I'm in the process of setting up a hydroponic garden with my wife, and I'm keen on using solar power for the water pump. I figure my setup needs to go in the order of Panel -> Charger -> Battery -> Inverter -> Pump. My snag is that I can only find inverters rated at 500w or higher. Do they offer smaller options, like 50w or 100w? I might also need an aerator for the reservoir, which is adding to my confusion.
2 Answers
Definitely consider sticking with DC components and using a small 10 amp solar charger. It's a good match for low-power gear. You mentioned needing a pump that can push water about 6 feet for 12 hours—there are some DC pumps that can do this, but they might not be as powerful as the AC ones. Keep searching; you might find one that fits your needs!
You might want to skip the inverter altogether and just go for a DC pump. They're usually more straightforward for solar setups.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll dig deeper into the DC options. I’ve seen some decent-looking pumps, but I’m concerned about their capacity. Appreciate it!