7
Starting up
Open regulating and isolation valves (3&7 in drawings)
fully – handle in line with tube. Ensure there is water flow
to the pump.
Open the case.
• Unplug the feed pump from the circuit board – marked
as pump 2 on the board.
• Make sure the switch is in the off position.
• Remove 2 screws, open the battery case, install battery,
replace lid and plug in connector to terminal marked
‘bat’ on the circuit board.
• Attach the solar panel in the socket on the bottom of
the case.
• Switch on to position 3. If it is reasonable daylight and
the water sensors are in water the pump should start.
• As the bypass valve (Valve 7 in fig 1) is wide open most
of the water pumped should return to the tank. Wait
until all the air has cleared from the system before VERY
SLOWLY starting to close the bypass valve. This will
push more water towards the drippers. The valve should
be gradually closed until the drippers are dripping about
once per second, or the microporous hose is full of
water but soft, like a soft bicycle tyre. If you are using
micro-porous tube, check the adjustment every few days
after installation as when it is wetted up it will emit less
water than when newly installed.
• Check whole system is working properly and for leaks.
• The duration of the first watering is likely to be long, the
pump will not switch off until the batteries fall to 10v,
this may take several hours, but after that proper control
should be established. If the excess watering is likely to
be a problem the bypass valve can be opened until this
has happened.
• The switch on the circuit board controls the solar panel.
This is charging the battery on a 5 minute cycle. On
switch positions 1,2,3,4,5, the solar panel is turned on
for 1,2,3,4,5 minutes respectively. Changing the switch
position will not affect the current run time or flow
rate, but will control the amount of charge available for
the subsequent watering cycle, thereby affecting the
pumping duration. The application can be fine-tuned
with small adjustments to the bypass valve.
Supplementary pump – if the main pump is running, this
should run intermittently to dose the water with feed.
After 24-48 hours the unit should have settled down.
Monitor the water application, turn the switch up or down
accordingly. Once it is set up it will adjust itself for light
intensity but you will need to readjust it for your plants as
they grow.
Battery case
Main
pump
Circuit board
