12 Volt Pump, how far will it pump?

[Bigbear]

Long time reader, first time poster.  

I have built an offgrid home, my well is shallow, 6 feet to water.  I want to buy a 12 volt pump (Shurflo Extreme, Smart Sensor 5.7) or something like that.  If I locate the pump right at the well, drop a pipe down to the water (about 5 or 6 feet) will this pump be able to push the water about 60 feet to the house.  The water line will be about 24" to 32" deep and then the house is about another 3 feet higher where the pressure tank will be.  So that would be about 5 or 6 feet of lift, and the outflow side would be about 5 feet higher and about 60 feet long. Any advise would be appreciated.  BEAR

[Flux]

No problem

I have not looked up the spec for the pump, but anything that can't lift 6 ft and deliver to a 6 ft head should not be for sale.

Within reason the horizontal distance is not relevant, it does ultimately lead to frictional head loss but that becomes an issue when you are looking to pump it miles and you may have to use a larger pipe.

flux

[hiker]

e bay--has one for $184.50

5. 7 gpm
   
60. psi
    
12. v
    
10. max amps
    
    

just do a google search..all kinds of info..

[Bigbear]

Thanks for the fast input guys, I had sent an email to ShurFlo Company, and here is what the had to say:

Stewart,

The pump I would recommend for your application is 2088-514-145 you can purchase at 877-917-1199. The pump I am recommending is lower open flow but higher flow under pressure. The variable speed pumps slow down the motor when they detect line resistance and they will not work with accumulators. The pump I am recommending I have set-up in applications like yours with 3/4 inch plumbing and no foot valve in the bottom of the well (pump has check-valve in it). These pumps have been working for 7-9 years. I recommend changing the diaphragm and valves every 1600-2000 hours of run time to avoid bursting, leaking or priming issues (planned maintenance is always better than pump dying while entertaining).

Enjoy your day Stewart.

Ron Franklin, Jr.

Service Lead Eastern United States

mailto:ron.franklin@shurflo.com

What do you guys think, sounds reasonable to me, now comes the search for the cheapest price, think I will call that PH# and see what they have to say.  BEAR

[Gary D]

Stuart/bigbear, your 5 to 6 foot to water is "static" level. The last few feet a well recharges is the slowest(due to water pressure of the water itself in the casing). If the Surflow has a 12 foot suction (think I read it does), you are only going to have 5 to 6 feet of reserve to use. If it's a 6 inch well pipe, you have 1.5 gallons per foot of depth in the casing. That 7.5 to 9 gallons reserve may or may not be enough (all wells recharge differently). If you do a pump drawdown test, do it at the rate your proposed pump will be pumping. Then measure the drop in the water level after drawing 50 or so gallons (optional depending on the largest water use you may have). Add in a few "flushes" ammounts too... This will give you an idea of how much you can use without running your pump dry. Check water levels every minute till it gets close to "static" to deturmine recharge. The recharge rate changes depending on rainfall, and season(summer/fall being lower usually.

 An option to the 2088 is a submerged unit (higher cost) but Surflow only has them in 24 and 48 volt models (as well as 110/220 ac). You have much more water resurve/recharge availabity the deeper you go with your pump. Just thought I might toss this option into the mix. Your planned use will help decide what's best for you.

 Just my 2 cents, use/ discard at will.  :-) Gary D.

[Bigbear]

Thanks Gary, I need to update my well situation.  I used my small backhoe and dug down 8' and a trench 7 feet long.  At around 4' down the ground is sand, rock, mud, and from 5' to 8' the water just pours in.  At the 8' level it is pure sand and rock with lots of water.  I made a T from 10" plastic pipe (perforated) the bottom section is 7' long and a stand pipe of about 9'.  In the bottom, I put #2 stone, and dumped several tons all around and over the 10" pipe, creating what I hope is a good reserve cavity of water.  It was then backfilled up to ground level, am now in the process of building a cover structure and sloping the sides away from the well.  I lowered a small sump pump down to the bottom of the T, it will pump 5 gal. a min., and I can pump for 22 minuets before the level falls to the top of the 10" T.  As near as I can tell, this is about 6" of water above the top of the T, leaving about 14" of water below the top of the T.  I think I got lucky and will have a good supply of water.

Update on the pump:  Called that phone number, and ordered the pump he suggested, much to my suprise, their price was 129 dollars, most other places were 143 to 212 dollars.  When the pump arrives, I will let you know if it works like I hope it will.  BEAR

PS, my well is about 30 feet from a creek, and I believe the bottom of the hole is about 2 feet below the creek bed.  

[coldspot]

"12 Volt Pump"

I'd look at some Hi-tech liquid cooled

computer pumps!!!!

(MCP350 + mod on inlet)

mine has a life of over 10,000 hours

has about as much pressure as a good home yard water hose!

Costed about $80.00 USD  

Is about the size of a pack of smokes

Is almost silent

"XtremeSystems Forums"

These puys know about pumps, and better systems!  LOL

"http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=41495"

For all the info on pumps!!!!!

Just my $0.02

l8r

[scottpyy]

be careful if you're trying to get surface water down around your well casing or even upper level ground water.  Water is filtered as is goes down through the soil and if you allow surface water to enter the water table easily you can contaminate your well water.  I would pump the well to find out what gpm your getting and work with that.  Piping or making an easy route for additional water into your water table can be asking for trouble.  Well casing are required to be sealed around the casing to prevent contamination.