Tuesday 22 December 2015

Christmas and new year :)

Delivery over the christmas period and probably most of January will probably be a couple of weeks turnaround. I need a good day or two of sunny (ish) weather to test each system. So far we have had about one sunny day in the last two weeks!! Christmas to everyone

Saturday 31 October 2015

I know a lot of customers use our solar powered pond pumps as part of an environmentally friendly wildlife pond so thought this might be interesting...

Tuesday 6 October 2015

solar powered light for greenhouses and sheds. The best in the UK. Built to charge through British winters!


Exciting news for gardeners! Imagine having a proper light in your greenhouse / shed or garage. We have been working on putting together a really good solar powered light system and now we have it. Now you can have a light in your greenhouse and shed all powered from one solar panel! The system comes with 2 x 60 watt bulbs and charges from a small solar panel. Brilliant! We are doing a special introductory price of around £120 (details on the website in the next few days). Get in touch if you are interested and want the special early bird price. Get ready for winter.

Monday 31 August 2015

What angle should my solar panel be so my fountain runs for as much of the day as possible?

People are often suprised by the angle that solar panels work best. These panels are HUGE compared to the ones we use but notice how shallow the angle is. In your garden, with our small panels, think almost flat then up a bit... That means that whatever position the sun is , it's light will be on the glass, so that your fountain runs longer.

Wednesday 19 August 2015

stockport flower show..


Well done to the Design and Build Team. They've just finished creating a fantastic garden which will be part of the exhibition at the Southport Flower Show as from tomorrow using a solar solutions fountain. A really worthwhile charity organisation.

The time of year when everyone plans new ponds

 It's the time of year when gardeners start to reflect and plan which means that this is our busiest time of year (and yours!) but we are currently getting orders out within 7 days! Of course this changes day to day so please email or ring us for latest delivery times. Thanks Alex

Thursday 23 July 2015

A customers "natural pond"

A lovely photo of a customers fountain. A very nice natural planting around the edge. A really good example of getting "the natural look" just right. It can take a bit of time to get thiss look but when its done right it looks like its always been there. Snowy the dog seems to approve :)

Sunday 19 July 2015

Save £40 on our high powered pump system

     Save £40 on high power system!
We have managed to secure a price break on our high powered pump system which we are happy to be passing on to you. This means for an extrra £55 you can now upgrade from our standard system to our high power 1500 litre per hour pump. Remember you can always turn the volume doiwn if you don't need it !

Thursday 9 July 2015

Why our pumps are different and what we test...

I'm often asked what we test and why our fountain systems are different. I was pondering this question this week while testing a solar powered system for a charity garden.
The pumps we use are quite simply the best on the market but, during the visual check of the internals I noticed parrt of the impeller housing was not sitting flush. After inspection and replacement of seal, I noticed a slight imperfection in the plastic moulding. I carefully removed the burr and replaced. Much better!
Then I remove the factory connectors and replaced with our preffered connectors which are more durable and give better contact.
Next the cable on the solar panel was removed because its contact performance was poor. Replaced with a  double insulated with a fully approved outdoor rubber cable that is highly resistant to the UK weather conditions and will not degrade. Size mm2: 1 MM designed to withstand a temerature range of : -25C TO + 85C 
With any 12-24 volt system getting good contacts and a really well put together means that a 1500 litre per hour system does just that. It is easy to cut corners and lose 10% here and 10% there. Thats why we thoroughly test each one. That way, we know we have done it right and have put together a system that will out perform its rivals and give years of service!

Monday 8 June 2015

Just a reminder of how easy it is to make a solar powered waterfall

http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/

Unusual river visitor!

Here's something you probably won't see near your wildlife pond. Very unusual to see one this clearly although you might get really lucky. Big undisturbed ponds are more likely haunts than the garden...http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/
solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk






When you dig a pond you always end up finding big rocks, rubble and who knows what else. Save yourself moving them and make an amphibian / reptile home! It doesn't have to be big, just face it toward the morning sun. Lots of other wildlife will love it too. Remember lots of frogs and toads means less slugs! visit solar powered fountains that dont need batteries





Monday 1 June 2015

more customer feedback...

