Solar pump for lake to garden

I am looking to pump water from our lake to the garden. My grandfather used to do this but had electricity. We don’t have electricity close to the lake. There are many different types of solar pumps and I would appreciate any advice.

Hi Erica,

Welcome to Permies!

Erica, welcome to the forum!

This might be what you are looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/Solariver-Solar-Water-Pump-Kit/dp/B01F4MKBBG/ref=sxin_17

This thread might be of interest:

https://permies.com/t/31953/Aerating-ponds-Sepp-Holzer-powerless

Here is a youtube about a Ram Pump:

Welcome to permies!

Things that I have learned over the years of pump breakdowns are:

Brushless motors last much longer.

A motor that can take variable dc voltages, so it may be hooked strait to a solar panel.

Magnetic coupling between the motor and pump will save the motor.

Something to clean the water before pumping it will make the system much more reliable.

1 gallon per minute for 5 hours is 300 gallons.  Ability to shut it off when not needed.

The longest I have got a pump to run is for 3 years.  Then I had to tear it apart to clean and lube it back up.

I wish my flat land had enough drop to run a ram pump.

How many gallons do you want to pump? Do you have the ability to pump to a storage tank so it can accumulate over time? How high must the pump lift the water (known as the head height.)  Horizontal distance it will travel?
How far from electricity is the lake? (It may be possible to use a foot valve and prime the pump of distance and height modest.)

There are good solar pumps on the market. The better you filter the lake water before it enters the pump the happier you will be.