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#16
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solar powered ponds?
or- how about those have a heart cages with raccoons to catch them, and then
set up a fenced in 'raccon run'? I bet with all the raccoon activity, they could power the whole shebang! couldn't resist. : ] "Donald" wrote in message ... Ok how's this sound. WIND POWER. A couple of deepcycle 12 volt batteries. and a alternator off a old car or tractor. As well u could also get the wiring and regulator off the same vehicle. Should be able to buy 12 volt pumps and lights. Just a though. Any comments. "Brian" wrote in message ... Hi, I'm new to this newsgroup, just doing research to see whether I'm going to put a pond in. I already bought some whiskey barrel planters to start off my yard with a water feature to see how it goes. To me, the most intimidating thing about doing a full pond is the electrical requirements. Based on my research, even a small pond would require me to hire an electrician to run a line out into my yard. The whiskey barrel option is appealing because it seems small enough not to require a pump or filter. One thing that I would love to do, and I'm surprised that I haven't seen others doing it, is to power a pond solely with solar power. It seems like that solution is the most in touch with improving our environment. Yet I haven't seen any of the pond supply people selling solar powered items, with the exception of very small fountains and the like. Why don't more people use solar power? Is it prohibitively expensive, or simply inadequate for the power demands of most pond systems? I would love to hear if anyone is using solar power and how they have things set up. Thanks, Brian |
#17
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solar powered ponds?
I'm using solar power LOL...have two floating solar lights in pond. They
give off wonderful glow and I can watch the koi swimming at night. Denise Visit my gardens: http://web1.in4web.com/mtcdrc |
#18
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solar powered ponds?
Well, I filled up two half barrels this past weekend and got some plants in.
So far, so good! I bought a hardy water lily and two marginals for each one. I chose not to use a liner since they seem to hold water pretty well without it. There were some leaks initially, but once the slats expanded, the leaks disappeared. I"m trying to acquire some other plants to balance things out, but I live in Maine and am running into fairly restrictive laws about what plants I can buy! I think I'll follow that up in a new thread and see if I can get any more tips. Brian "infoseeker" reply by post thx wrote in message ... Are you using your barrels as soil planters or as water gardens? I started a water garden in mine a bit over a week ago. I'd be interested in hearing your progress, etc... Good luck! "Brian" wrote in message ... Thanks for all of your responses! I guess I'll stick with my barrel planters this summer and see if I can learn enough (and save enough money) to think about a pond for next summer. I'm in Maine USA, so solar power seems really iffy and the pond-installing season is short as well. Brian "Brian" wrote in message ... Hi, I'm new to this newsgroup, just doing research to see whether I'm going to put a pond in. I already bought some whiskey barrel planters to start off my yard with a water feature to see how it goes. To me, the most intimidating thing about doing a full pond is the electrical requirements. Based on my research, even a small pond would require me to hire an electrician to run a line out into my yard. The whiskey barrel option is appealing because it seems small enough not to require a pump or filter. One thing that I would love to do, and I'm surprised that I haven't seen others doing it, is to power a pond solely with solar power. It seems like that solution is the most in touch with improving our environment. Yet I haven't seen any of the pond supply people selling solar powered items, with the exception of very small fountains and the like. Why don't more people use solar power? Is it prohibitively expensive, or simply inadequate for the power demands of most pond systems? I would love to hear if anyone is using solar power and how they have things set up. Thanks, Brian |
#19
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solar powered ponds?
Since I haven't got a power supply to my pond I use a couple of those
small fountains to provide a bit of movement of the water. I live in a very sunny place so they work very well. I've looked into solar panels and small wind generators (we also have constant wind as well as sun) to run pumps and the cost is high with also the requirement for battery backup to do some smoothing of the supply. The water that can be shifted by such a setup is very limited and will leave you feeling a bit disappointed compared to a mains setup. So my advice would be to run a mains supply across yourself. Armoured cable is cheap, you can bury it yourself, cover it with some old roof tiles to protect it further and then lay some of that yellow electrical cable warning plastic strip across the top. That complies with most bylaws provided you go deep enough, get a qualified electrician to fit a socket with a built in safety breaker and you're ready to go. Cheap as chips, moderately safe and much more flexible. "Brian" wrote in message et... Well, I filled up two half barrels this past weekend and got some plants in. So far, so good! I bought a hardy water lily and two marginals for each one. I chose not to use a liner since they seem to hold water pretty well without it. There were some leaks initially, but once the slats expanded, the leaks disappeared. I"m trying to acquire some other plants to balance things out, but I live in Maine and am running into fairly restrictive laws about what plants I can buy! I think I'll follow that up in a new thread and see if I can get any more tips. Brian "infoseeker" reply by post thx wrote in message ... Are you using your barrels as soil planters or as water gardens? I started a water garden in mine a bit over a week ago. I'd be interested in hearing your progress, etc... Good luck! "Brian" wrote in message ... Thanks for all of your responses! I guess I'll stick with my barrel planters this summer and see if I can learn enough (and save enough money) to think about a pond for next summer. I'm in Maine USA, so solar power seems really iffy and the pond-installing season is short as well. Brian "Brian" wrote in message ... Hi, I'm new to this newsgroup, just doing research to see whether I'm going to put a pond in. I already bought some whiskey barrel planters to start off my yard with a water feature to see how it goes. To me, the most intimidating thing about doing a full pond is the electrical requirements. Based on my research, even a small pond would require me to hire an electrician to run a line out into my yard. The whiskey barrel option is appealing because it seems small enough not to require a pump or filter. One thing that I would love to do, and I'm surprised that I haven't seen others doing it, is to power a pond solely with solar power. It seems like that solution is the most in touch with improving our environment. Yet I haven't seen any of the pond supply people selling solar powered items, with the exception of very small fountains and the like. Why don't more people use solar power? Is it prohibitively expensive, or simply inadequate for the power demands of most pond systems? I would love to hear if anyone is using solar power and how they have things set up. Thanks, Brian |
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