Solar water pumping

[WestTexas4Life]

My Name is Bob, hailing from West Texas

I'm wanting to set up a solar well pump on my well.  The well itself is 65 feet deep with a static water level of 10 feet.  I got a line on a good pump (ShurFlo 9300) and an 85 watt solar panel.

I would rather not have it run all the time, so my idea is to install a pressure tank and a pressure switch to turn the pump off once pressure is achieved.  Not know alot about solar pumps, it this kind of setup possible?

The water out of the well would be used for irrigation and livestock, not human consumption.

Thanks in advance



Bob

[Volvo farmer]

I think the traditional way to use that type of pump is into a cistern with a float switch to shut it off when the cistern is full. Looks like it won't pump more than about 2GPM even at 10' of head, so if you have irrigating to do, it might be nice to have a few hundred gallons available on demand. There are lots of ways to use a second pump and pressure tank off a cistern, we use a Shurflo 8000 for household stuff and it seems to work OK, plus it's pretty cheap.

If you do use that pump directly into a pressure tank, you might want to make sure the contacts in the pressure switch are rated for DC. The ratings for AC current and DC are often quite different.

[WestTexas4Life]

Howdy Volvo,

the irrigation I'm referring to would be drip watering, so I'm looking more at gallons per hour than gallons per minute

I'm sure there some place out there that can point me in the right direction for what I'm looking for.

Thanks for the reply


Bob

[madlabs]

Bob,

I have the same pump down a similar depth well. I should do what you want as long as you don't need too much volume. I use it with a cistern as volvo mentioned, but it does develop a lot of pressure if you blobk off the output. If you need more volume run it at 24V.

Now, if you lived out here in CA where I do, I'd wonder what you were drip irrigating in the middle of nowhere... 

Jonathan

[WestTexas4Life]

Bob,

I have the same pump down a similar depth well. I should do what you want as long as you don't need too much volume. I use it with a cistern as volvo mentioned, but it does develop a lot of pressure if you blobk off the output. If you need more volume run it at 24V.

Shouldnt need alot of volume for drip irrigation and a few water troughs.  I'm wanting to put a pressure switch and tank on it so it wont need to run all of the time

Now, if you lived out here in CA where I do, I'd wonder what you were drip irrigating in the middle of nowhere... 

Jonathan

I'm putting in a bunch of raised bed gardens and about a dozen fruit trees.  Drip watering would be more efficient.  As I'm a Federal Police Officer, everything I'm growing is legit 



Bob

[thirteen]

Just as a chuckle no insult intended   They do give out subscriptions to grow things on your own. HAHA Here in Montana they passed a weed bill and prescription's rose over a 100,000 in a couple of months just buy the stuff. Here they are trying to make you give up your drivers license if you have a doctors subscription for. It will be like alcohol and a breath test it will put you in the poky and loss of a automobile goes along with it. Just a tidbit of information passed on.

[DanG]

On fruit trees and drip watering - beware of any exposed water lines heating the low-flow water and scalding the tree roots. Even one good slug of  hot water can maim a little tree.

I've once seen a row of twenty nursery bought & installed pines planted as a noise shield by a highway get steamed treated by a well-intentioned little old Lady. (ouch)