall be sure to set it up so you can run it when the pond is full. If you have the means just keep making the pond bigger. That huge mound of dirt would make a nice root cellar or storm shelter.
Yes it has been very dry! Good point about placement. Would hate for it to be underwater. The berm would be a good storm shelter. Kinda from from our house though.
Nov 28th - I have been getting closer to 5 hours of full pump speed, and 2 hours ish at about 50% with my RPS pump, so I am guessing a little closer to 80 days.
Good to know and good guess! How did you measure that? Have you been sitting and watching it/estimating, or were you able to pull that info from the controller somehow? I'm close to getting it setup with my generator. I want to see if I can get this thing running 12+ hours a day.
25 days. Can you make the overflow variable. Any fish plans, is the bubbler solar? What are you using for the blue sanitation, how often etc. Great pump idea so far.
That would be pretty quick! The overflow could be adjusted up or down. I have it maxed our right now. I.e. If I raise it anymore, we will overflow our banks. The pond is already fully stock! I have a video on that out there. I put pond dye in about every 60 or 70 days. The aerator is run off grid power....for now!
Well water here is close to 80 degrees. I have to remind myself there are places where all water is not hot. You could push the water through a heat exchanger and air condition a space. Probably good to feed a heat pump as well.
@Dobrinich Yes, a lot of factors at play! I will say, though, that we are starting to see it come up noticeably. I'm going to provide an update video in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
@IndyFarmLife it would make pumping more hours a day convenient. It might take more than 1 battery to go 24/7. Staying with solar makes it easier to automate.
@IndyFarmLife not to over complicate, but 1 more thing. If you'll add an expansion tank and a pressure switch like a household well has your pump will cycle on and off while maintaining a constant flow of water. It will more than likely make your pump last twice as long.
If I don't pump overnight, it would have that time recharge. Once it's full I don't think I'll have a need for night time pumping. We just have this initial hurdle to get over.
The solar panels could hook directly to batteries and to the pump, but this controller isn't built for that. They do have some that are. Someone smarter than me would have to explain it all.
@@IndyFarmLife so I believe the solution would be the wires from the solar panels would go into a charge controller for the batteries, which decides which rate of charge, and when to stop charging the batteries. Then you could run your pump off of the Batteries, which would also be DC. And you could also possibly hook a inverter to it to have AC power at that location. You would also need some fuses in there and maybe a shunt to be able to tell what level your batteries are at. There are lots of videos about people making DIY battery backup systems that will show you what you need and how to connect it if you're interested
Thanks for the info! That's not something I have ever really looked into, but may. Would be a really cool setup. I'll have to dive deeper. There is a pond joke in there somewhere ha
I imagine the solar is making more power than the pump is using, why didnt you connect a battery up to store any extra power so it could run a little after the sun went down?
Possibly so. I'm not an expert. As designed this system/controller isn't built to accept batteries, but I would like to learn more about why not, and also see if it's possible. I may contact RPS.
Assuming a constant rate of 22GpM is 120 tons (120,000 KG or 265,000 lbs) of water in 24hr. And that's barely keeping up with evaporation? Amazing to think how much weight of water gets evaporated over a pond that size. BTW .. 7 GpM was my guess. Quite a way off. LOL
The pump is currently only running when the sun is out, so about 8 hrs a day. That was likely at par with evaporation during that hot week. If I get it running 24/7 then it will no doubt outpace evaporation.
Probably a little deceiving from that far away. That's a 2" piece of PVC it's running out of. You saw the 5 gallon bucket test in full. It's moving some serious water.
@@IndyFarmLife I was working backwards based on what I thought the solar + pump setup could generate. :-) Then saw the next 30 seconds or so of video and realized how wrong I was.... Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing. Looks like it is going to be an amazing setup for your family.
@@SenatorPerry Ahh I'm with you now! Yea, it's an impressive little setup! We shall see what it can do. We are supposed to get the tail end of the latest storm/hurricane coming up later this week. (hope everyone is safe) That should raise the pond a fair amount.
That would be awesome! We would likely need some big rains to help it along, which would mean a short season of fall leaves. As much as I want the pond full, I don't want the beauty of fall to pass by quickly!
