# Inexpensive Solar brushless pump just for $56!



## Boris (Nov 18, 2010)

Solar brushless pump just for $56! It&#8217;s hard to believe.
Shipping - $4.99
I did not test this pump...


*Solar DC Circulation Pump Topsflo TS5 15PV *

*
Product Features*
"Operate your Heliatos Solar Water Heating System with the Topsflo TS5 Series 15PV Solar DC Circulation Pump, designed for use in solar water heating systems.
30,000 Hours Rated Lifetime
Brushless, Sealless
Designed to run directly on Solar Electric Panel"

*Product Description*
"This long life brushless pump is highly energy efficient, and runs easily directly from a small PV panel, making it a great match with any Heliatos Solar Water Heater System. Features of this product include: -A soft start at low in-rush current -Minimum start-up power requirement less than 2 Watts -Durable permanent magnetic rotor/impeller and ceramic shaft -Protection against water leakage in drive circuitry, excessive temperatures, and circuitry load (pump will automatically slow or stop) -Whisper-quiet operation: 45 dB from 1 m distance -Excellent flow rate: about 11.5 liters/minute We offer 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed! You can contact our engineers, Heliatos Solar, with any questions you have about the pump or installations!"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005EU7ONM/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Or for the $58 (Sun-10) or $59 (Sun-15) from the Solar Hot Water Pumps and Accessories from Sun-Pump.com

Topsflo TS5 5PV Solar Circulation Pump running (short video): [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjo6dS4r28o[/ame]

*And still one review only:*

"I recently replaced a burned-out Grundfost 110 volt pump with a 10PV Topflo for my (25 year old?) solar water heater system. I used 2 five-watt PVC panels ("InstaparkÂ® 5W High-Efficiency Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel", $22.95 each, which are better priced than one 10w panel!) and later removed one of them since it runs adequately on one. Since I no longer need the controller/sensors (the pump and the panels work in harmony together only when the sun is up), I cut the wire from the solar panel sensor and used it as power line between the PVC panel and the pump without having to run new wire from the roof down. I position the PVC panel so that it would only power the pump when the sun is height enough to heat the water in the panels. We are in Hawaii and it works well for my 2 large panels with 120 gal tank, giving us more hot water than we need for 3 people and occasional guesses. I have turned off electricity completely to the system (from the circuit breaker) since the timer, controller, 110v pump and water heater are no longer needed (will turn on only on rainy days)! My panels are on the roof of our 2 story house and the tank is on the lower floor (more than 6 m in Ht apart) and it works fine since these pumps are used as circulating pump, not pumping water from a well or pond where one would need the adequate power (correct head).
I will give it 5* when it continues to work for a few month. I ordered it for the price ($56.67) and its "food grade" (?) material even though it looks somewhat flimsy (the ad picture showing gold-color housing could mislead one to think it is made of brass.
I would recommend this or other PVC-powered pump for most solar water heater system, which would provide zero emission and complete independence (off grid)."
http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Circula...dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1


----------



## Boris (Nov 18, 2010)

*Some updates/notes:*

- The plastic walls around the brass Inlet/Outlet are extremely thin, therefore to avoid breaking the Inlet/Outlet, when connecting and tightening the pipe connections, it's necessary to hold tightly the hexagonal nut of Inlet/Outlet with a wrench. I recommend to avoid putting any pressure on the pump even after installation.
- In general, you do not need to install a thermostat or controller with sensors if you can install the solar panel in a position that will allow the panel to provide enough start-up power at the time when the sun has heated the fluid in the solar collector.
- According to the pump description a minimum start-up power is about 2 Watts. In my set up the pump runs very efficiently with the 5W solar penal during sunny days. Unfortunately, during cloudy days the pump got stuck at random times even with 15W panel and I think this could happen because of not enough start-up power during partly cloudy conditions. The pump started after a simple reset of power. It looks like the pump has a manufacturing or design defect, because the problem did not disappear even after installation of a new 15W solar panel.

Finally, I found a simple solution by installing a small 12V battery to provide more stable power. I also installed a thermostat on the outlet pipe inside of my solar collector to make sure that the pump turns on only when the fluid warms up to the right temperature.

And now my solar dehumidifier works perfectly. More details (pumps, thermostats, solar panels) are posted here:
Romanov Solar Collector


Boris Romanov


----------



## Ky-Jeeper (Sep 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I'm soon to start back where I left off on my project. I have one leak to fix in my collector and a pump to buy.


----------



## Boris (Nov 18, 2010)

Ky-Jeeper said:


> Thanks for the info. I'm soon to start back where I left off on my project. I have one leak to fix in my collector and a pump to buy.


To increase an efficiency of your system I recommend to install return pipes (3/4" copper) inside of your baseboards - just above of heating elements. See new picture below:











Boris Romanov


----------



## Boris (Nov 18, 2010)

Update - One year on "duty" without any problems!

After purchasing this solar panel from Amazon.com the pump works as advertised. *So, the quality of solar panel and proper location of solar panel are very critical!*









InstaparkÂ® NEW All Black 15W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FX10ES...ttp://www.beebehavior.com/solar_collector.php

*My personal rating (cost-efficiency) for this brushless Pump is 5 Stars!*

Amazon.com is still selling this pump:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...eative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=beebehavior-20

Boris Romanov


----------



## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

Great pictoral on your website, I appreciate that it is not youtubed also, right now I am using a data plan for internet.

I have saved that for future reading again. Thanks!!


----------

