Hey everyone! I recently set up a solar water pump system with two 450W solar panels wired in series for my 48V, 500W water pump. I'm experiencing low pressure in my water tank, and I'm considering adding a smaller pump to help boost the pressure for my drip irrigation system. My question is: Can I connect a 24V, 180W pump in parallel to one of the solar panels while keeping the original setup in series? Will this create any issues?
2 Answers
It’s probably not a good idea to side tap your solar panel setup like that. You risk messing up the operation of both pumps—either the smaller one might run while the larger one doesn't, or they might not run at all. The original design for your system likely optimizes voltage from those panels in series. Adding another load could drop the voltage too low and cause issues for the main pump. Better to think of a more independent way to power the second pump.
You're right to be cautious! Instead of trying to run that smaller pump alongside the existing one, consider adding a battery bank to your system. You could set up four 12V batteries and charge them with the panels. Then, use two of those batteries to supply 24V for your second pump. This way, you can run both pumps without risking damage to your solar setup.