Help with low voltage lighing ideas

[bindian]

Bubbler.... near where I used to work, there was a large catchment basin for storm-water runoff in a new sub-division. I used to walk by there at lunch.

A relatively small windmill (think classic 30's style) was tripod mounted on-shore, and directly drove a bubbler (via an air line) in the centre of the pond. It was a commercial product, but I can't remember the manufacturer.

It won't give you a Bellagio style fountain display, and for a Texas size pond, you might need a couple of them.... just wanted to mention it as an existing off-the-shelf option.

Rgds, D.

My Uncle, before he died, converted all his windmills (Aeromotor) from a connecting rod pump to an air compressor pump. I gather this is what you are referring about. The air compressor is straight on the windmill shaft and just an airhose runs down to the pump or bubbler, which I call an aerator. Aerators (or bubblers) and fountains are two different animals.
hugs, Brandi

 

[the whispering oaks farm]

I'm not very knowledgeable about batteries. What is the advantage of a deep cycle battery if it has to be kept at half charge or more all the time? In all honestly, I bet that I would only want to run the lights a few hours into the night at the most. I'm not sure what I'm going to buy, so I don't know what my total output or draw will be. That's why I was thinking that I could buy multiple batteries and size the solar panel accordingly. Probably a lot of trial and error unless I can find a store that will design a package for me. I wont know what I want until the gazebo is framed up and I know where I want the lights to be. My goal is to accent it so you can see it from a distance and it will look beautiful at night.

Does anybody have a brand that they like or one that I should avoid? I've used Malibu From Home Depot and they worked alright, but they where plastic and they broke pretty easily. I'm wanting metal and planning on the long term for them.

Eddie

Eddie, we put led christmas lights up in our garden area and they work wonderful. they don't use hardly any power but I don't have the specs off hand. mine are 110v but we also added a 12 volt converter to run it off of the battery. we loose power often here so I just wanted a low power solution.

 

[3930dave]

My Uncle, before he died, converted all his windmills (Aeromotor) from a connecting rod pump to an air compressor pump. I gather this is what you are referring about. The air compressor is straight on the windmill shaft and just an airhose runs down to the pump or bubbler, which I call an aerator. Aerators (or bubblers) and fountains are two different animals.
hugs, Brandi

That sounds like a better way to put it Brandi. The windmill was in a fenced off area in a large catchment basin - I couldn't get a really good look at it from the normal walkways nearby, but could definitely see the line going off into the water, and resulting bubbles.

Rgds, D.

 

[bindian]

That sounds like a better way to put it Brandi. The windmill was in a fenced off area in a large catchment basin - I couldn't get a really good look at it from the normal walkways nearby, but could definitely see the line going off into the water, and resulting bubbles.

Rgds, D.

:thumbsup:
hugs, Brandi