12W Solar Water Fountain Pump - 160GPH Black Pump

Would like to have some kind of solar power storage but works great under full sun.

This is a great solar water pump. The panel is large and powerful making for a strong spray. The kit comes with many options of sprayer heads for different designs and aesthetics. There is even an option to use the pump to create custom fountain features.

The assembly and instructions were confusing. The company labeled parts in the manual but not the physical parts. This made the whole thing annoying to put together. Once assembled the pump works instantly when exposed to the sun. However, it does seem to have to be positioned exactly “right” in order to function.

After about a week the pump stopped working unexpectedly and the company was super quick to respond and correct the issue by sending me a new pump. Excellent customer

I've been wanting to build a solar hot water heater to increase the temperature in my pool, and this unit is the first step to that. The small pump has 4 little suction cups on the bottom, so it is able to attach the second step in the pool and stay put. Connecting up the power cord to the solar panel and the tubing to the output, and I was able to get a solid flow of water from the pump. The docs say that the pump can handle a 5' lift, but I was able to get a lift of over 6 feet when used in full sun.

The next step will be to build the heat collection unit -- a foamboard box with tubing inside a glass cover that captures the heat of the sun and transfers it to the water flowing through it, then drop it back into the pool. Free pool heat all season long!

I did not test the spray heads, but will keep them in reserve for the late summer when I need to cool the pool water by spraying it up into the air and letting evaporation carry away some of the heat.

Some days it works and some days it doesn't
After writing this review the company immediately, reimbursed for the full amount.
I never called them about the problem they just did it.
About the pump, 12 w is so much better than 10 w, it gives the extra flow you may need.
It also comes with many fountain styes.
I will buying my next one from this company

bought this last year but didn't put it together. after sitting in my closet for almost a year, I finally put it together and it functions flawlessly.

Set up was easy and the pump's work well. impressed with the quality of panel, length of hose and cord. Does not store energy
Only works well with full sun, less power when cloudy.

Perfect solar pump for a small pond of water feature. Easy to set up and really does work well. Larger solar panel with a good length of wire to space it away from the feature. Very pleased.

I have a small pond in my front yard and I have used a large plug in pump for years but because it plugs in I don't leave it on continuously--only when I plan to sit and enjoy it. When I saw this solar powered pump I decided this might be a great option. When it arrived it was smaller than I thought it would be. Probably 1/3 the size of my normal pump. The directions weren't the best but we managed to get it assembled and picked a sprayer head pattern we liked (it also comes with a tube to use with an existing waterfall feature if you have one) and got it set up in the pond. It doesn't spray as much as my other pump but it's more than adequate and I love having something to keep the water moving more frequently so the water stays cleaner. Like any solar powered item it only works if the sun is shining so the pump does not run in the early mornings or late evenings when the sun has moved away from shining directly on the solar panel but that's to be expected. Overall I'm really happy with this pump and it makes the pond much more enjoyable.

As pond and fountain owners, we have an expectation when a pump proclaims a certain gallons per hour (GPH) rating. Usually a fountain pump is capable as performing double duty as a wet saw pump for sawing tile and brick. This pump is rated at 160 GPH which is adequate for supplying water to a cutting tool as well. The difference is that most pumps such as I speak of are 120V electrical. This pump is 18V supplied by an included 12 watt solar panel. We noticed the photos that accompany product are often not scaled to the surrounding images, so the product appears larger and the effects they produce embellished to larger than life proportions. When we received this set, we were not surprised to find the included riser tube, fountain head and associated tubing to be smaller than the ones we already own. The tube is perhaps 3/8" diameter, much like the size on my tile saws. Our old pumps use 3/4" tubing, so there is a considerable difference. We plan on creating a platform bird bath, so this should suffice regardless of the diminished tube size. We have not gathered the needed supplies yet, so we tested the pump in a 5 gallon paint bucket. We were impressed! As I assembled the connection between the pump wiring and the solar panel, I held the panel under my arm. As I tightened the connection, the pump started spitting and surging. The panel was already converting photons to juice, even though it was occluded. When I placed the panel in the sun, the fountain sprang to life with an exuberant spray. When blocking the direct sunlight, the panel's output was obviously diminished, though it continued to work at a lesser volume. This pump is sized appropriately to the capacity of the solar panel. It will function well in its assigned task once we complete out project. We are pleased.

Specs say 12w output from the solar panel.

Includes a vinyl hose of about 78 inches in length.
The vinyl hose fits the output plug at the pump. If there is an output fitting for the other end of the vinyl hose, I haven't figured it out.

The power line from solar panel to pump is about 16 feet.

Set up today in a 5 gallon bucket. Pump set to maximum output. Solar panel in direct sun.
Different spray patterns give different heights and patterns, of course, but generally several feet above the bucket with the smaller jets. When connected, the vinyl hose output a quart of water in about 12 seconds, so 1.25 gallons per minute.

If I step in front of the panel, the pump shuts down to near zero water flow.

I could measure 19.46v coming from the panel which is the open circuit measurement, I think.
Pump specs show it will work between 6v and 24v.

At the panel where the wire exits, the insulation is pulled away from the base and the two thin wires are exposed. That seems like a weak point, so I used a hot glue gun to add some additional support for the wires so they won't break if a sudden strain hits them.

To be useful to me, it needs a larger pool than a 5 gallon bucket which will be the next step in implementing this as a fountain / bird bath.