Hamish wrote:

I bought new one last year off of EBay for around £50 to provide a fountain. It
did work during July/August 11:00 until 14:00, if you tracked it at the sun,
and if the sun was very strong, but any hint of a cloud and it would stop.

The panel was around 12" x 9" for comparison, so if my experience is usual I
would not bother.

They are generally hopelessly underpowered. The solar panel is the most expensive
part and is skimped in most commercial designs I have seen. Put a decent 3 sq ft
solar panel on it and it will perform OK.

The pumps also work well with a 12v lead acid accumulator or any other 12v DC 2A
supply.

"Andrew Thomson" wrote in message
...
: I'm thinking of putting a small water feature in my garden. The problem I
: have is that I live in a mid-terrace house and there is a small communal
: pathway, about 1m wide, between my house and the garden. I cannot dig up the
: pathway to run electric cables to the water feature.
:
: I've noticed a few solar-powered water features which may help solve my
: problem. Has anyone bought one of these? How do they perform? How powerful
: are they? What happens when its cloudy/dark?

The pumps are fine, but the solar panels are usually undersized.

Mine can throw water about 2m into the air at 8L / minute. YMMV
(that is with a decent power supply not with a wimpy toy solar panel)

http://www.nezumi.demon.co.uk/home/g...r/fountain.htm

Regards,
Martin Brown