@@IndyFarmLife it was very deceptive. That pump is moving some serious water. The only thing I’d be worried about is running the well dry. I’ve done that once before
Yea, that's always in the back of a my mind, but that's the reason I drilled a dedicated well for the pond and didn't pull from the house well. Suppose they could be pulling from the same "pocket" but it at least gives a little piece of mind.
@@IndyFarmLife as long as the refresh rate is high enough to replenish the well. You are somewhat correct or correct about pulling from the same pocket of water. But as long as you do good water management you should be good.
@@IndyFarmLife gotta say the math for me was a pain to figure out then when i did it a bit in my head i got a fair rough amounted area on the amount did a lil division etc got the estimate but yeah i love the idea of a solar power well pump for a pond
@@IndyFarmLife yeah i noticed actually i in my own downtime sometimes watch well fracking for something to do if i get bored iv kind of found how that's done to be interesting for a well pump dig and how they set a well in ground to water level tho never did think about a 12v solar hooked to a well pump to be honest about it hey free power for the pump to the pond so even when powers out doesn't stop running at least love that idea as well even when powers out its running complete redundant off solar power my own opinion on that is man i find that idea epic 12v for a water well pump to a pond smart self sustain power low work needed hey to be honest i love that idea in general : D power failure no problem for the pond anymore so hey that is a total win in my own book on that one bein said
As currently designed, this system doesn't accept battery backup, but I would like to explore that. Perhaps I'll reach out to RPS and see what options I have.
gramps had the pond so fulla catfish that their heads grew big but their bodies stayed small..some of the fish were 40lbs... anyhow besides having to feed the f*ckers every eve..he had to oxygenate the water..he had it rigged up to a windmill
When you make your pond a bit larger using the current ditch you dug, you might want to put in an irrigation gate to take advantage of the spring rains. That way you could open the gate when the water is higher than the pond and take advantage of that run off. But I suppose if the pond is full and your overflow is working correctly there wouldn't be any need for the irrigation ditch to bring more water in. Thanks for the update, I love what your doing with the pond and what you have planned for it.
Thanks Pete! I have actually been struggling with what to do there. I thought about doing what you suggest, but in theory, it should never be low enough to run in. Still not sure what I'll do. At minimum I may lay a pipe in and just cap it on the end outside of the pond.
@@IndyFarmLife I have a similar issue with run off, I installed a irrigation gate that can be opened if the pond is low enough. In the event the pond level is up, then I have a solar powered pump installed that runs during the day to slowly pump the run off into the pond. The solar pump system is still a work in progress, working on the solar array size and the pump rate. But it does work, but currently is too slow.
@@IndyFarmLife you still the grasshopper mower diesel 721 d
@@IndyFarmLife you still have the 721d diesel grasshopper tractor
I sure do!
Thanks for the update. Really intrigued with this whole thing. Started following when you built the dock, went back to older vids to see the pond build and have been following along since.
Awesome! So you have seen it all! There will be many more updates to come!
So pleased your well is working for you. It’s going to look great when full. I estimate, having listened to all your math and not understanding a word, that your beautiful pond will be full by Monday 4th November 😊
Haha thanks! I went through it a little fast but I think it all makes sense. 🙃 Time will tell! I think the weather will be a big factor as to when it's full.
Great video pal! I can’t wait to see it full.
Thank you! You and me both! PS I meant to tell you that I think you helped my neighbor buy a fan for his barn. Hopefully he used you link!
@@IndyFarmLife right on! I love that fan!
add more solar and some bateries so you can keep pumping during the night!
I would love to do that. This controller isn't built to accept batteries out of the box, but there has to be a way.
I would keep the river and open it back up when the pound ist full again. I think a "river in the backyard between the trees looks amazing.
It certainly does have some appeal! I'm going to have to think on it a bit!
It has been super dry here SE of Indy going on a month with no rain. My creek is super low and slow. When you set up the waterfall be sure to set it up so you can run it when the pond is full. If you have the means just keep making the pond bigger. That huge mound of dirt would make a nice root cellar or storm shelter.
Yes it has been very dry! Good point about placement. Would hate for it to be underwater. The berm would be a good storm shelter. Kinda from from our house though.
