Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

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chris2012
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Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by chris2012 » Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:27 pm

Just wondering if I can immerse a solar pump in water (not for brewing though) and have it pump water out through a pipe

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Jocky
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by Jocky » Fri Jul 10, 2015 1:15 pm

No. The pump itself is sealed, but the electrics won't be from the outside.

You need a pond pump.
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dean_wales
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by dean_wales » Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:06 pm

Not so fast! Im sure there was a video on here, possibly from the supplier, showing that although not designed to the units can happily run when submersed.

Anyone have that link/info?
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Jocky
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by Jocky » Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:20 pm

Hmm.

Looking at the Topsflo website my solar pump is rated as IP42, which means it can withstand up to 3mm of rain per minute, but not submersible. There are some other pumps on there that can be submersed, but none of them are food grade. Check it out here: http://www.topsflo.com/dc-brushless-pump/
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chris2012
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by chris2012 » Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:37 pm

Cheers guys! I'll look at getting another pump.

I'm planning on using my RIMS setup, for heating a paddling pool heh (Only to heat it up at the start, not to keep it at temp)

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Wonkydonkey
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by Wonkydonkey » Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:59 pm

Well my answer is I think there is another solar pump that you can submerg. Dos when I was looking for the cheapest solar, iirc I saw one for sale.
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endatheworld
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by endatheworld » Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:54 pm

dean_wales wrote:Not so fast! Im sure there was a video on here, possibly from the supplier, showing that although not designed to the units can happily run when submersed.

Anyone have that link/info?
Yes, the pumps from http://www.solarproject.co.uk are submersible.

https://youtu.be/suv3vqGnoFg?t=108

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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by chris2012 » Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:58 pm

Ooooh awesome, thanks for that link.

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Hogarth
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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by Hogarth » Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:45 am

FWIW I find these little 12V submersibles pretty handy, and they're only a tenner.

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Re: Can you immerse solar pumps in water?

Post by boingy » Tue Jul 21, 2015 6:49 am

Caravans and small boats often use small submersible pumps for the cold drinking water tank. The mainstream brand is Whale and there are lots of cheaper copies.

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