You see, most of the solar pumps out there are powered by solar panels (many of
them quite good quality, by the way) that require direct sunlight in order to
work. That means that they go on and off all day long, depending on whether a
cloud is passing, where the sun is in reference to the panel, and so forth. Some
do have batteries in them, for sure, but these units are expensive and also do
not pump very much water at very high of head. The truth of the matter is that
solar is a lot better idea conceptually than it is in the world when tested. Think
of it this way. Those little solar lights in the yard that are collecting sunlight
all day burn only 8-10 hours at night. They typically have enough power to light
two tiny LED bulbs. Worse yet, when it comes to pumps, the DC pumps used for solar
fountains don't last the kind of hours that a normal magnetic rotor pump lasts.

This is too bad. We have really wanted solar to work, but it has so far not panned
out, not well anyway. We really caught on to this when we noticed that some companies
were taking credit cards for everything but their solar pumps. This means to us
that they do not want to have to be faced with chargebacks and returns. Customers
are too often disappointed in the product and demand their money back including
shipping both ways. It gets to be too much.

So here is what we have come to suggest to customers: think modestly. If you really
want a solar pump, perhaps think of it as a novelty item as much as anything.
And also make sure you have somewhere to hide the solar panel. In other words,
do not plan to install a solar fountain in your front yard. The solar panels have
to be put in direct sun and are easy targets for thieves. They are as easy to
steal as a flower or leaf on the lawn. So plan someplace in the backyard in full
sun and don't get bothered if the thing goes off and on all day. Also, put a pump
in a fountain that requires low head (height of pumping) and not much volume (from
30-80 gallons per hour maxiumum usually). Or better yet, just use solar lights.
They work and they are cute.

Floating solar pond lights are also available these days. These can be "thrown" on
top of a pond or pool and work the same as in-the-lawn solar fixtures. Floating pool lights
and pond lights, we predict, will be of great interest in the next few years. They are the easiest way
to create ambience that will last for years with no maintenance. They are usually available in different colors
for seasonal effects (red, white, and blue for July 4, for example).