Not many things in this world can be predicted, from movies to football scores, but one thing is for sure when winter comes, so does the cold. If you have a solar pumping system, then you are probably familiar with the pain that piercing ice can bring and how it relates to the pumping system. Preparing for the upcoming weather can keep your 

solar water pump operating at maximum efficiency. Here are some tips to help you prepare for winter before the temperatures drop, and some things you can do afterward to help maintain performance.

Changing the angle of the solar panel can increase the amount of sunlight the solar panel can capture, thereby changing the amount of energy it can provide. A suitable angle for a solar panel is the latitude of your location plus 15 degrees. For example, Oklahoma is located at 35.5 degrees north latitude, so the ideal solar panel angle in Oklahoma is 50.5 degrees.

Make sure your plumbing has a drain hole. A drain hole is a small opening below the frost layer that allows water to drain freely from the pipe when the solar pump is turned off at night or in very low light conditions. Without drain holes, the pipes could contain stagnant water when the solar pump is not running, which then freezes as the temperature drops. By then, the pipe will either have to be thawed or replaced because it's cracked because the water inside expands when it freezes or worse, when your pump starts in the morning, if the pump violates the limit, it may can damage or completely destroy your pump. In addition to the drain holes, make the pipes angled from the wellhead to the tank so that the water drains completely.

Depending on your situation and needs, there may be more possibilities to prevent ruptured pipes from freezing, keep pipes deep underground, insulate your wells or tanks, or even provide freeze protection for your solar pumping system until The weather is getting warmer. We encourage you to take precautions appropriate to your situation. It's also best if your tank duct isn't facing due north into the cold winter winds. This will cause the water to freeze at a faster rate in the duct and you may want to consider putting an elbow on the duct and running it down to the tank to prevent wind from blowing up the pipe.

Clear fresh snow. Seems easy, right? In winter, sunlight may be scarce and obscured by clouds, but there's nothing worse than good quality sunlight finally showing up and you realize your solar panels are trapped under 8 inches of snow. It only takes seconds to grab a push broom and keep the snow clear, but this simple routine maintenance can bring a lot of benefits.

The above briefly introduces the maintenance methods of solar water pumps in winter. If you want to buy high-quality solar water pumps, please  contact us.