If you are thinking of doing a few upgrades to your garden, have you ever thought of getting a solar powered pump birdbath? In fact, why buy one, when you can make it?

So why would you want to make a solar powered pump birdbath?

The pros to getting one are:

a: Fountains circulate the water, keeping the bird bath from going stagnant

b: The pump does not have to plugged into your power supply

c: The pump runs on DC power, so no inverter is needed.

d: It requires little power (about 6 volts) so you only need a few small solar panels.

e: No batteries are required, since the pump only really needs to operate during the day when the sun is out and the birds are in the garden.

f: You could learn to make your own solar panels, reducing the cost even further.

g: The birdbath can be placed anywhere in your garden, without the need for unsightly wires.

So, what do you need to make your own solar powered pump fountain?

The most basic method is to buy a working birdbath with fountain, and then wire up the solar panels.

The cheaper, more labor intensive approach would be to get a birdbath with the right holes drilled for the fountain to be installed. And then add on the pump, fountain attachment, irrigation and power supply.

If you want to save money, and build your own system, then you will need:

The Birdbath:

Here you have a choice of cascading fountains, copper fountains, terracotta birdbaths, resin fountains, or the conventional ceramic birdbath. Just make sure a pump system can be installed on the birdbath.

The Water Spout:

This is optional, but it makes the water spout out the top, instead of just trickling out. It can be found at your local nursery or hardware store.

Small Fountain Pump:

The next part is buying the small dc pump. A typical 6 volt pump should be adequate, but you may need to go bigger, if the birdbath or water feature is larger than normal.

Tubing for irrigation:

When buying the irrigation for the fountain, it is best not to get piping that is too wide, otherwise the right water pressure will not be maintained and the pump will not work properly. So before you buy the wrong tubing, get advice from your local garden center and see what they use in similarly sized birdbaths

Silicon Sealant:

Silicon sealant helps fill any cracks where water could escape, such as where the tubing enters the top of the birdbath. It can also be used to insulate any bare wires.

Solar Panels:

This is what makes this birdbath unique to your average water fountain. Depending on what size pump you buy, will need to get enough solar panels for the fountain to work properly. A a typical 6 volt pump, you will require solar panels with a capacity of at least 6 volts. But is better to be on the safe side and get a 12 volt solar panel instead, for times when it is cloudy and for late afternoons.

NB: You have 2 alternatives for the solar panels:

1 : Buy a small commercial portable solar power kit from a department store such as Target.

2: Make your own solar panel. This is actually much easier than people make it out to be. With the right instructions you could build your own panel in an afternoon. If you want to go the diy way, then keep reading…

To get the maximum sunlight, the solar panels need to be fixed in simple frame, and be south-facing (if you are in the northern hemisphere).

How simple is it to build?

With the right tools and parts and a the right attitude you could have a fully functional solar powered pump birdbath in an afternoons work. It really depends on your level of experience, but many of our friends (even housewives) have managed to make their own fountains.

A nice added extra is to hook up some batteries to the system. That way you can store any excess power, and the pump could run all day and night. If you do want the fountain to operate for 24 hours, then you will need the following:

1) Deep cycle battery:

Because the pump is only 6 volts, a 12 volt battery is more than enough. It should be a deep cycle battery (car battery) that can store the power for a longer time.

Solar charge controller:

It is not vital , but if you want the battery to last longer, a charge controller will protect the battery from over-charging. It is wired from the solar panels and then to the battery.

Over and above it being affordable to build, what I like about putting together my own solar powered pump birdbath, is that once the first one is finished, making the second or third one just gets easier. It could even be a fantastic gift for a close friend or newly wed.

If you are (considering|thinking about buying a hybrid car, you may be hearing rather a lot of “talk”. Some people think the hybrid car is the best thing since sliced bread. Some people say it’ll just pass. Yet other people again say they think they can save a packet, but you’re not certain it’s really worth it. What’s the truth, and how do you separate fact from fiction with all of the stuff that is being thrown at you? Below, you can read and consider the usual hybrid vehicle myths.

Hybrid cars are just the same as electric cars: This is not true because hybrid cars are fuel-powered most of the time. However they have what are called ‘battery assists’. The assist is powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery pack that is rechargeable.

You are guaranteed to save money with a hybrid car: If you are doing city motoring, you may save fuel and you may not. The same goes for long-distance driving. There are so just many different factors involved. It has been said that if everyone bought a hybrid car, the fuel consumption would decrease by just 10%. That’s not a very big decline, now is it?

A hybrid vehicle’s battery can run flat: A hybrid car’s battery should not run flat when you are actually driving it. The engine of a hybrid vehicle does not idle when stopped (at a red traffic light for example). What does it do then? Well, it recharges its battery. So there’s no need to worry about a hybrid vehicle stopping on that score.

A hybrid car’s rechargeable battery lasts only for two years: A hybrid car certainly would not be worth buying if this was the case. A hybrid vehicle’s rechargeable batteries usually come with an eight-year guaranty.

If I run out of gas, I can keep driving on the hybrid vehicle battery: Keep in mind, a hybrid car’s battery is an assist. That means that hybrid car’s still run on fuel. After you run out of gas, the battery may keep the car running for a little while. However, the car will stop running very soon.

Hybrid vehicles will soon put normal car dealers out of business: This probably won’t happen anytime soon. The reason for the delay has to do with the how much hybrids cost. Many people simply can’t afford one. Furthermore, people just aren’t certain whether they will actually save money by buying a hybrid car. So, they are loathe to join the stream of people who want to own a hybrid car.

Hybrid cars will only save you about 88USD per annum: I did hear something on the news the other day, but it may not be true. If there’s something you really want and there’s a lot of gossip surrounding it, you simply have got to start digging around and do of your own research. There are many different types of hybrid car, and many different manufacturers make them. This means that there may be much more involved than we have discussed here. A hybrid car may help you, and it may not, but the final decision is up to you.

Therefore, please don’t worry a great deal about what people say. They probably have only listened to others passing on rumours Do your own research and think it out for yourself. Use the Internet to get your information. The manufacturer’s advertising is also rather useful, if you stick to reading the facts and gloss over the gloss. Check that what the literature claims is also in the warranty.