Nov 28th - I have been getting closer to 5 hours of full pump speed, and 2 hours ish at about 50% with my RPS pump, so I am guessing a little closer to 80 days.
Good to know and good guess! How did you measure that? Have you been sitting and watching it/estimating, or were you able to pull that info from the controller somehow? I'm close to getting it setup with my generator. I want to see if I can get this thing running 12+ hours a day.
25 days. Can you make the overflow variable. Any fish plans, is the bubbler solar? What are you using for the blue sanitation, how often etc. Great pump idea so far.
That would be pretty quick! The overflow could be adjusted up or down. I have it maxed our right now. I.e. If I raise it anymore, we will overflow our banks. The pond is already fully stock! I have a video on that out there. I put pond dye in about every 60 or 70 days. The aerator is run off grid power....for now!
I would vote for the lazy river option.
Still considering that, my one fear is that it would become stagnant water vs the rest of the pond.
@@IndyFarmLife ah, good point.
Pretty pond 32 days
Thanks! Time will tell!
Well water here is close to 80 degrees. I have to remind myself there are places where all water is not hot. You could push the water through a heat exchanger and air condition a space. Probably good to feed a heat pump as well.
Dang that's crazy! Yes a heat exchanger may be needed next year if it drops the water temp too much. Time will tell!
I think it will be full when you fix the leak. No joking I am not sure. Depends on a lot of factors. Weather evaporation and how long your pump runs.
@Dobrinich Yes, a lot of factors at play! I will say, though, that we are starting to see it come up noticeably. I'm going to provide an update video in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
Use that water to AC a building, and then let it run into the pond. That would be 158,000 BTU/hr or the equivalent to about a 79 ton AC unit.
Open loop geothermal! I looked into that when we built. Still something I wouldn't mind doing
@@IndyFarmLifeAny fish in the pond will be happier about it.
I
Most definitely! Water gets warm in the summer!
Now your going to have to get a solar pond heater.
Sounds easy....and cheap...but yes! Ha
@@IndyFarmLife You already have a solar pond heater. It's called the sun.
@Bigfoot14000 🤣🤣true!!!
Look into a battery and a solar charge controller to integrate into your system.
I may have to do that! Would be an awesome feature.
@IndyFarmLife it would make pumping more hours a day convenient. It might take more than 1 battery to go 24/7. Staying with solar makes it easier to automate.
Multiple people have suggested this. I need to figure it out.
@IndyFarmLife not to over complicate, but 1 more thing. If you'll add an expansion tank and a pressure switch like a household well has your pump will cycle on and off while maintaining a constant flow of water. It will more than likely make your pump last twice as long.
how many qubic feet is that :) plz use SI units
22 gpm is 2.94 cubic feet/min
I am always afraid of running my well dry when I go to fill my pond, I would allow it to recharge for at least 8-10 hours.
If I don't pump overnight, it would have that time recharge. Once it's full I don't think I'll have a need for night time pumping. We just have this initial hurdle to get over.
How is it that a solar panel is not able to hook up to Batteries?
The solar panels could hook directly to batteries and to the pump, but this controller isn't built for that. They do have some that are. Someone smarter than me would have to explain it all.
@@IndyFarmLife so I believe the solution would be the wires from the solar panels would go into a charge controller for the batteries, which decides which rate of charge, and when to stop charging the batteries. Then you could run your pump off of the Batteries, which would also be DC. And you could also possibly hook a inverter to it to have AC power at that location. You would also need some fuses in there and maybe a shunt to be able to tell what level your batteries are at. There are lots of videos about people making DIY battery backup systems that will show you what you need and how to connect it if you're interested
Thanks for the info! That's not something I have ever really looked into, but may. Would be a really cool setup. I'll have to dive deeper. There is a pond joke in there somewhere ha
I imagine the solar is making more power than the pump is using, why didnt you connect a battery up to store any extra power so it could run a little after the sun went down?
Possibly so. I'm not an expert. As designed this system/controller isn't built to accept batteries, but I would like to learn more about why not, and also see if it's possible. I may contact RPS.
I'll do 1st November
Noted! The earlier the better!
2.5 GPM
November 20th.
I think that's in the wheelhouse of possibilities!
