Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

Mangas
Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
in Solar Water Pumping #1
Livestock (3) and house (1) water storage tanks sharing a common pipeline supplied by dedicated livestock solar well and another house well (converting to solar).

How reliable are radio unit controllers to manage tank levels and floats without timers?

I don't want to run the solar wells 24/7, only as needed to keep tanks full (ranch fire protection and livestock supply).

I am hesitant to entrust critical water systems to radio units. Anyone using these radio units and how dependable are they?
Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers
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Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    i won't say i will have advice for you as i am not familiar with the units you refer to, but i would like to see and read up on what it is you are talking about. got a link or 2?
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  • peakbagger
    peakbagger Solar Expert Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    I have looked at wireless transmitters in industry and was impressed. If you have line of sight between the antennas I don't see major issues. In general I would expect that the programming has to be set up so that if there is no input from a tank that the system assumes no demand.
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  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    Hi Niel,

    Found these two radio applications but don't know if they are task specific.

    http://76.162.37.36/Applications/pumpcontrol.aspx
    http://migro.com/irrigation.htm

    With multiple tanks and wells programming could be complicated.
    Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    ok i do have to say there is always the possibility of a false triggering especially on the 27mhz cb band area. the 902mhz band is technically a ham band, but it is shared and there's less likely to be interference there. line of sight is important to maximize the signal with not much metal around the antennas or in between the transmitter and receiver antennas. (example is mounting the antenna beside a flagpole) repeating, the closer in between the transmitter and receiver the better and also the higher the power the better to also minimize interference possibilities along with greater possible ranges. do not take their range figures literally as i doubt you will get those ranges consistently or reliably as most tend to exaggerate ranges. i can't say specifically what you will get as it also depends on the antennas used and the quality of the receiver not to mention the geography of the land they are mounted.

    with something like this it would be good to have backup plans for failure for both cases of staying on and not turning on. i'd apply this regardless of the way you activate the pump.
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  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    Thanks Niel. Understand.

    I have switched A/C generator plug-in receptacles at each well to run the pumps manually if I need to.

    The idea was to avoid pumping/filling the tanks manually but you're right, I've got to have a backup to a radio controlled system.

    Interesting point about the bands they use. Didn't think about that. I will to check to see what band our radio phone system uses at the ranch. It's a line of sight radio system for voice and fax. Probably wouldn't interfere either way but will run it down.

    No problem with line of sight to the wells.

    As always, thanks for your help.
    Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Radio Units Interconnecting Solar Wells, Common Pipeline, Remote Storage Tanks

    most "radio phones" as you put it where initially setup in the 152mhz area and later migrated to the 450+mhz area due to the popularity and needing more space. more space needed again due to popularity and innovations in technology along with the smaller antennas needed were going to the 800+mhz area and are now known as cell phones. not sure if they went higher up yet than that as they probably did, but all are considered low power (less than or equal to 3w rf output) and are most likely far enough away in frequency to not interfere with the water switching radio system. if the receivers used in the water switching system are of poor quality then you could have a problem with the interference.

    some switches may even opt to use the 2400+mhz or 5800mhz frequencies used by small cordless telephones, microwave ovens, and wifi for computers and this may not be a good idea due to the abundance of products using theses areas, but the higher band will be the better of the 2 by far.

    edit to add-cordless phones are on the 900mhz band too so note the chances of interference here too.
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