WE’VE all struggled to carry heavy water containers to those outlying fields so our four-legged friends can keep hydrated, but what if the sun could do the tough job for us and an app could let us know when they need topped up?

Farmer and inventor Eddie Maher may just have the solution with his recent innovation. Maher solved the water woes on the fields without electricity or piped water by making a low-cost, solar-powered water pump system that can be monitored on an app on his phone.

Utilising a natural well as a source of water, Maher constructed a system using a simple 12v water pump, battery and solar panel with a charge controller. The sun powers the water pump which fills the tank and then gravity does the work filling the drinker. Maher built the unit to hold the solar panel and associated fittings. The battery also supplied enough power to operate an electric fence if required.

A special add-on allows Maher to monitor the water flow remotely via a small computer called a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino micro-controller.

Maher explains: “The Arduino monitors the water-level in the cube with a distance sensor and relays the data via the Raspberry Pi with a 4G modem to an app on my phone. An alert is sent if the water-level drops below 50%.”

Maher made the system for €300 and you can find out more at https://farmer-eds-shed.com/