We have designed Futurepump solar pumps to be plug-and-play; simple to set up and use. Once you have set up your pump you should have no problem with leaving it to fill your tank or irrigate your crops for as long as they need.
Nevertheless, as with all agricultural machinery, there are some tips and tricks to getting the absolute best efficiency out of your product. Our field technicians have put together a list of the easiest and most important things to be aware of to ensure maximum efficiency and flowrates.
1. Use a correct pipe size
Futurepump solar pumps are optimised to work with 1-inch (Futurepump SE1) or 1.25-inch (Futurepump SF2) hosepipes.
When a much smaller hosepipe is connected to the pump, backpressure is increased, and the pump has to work harder to force water through the smaller hole. By using a larger pipe, you reduce this backpressure and should see an increase in water flow.
It is also best to connect the hosepipe directly to the hose nipple; this should be easy to do if you are using the correct pipe size. Do not use the reducers included in your spares pack to connect your pipes to the pump, this increases the backpressure.
2. Don’t use bands to stop leaks in hosepipes
We often see customers fixing leaky pipes with tight bands wrapped around the hosepipe. Although this does work to stop the leak, it constricts the pipe (makes it smaller in diameter) and acts the same as using a small pipe. The pump has to work harder to push the water through the smaller hole, so backpressure is increased.
A better solution to fix a leaky pipe is:
- Use waterproof tape on small leaks, but do not wrap around tight
- Cut the hosepipe and use a hosepipe coupler to attach the two pipe sections together
3. Don’t overtighten the motor mount
The motor mount on the Futurepump is designed to move a small amount so the flywheel can turn freely. Overtightening the motor mount prevents it from moving and can press the motor onto the flywheel so that it struggles to move. In this case, the pump is having to work harder to turn the motor and flywheel. This wastes energy and less energy is available to pump water.
See our technical support video on adjusting the motor mount correctly if yours has become loose and requires attention:
4. Position the panel correctly
If you have ever been running your pump and step in front of the panel, you’ll be aware of how shade really impacts the running of the pump. But we often come across pumps not running at their best due to panels being placed in a shady location, covered in dust or not angled correctly to the sun.
The panel stand provided with your pump is designed to be easily adjusted as the sun moves across the sky. If you are experiencing low flow with your pump, make sure you check your panels, it could be a simple fix!
5. Always use a filter
Your Futurepump comes with a filter for the inlet hosepipe. Although it is possible for the pump to pump dirty, sandy or gritty water, we recommend using this with your pump at all times to stop large debris entering the pump. Large objects can block the hosepipe (making the pipe smaller as we said above) or can get lodged in the pump and prevent efficient pumping.
Always using a filter takes no extra effort and could really improve your pump’s efficiency as well as reducing maintenance needs.
We hope that these tips help you get the most from your solar pump. If you are a Futurepump customer and have any tips you’ve noticed yourself when using your solar pump, please do let us know via Facebook – you can send us a message there!