"Dear Alex,
                 After a good look at the eclipse we ended up with sunny day here  and the fountain worked  beautifully all afternoon. The 'Vulcan' spray pattern looks very elegant and you were right about us needing the larger model for a 3x5m pond. It has been my winter  project and the fountain has added the final spectacular touch. Many thanks.
sincerely AB"

http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/

customer feedback

We are having lots of great feedback on our pumps. We really do provide the best solar powered pumps in the UK. We are going to add a customer feedback to our website http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/ (with customer photos as well!) but in the meantime here is recent feedback..
" just a quick note to say that although we have not had any decent weather up here, we are delighted so far with the solar panel and pump. I’ve just set it up as we had an hour of sun this afternoon, but what I find amazing is how it is running when it is overcast. Having had a few solar panels on different things over the years, I know how the cheap ones need direct sun to really work, but yours are different. It is currently completely clouded over, overcast, windy and even spitting, yet the pump is still running. It’s obviously not at full strength in these conditions but even so, it is very impressive. Once the sun is out the amount of water it moves it really impressive, and the cast iron water pump will look really good once it’s all fitted.
Have you ever considered showing a video of your products running when it’s overcast? Everybody advertises when it’s sunny, but showing it in less than perfect conditions would set you apart. ."

Sunday 10 May 2015

I recently had an email from a prospective customer (now a customer) to http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/ asking a couple of very good questions:
Do solar powered pond pumps work in the UK?   and
Why are some solar kits , on ebay etc, half the price of yours? 
I wrote a lengthy reply to these good points, and tried to answer as best I could and thought the information , while too much for our main website may be of interest to others.

"Do solar powered pumps work in the UK?"  The answer is , they do but they need to be built for the worst British weather! 

 I'm afraid you do get what you pay for and poor pumps combined with poor under powered panels are the reason some people don't rate solar power in the UK and ask if they work in our climate. This is why cheap solar kits fail:  I have tried and used them all! The trouble is, they cut two main corners

Firstly they use a 12v pump like a boat bilge pump which though it might move a fair bit of water, they are not rated "for continous use". This normally translates to works great for a couple of days/ couple of months then stops working. This is why they look like they give the same flow rate. They sort of do, all the while they work... And I'm not saying that, just because I don't sell them. The real cheapies are about twenty and look good in a bird bath. If they only last a couple of weeks/months then to some people thats fine. I only want to sell something that will never have to replaced.
I have seen several of my pumps in the last couple of weeks that are still running perfect after 10 or more years.I kid you not..I might put the one on the website next week. They are verry high quality , like the panel, and are fully garuanteed for 3+ 5 years. but in truth I never get them go wrong. They are so good  that the weak point is only ever the connection between the two. (which is why we wire and connect them ourselves).
The panels are the other shortcut. A 12 watt pump needs more than a 12 watt panel so it runs in less than perfect condition. Ours are now 30watt. So even when the sun isn't directly overhead or the panel isn't pointing straight at it, the panel may still be producing 20w, more than enough to run a  12watt pump. They also need to be outdoor rated...You see where this is going. Look at the actual w rating of the cheaper chinese ones, 5 watt? Obviously the fountain from that is going to be feeble.If they are selling a system for £80 I know its no good because the trade price on a good panel is more than that. The panels I use are also fitted to yachts and roofs , places you don't want something failing! Your garden is just as important, you don't want to buy it twice...
We don't do the battery pack because our fountains really don't need one. The pump needs 10w to run and the panel makes 30w so if its nice enough to be in the garden it will probaly be running. To get it to run in thick cloud and rain would double the price to not much gain. Battery packs are mostly used when the panel isn't any good. Unless its for irrigation etc. but thats another story. (we can do that btw).

I now I will reccomend some competition which you probably weren't expecting me to do! 
We don't have any competition in the solar pond pumps market because I think we do the best there are BUT they are £290. If you don't want to spend that much here is my advice DON'T buy a £150 solar set. They cannot (in my opinion) be using the best components. I would reccomend using mains instead. The pumps are cheaper but buy a good quality make like oase, hozelock etc with a good filter. You will need to get outdoor cable, circuit breakers etc but you will get a pump that will last, so you only spend your money once. At the end of the day we offer an alternative to those mains pumps but are really in a different league to cheapie stuff. I have customers with pumps from me still going from a decade or more ago.!

 I hope this helps and thank you for asking the questions. Its a good reminder that just because I know what our product is like, not everyone else does. Because this has been a lengthy reply, I might put the "bones" of it on my blog which others might find helpful.
All the best,
Alex.
any more questions? please visit http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/

Tuesday 5 May 2015

A bit of an insight into what makes a good wildlife pond..

This is quite a large pond but gives some good insight into the underwater world and shows what makes a good wildlife pond..


visit http://solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk/ for more info on solar power!

Spring is here!

It's official spring is here and it's a very busy time for gardeners. Lots of you are planning water features and ponds which is great for wildlife. If you are at the planning stage, or get stuck, just remember, you can call us for free advice. We have over 15 years experience after all. Just go to our website solarsolutionsfountains.co.uk and use the contact form or  Tel: 01686 440608
call or text (we will ring you back) 07411743555
e-mail - solarsolutionsfountains@gmail.com