12 Volt Emergency Pumping

DC Pumps

Why have a 12V Pump on a Grid Powered House?

In the past year I have been receiving increasing numbers of inquiries from grid connected home owners about solar and 12 volt water pumps. These inquiries are coming as a result of a number of community concerns including:

1) The aerial footage of dozens of brick homes burned in the Canberra bush fires a couple of years ago next to swimming pools full of water created a lasting impression in some people's memories. When there is fire there is a danger that the city water pressure or your own water pump could fail.

2) A few years ago some city Councils banned the use of water tanks. Now some of the same Councils are giving home-owners subsidies to install them! Some Councils have advised their rate payers that the days of being able to use town water for their gardens are gone forever. In some tank locations getting a plumber and an electrician to put in a 230V pump can be quite costly.

3) There are increasing concerns about the reliability of our grid supply which may be needed to supply household water requirements.

4) The provision of a pressurised emergency water supply by installing a header tank can be expensive or difficult on some properties.

Pump Solutions

Generally the problem is to pressurise water from a ground mounted rainwater tank. In some cases the tank is near the grid; in other cases it might be next to a shed or garage.

A battery charger powered pump would have one of our Jabsco or Johnson domestic pressure pumps connected to perhaps a car battery which is kept charged by a small automatic (regulated) battery charger. Even a car battery should power the smaller Jabsco or Johnson pump for several hours should the grid fail. This is long enough to provide domestic water for an emergency loss of power for at least a couple days. A larger deep cycle battery would be suggested if you experience frequent grid failures.

A solar powered battery pump might be the best option if the grid is a bit far away or if there are frequent or prolonged grid failures. If you are only going to use the pump for say an average of twenty minutes a day, a 5 Watt solar module might be large enough to do the job!

In all cases, you need to remember that wet lead acid batteries are potentially dangerous if not installed properly. They release explosive hydrogen gas when charging, contain acid, and the cabling should be fused to prevent fires in the event of an electrical fault. Contact our office for more detailed advice or browse through our range of pumps.