Rain Perfect Solar Powered Water Butt Pump

[WendyC]

Browsing the Two Wests catalogue I have come across the rain perfect water butt pump. Has anyone got one?

RainPerfect Solar Powered Water Butt Pump System- £94.99 Free Delivery Available

It seems just what I could do with at the allotment, however at around £100 depending on where you get it from it's not something I can take a gamble on. My worry is that the pump isn't powerful enough to be worth it or the solar panel won't give enough charge. Any thoughts?

[SarzWix]

Looks like a great idea! But yep, expensive...

Presumably, if the panel didn't provide enough charge to power the pump, you would be entitled to a refund under the 'not fit for purpose' bit of the Sale of Goods Act?

What did you want a pump for? To water with a hose pipe, or for an irrigation system? If the latter, you might be better off trying something like this: Click & Drip- for water butt | Greenhouse Sensation with a long feeder hose to get the water to where you need it?

[WendyC]

I want to use it to water the allotment and save my poor arms from carrying water in watering cans. Good muscle building exercise though! I've got a water butt which fills from any rain falling on it ( no shed roof as we're not allowed them) which I know I will empty fairly quickly with a pump. We also have troughs and one plotter has a pump rigged up to a car battery to run a pump from a trough so I could also use it from there. I'll have think about it.

[Bigmallly]

That looks a handy piece of kit Sarz & as I have a butt or dustbin as I prefer to call it at the side of the GH, it could be handy for watering the GH when going on holiday.

[dogsbody]

Having come late to this have you considered a drill powered pump and a cheap battery powered drill?

[rustylady]

Seems an awful lot of money to spend for what it is.

[WendyC]

I've solved the water carrying problem by moving plot to nearer the water tank. And of course created a whole new set of issues of course!

[super trowel]

I had looked in to this, but ended up getting an in line pump for a caravan
Off of fleebay for just under £5.
And bearing in mind I already have the battery up their for the electric fence.

Just need a solar panel to keep the battery charged

[Two_Sheds]

I want to use it to water the allotment and save my poor arms from carrying water

I know you've fixed your 'problem' Wendy, but I thought I'd add what I do at home.

I have a Watergreen siphon pump for the bath and the butts.

It's attached to a long hosepipe that dangles out of my bathroom window. Immerse the end in the bath (or butt), weight it down with a brick or stone, pump the bulb a few times and the water will go down the hose to wherever you put the other end: I leave it in the borders.

Minimal effort !

[lez]

hello all, I fell for the rain perfect solar pump and wish I had left it well alone. expensive piece of rubbish. well no not exactly as it does do what it says but it is not for our climate. the solar panel only works in very very bright sunlight like you get in florida etc. I have had mine 6 months and used it twice to move water on my plot. if I had time again I would not touch it with ten barge poles but thought it was what I needed. the batteries are small, the solar panel only works in bright very bright sunlight so takes more than the advertised 8 hours to charge then only lasts 15 minutes. I advise anyone who is considering it, don't, I have even spoken to the rep who says they are now experimenting with in hereford or some where. I advise you to go to amazon or e bay and buy a 12 volt caravan pump that runs off a car battery, you can use a solar panel to trickle charge the battery but it's not worth it as the battery will last an age. The caravan pump I have played with is a Whale 2012 submersible pump for £8.22 from amazon. it seems to work a treat in the tests I have done so far. the pump has to be submersed in the liquid though. I think the in line version has to be primed first. I still have some more playtime to see how it performs but has done all I have asked of it so far. hope this is of use to some one and I wish I had done a bit more research before instead of an impulse buy. expensive mistake so please don't any one else do it.