powering a current ac well pump (deep 200+ ft) with solar

[bhiinc]

Hello,
What is the most effective way to get water from my current well if the power goes down.
Solar charger w/batteries and inverter?
The current pump is 26yrs old and I don't know what the life span is on them.
If it does go bad in the near future is there a pump set up that will give me the water supply at a reasonable rate and use a different power supply.
I am not trying to go completley off the grid but would like to have an option.

[madlabs]

One issue will probably be that your old pump is probably a pig at start up and will draw a lot more current than when it is running. This means you need a larger inverter than you might think to handle the start up load.

There are pumps like the Grundfos SQ Flex that have super soft start. At my buddys place last weekend we got his SQ Flex to run off a 1200 watt cheapie inverter, no problem. They also have some other nice features, you can run them on AC or DC and they have a built in power point tracker for solar. They ain't cheap however.

If you replace the pump, there are other options too. For example, I have a Shurflo 24V pump and it only draws about 50 watts. Mind you, it only pumps 2 GPM and my well is much shallower than yours.

Easiest thing to do might be to get a small genny and run it when needed. I'm assuming you have a storage tank. If not and you are using the well pump as the pressure pump then I don't see an easy solution.

Jonathan

[joestue]

buy a 240vac VFD and wire your solar panel for 350 vdc,

for a 120volt pump, cut those figures in half.
you will need a battery.

[Frank S]

call me a neanderthal but even if you had a well that is 1000 ft with a 200 gal pressure tank.
 Nothing beats a secondary storage tank mounted 10 feet higher than you highest  water tap. a 1000 to 1500 gal tank can  hold enough water to last for days or even weeks in an emergency. let your well pump fill the tank this would be connected to a small pump to service the pressure tank.
 In the advent of power outage you have no worries just a little lower pressure for a few hours or days Just be sure that the lower 1/2 of the tank and the plumbing are well insulated if you live in sub freezing areas
  Another advantage is an extra 1500 gal of water comes in handy in case of a fire.

[madlabs]

I agree with ya, Frank. I have a 2500 gal water tank. It's not 10 feet above my tap, but it is on the highest spot I could put it and I do get enough water to make my flash heater run even with no pressure pump. I'm a volunteer firefighter, so you can bet yer bippy that I have a standard 3" fitting and easy access for a tender or engine to draft from it. I have two float switches, one to keep it full and another that cuts off the pressure pump if I go below 1/3 of a tank. That way I know I have a problem before I run out. I have a switch that bypasses the second float so I can use the last third while I fix whatever the problem is.

Jonathan

[vtpeaknik]

At 26 years old the existing pump may be on its last legs, and replacing it ahead of failure may be less hassle than doing it in a rush if/when it fails.  Whether you replace the pump now or when it fails, either way you can go ahead and buy one of those Grundfos SQ pumps so you'll be ready with the right replacement on hand.  My pump, also 200 feet down the well, is 17 years old so I'm not sure when to replace it.  My current pump is a 3/4 HP 230VAC model that requires something like 5000 watts to start up, so inverter operation is out of the question with my smallish PV system.  I have the Grundfos SQ replacement sitting around already.  I got the 1/2 HP 115VAC model.  NOT the kind that can run directly off a solar panel, but it can run directly from a medium size 115VAC inverter.  Due to the "soft start" feature, it only needs about 1200 watts to start up, and roughly 500 watts running.  Its output at that depth is less then 3 gpm (from memory) but that's plenty if you are not going to run garden sprinklers...  A low-flow showerhead is less than 3 gpm.  Plus, you actually get the flow from the pressure tank, if it's big enough and the usage is short enough then the pump can replenish the tank later.  When I replace the pump I want to replace the tank with an 80-gallon fiberglass model (WM23): no rust, and with a large reserve of water under pressure that can be used without even running the pump.  Stored pressure is stored energy, and batteries are even more expensive!

[bob golding]

i know nothing of bore hole pumps so might be talking rubbish here, but i seems to me a bubble pump is a far better idea than a pump in the bore hole. nothing down the hole to go wrong just a pair of tubes and a "thing" on the end?
you can produce  air from multiple sources such as a compressor or even a slow moving wind turbine  such as a savonius rotor. all low tech and easy to maintain. no inverters or batteries needed in an emergency.
could even use a hand driven homemade compressor made from old  drainage pipes and a couple of flap valves. might be a bit slow but will give you water. look at early fire pumps where there are 2 bars on either side you lift up and down.