ning
Elite Member
I've got a new site on my land that we're setting up for gardens and we want to put the watering on automatic valves with a multizone timer controller.
There's a ton of rock and other plantings between the garden site and the nearest power, plus it's about 150', so I'm considering using a solar panel system to run the controller right at the garden site to avoid trenching for power and all that (water is at the site already from a different direction).
The sprinkler controller I bought claims to use 0.2A @ 120V (presumably maximum; that's what 24W?). I can't find any reference to how much current a typical 24VAC sprinkler solenoid actually draws while in use, and this information would be good to have in sizing the solar setup.
I see mighty mule sells a 10W setup to run a gate opener (for "heavy gates opened many times a day") which is surprising to me - I would've thought that you'd need more than 10W for that, and I'm thinking that running a few solenoids would presumably not pull as much power as a motor?
I found this: https://www.amazon.com/Crystalline-Intelligent-Controller-Perfect-Maintainer/dp/B08RZ1Y7CJ/
(50W panel + charge controller); I have an older battery that still has a decent charge (just not enough to start a motorcycle), and can get a small inverter for $25, and this is all less than it would cost to run 12-wire sprinkler wire from the alternate location if I put the controller in the shop where there's power (and don't put the sprinkler wire in the ground... i don't like this idea you can see).
So questions:
1) how much power does a sprinkler controller running a few solenoids need?
2) site will get 5-6 hours of sun when it's needed (late spring through summer). Is 50w overkill?
3) will this charge a LifePO4 (shorai lithium) battery or should I use something else?
There's a ton of rock and other plantings between the garden site and the nearest power, plus it's about 150', so I'm considering using a solar panel system to run the controller right at the garden site to avoid trenching for power and all that (water is at the site already from a different direction).
The sprinkler controller I bought claims to use 0.2A @ 120V (presumably maximum; that's what 24W?). I can't find any reference to how much current a typical 24VAC sprinkler solenoid actually draws while in use, and this information would be good to have in sizing the solar setup.
I see mighty mule sells a 10W setup to run a gate opener (for "heavy gates opened many times a day") which is surprising to me - I would've thought that you'd need more than 10W for that, and I'm thinking that running a few solenoids would presumably not pull as much power as a motor?
I found this: https://www.amazon.com/Crystalline-Intelligent-Controller-Perfect-Maintainer/dp/B08RZ1Y7CJ/
(50W panel + charge controller); I have an older battery that still has a decent charge (just not enough to start a motorcycle), and can get a small inverter for $25, and this is all less than it would cost to run 12-wire sprinkler wire from the alternate location if I put the controller in the shop where there's power (and don't put the sprinkler wire in the ground... i don't like this idea you can see).
So questions:
1) how much power does a sprinkler controller running a few solenoids need?
2) site will get 5-6 hours of sun when it's needed (late spring through summer). Is 50w overkill?
3) will this charge a LifePO4 (shorai lithium) battery or should I use something else?