I'll guess full on Oct 19th
Man that would be awesome! We are likely going to need some rain to help us out if so. My personal guess is December 9th.
44 days?
I would be very pleased with that if so!!
Assuming a constant rate of 22GpM is 120 tons (120,000 KG or 265,000 lbs) of water in 24hr. And that's barely keeping up with evaporation? Amazing to think how much weight of water gets evaporated over a pond that size.
BTW .. 7 GpM was my guess. Quite a way off. LOL
The pump is currently only running when the sun is out, so about 8 hrs a day. That was likely at par with evaporation during that hot week. If I get it running 24/7 then it will no doubt outpace evaporation.
Oct 16
4.7 gallons per minute. Paused at 0:16.
Probably a little deceiving from that far away. That's a 2" piece of PVC it's running out of. You saw the 5 gallon bucket test in full. It's moving some serious water.
@@IndyFarmLife I was working backwards based on what I thought the solar + pump setup could generate. :-) Then saw the next 30 seconds or so of video and realized how wrong I was.... Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing. Looks like it is going to be an amazing setup for your family.
@@SenatorPerry Ahh I'm with you now! Yea, it's an impressive little setup! We shall see what it can do. We are supposed to get the tail end of the latest storm/hurricane coming up later this week. (hope everyone is safe) That should raise the pond a fair amount.
October 28
That would be awesome! We would likely need some big rains to help it along, which would mean a short season of fall leaves. As much as I want the pond full, I don't want the beauty of fall to pass by quickly!
That looked like a 7 gpm flow to me 1:20
Deceiving, I suppose! You saw the 5 gallon bucket tests in their entirety. It's moving some serious water
@@IndyFarmLife it was very deceptive. That pump is moving some serious water. The only thing I’d be worried about is running the well dry. I’ve done that once before
Yea, that's always in the back of a my mind, but that's the reason I drilled a dedicated well for the pond and didn't pull from the house well. Suppose they could be pulling from the same "pocket" but it at least gives a little piece of mind.
@@IndyFarmLife as long as the refresh rate is high enough to replenish the well. You are somewhat correct or correct about pulling from the same pocket of water. But as long as you do good water management you should be good.
16gpm
Not too far off! 22 gpm when we have full sun
Full on May 4th 2025
I would say that yes, it will be full ON 5/4/25, however, my hope is that it is also full by 12/31/24 ha
I think that was 4 gallon bucket
Ha why the doubt?
@@IndyFarmLife harbor freight printed 4 or 4.5 gallon you got a good well thow
@notaquitter that is a Lowes bucket
@@IndyFarmLife oops lol sorry
November 19 2024
71 days from today, that could be a pretty good guess!
6.25 per gallon a minute is my guess.
I presume you saw that it was about 22gpm. I was impressed by the figures myself!
@@IndyFarmLife gotta say the math for me was a pain to figure out then when i did it a bit in my head i got a fair rough amounted area on the amount did a lil division etc got the estimate but yeah i love the idea of a solar power well pump for a pond
@@IndyFarmLife yeah i noticed actually i in my own downtime sometimes watch well fracking for something to do if i get bored iv kind of found how that's done to be interesting for a well pump dig and how they set a well in ground to water level tho never did think about a 12v solar hooked to a well pump to be honest about it hey free power for the pump to the pond so even when powers out doesn't stop running at least love that idea as well even when powers out its running complete redundant off solar power my own opinion on that is man i find that idea epic 12v for a water well pump to a pond smart self sustain power low work needed hey to be honest i love that idea in general : D power failure no problem for the pond anymore so hey that is a total win in my own book on that one bein said
Add a couple more panels and a Lipo4 battery to run 24/7
As currently designed, this system doesn't accept battery backup, but I would like to explore that. Perhaps I'll reach out to RPS and see what options I have.
gramps had the pond so fulla catfish that their heads grew big but their bodies stayed small..some of the fish were 40lbs... anyhow besides having to feed the f*ckers every eve..he had to oxygenate the water..he had it rigged up to a windmill
Catching 40lb cats sounds fun! But it also sounds like they may bite at just about anything? ha
Are we going to be using my world to fill a pond, like people filling their swimming pool with their well👎