Is solar a realistic solution for this well pump?

RiverRat

Greetings everyone. New member here.

We have several power outages per year here and I'm trying to get essential systems on solar. Water is my biggest concern. I pump from a well to a 160 gallon non pressurized aerator tank. From there the cabin is pressurized by a 12v Dankoff slow pump which runs on its own solar system.

I can run the well pump on a generator for emergency use but would like to change to solar for full time use. The 1\2hp 110v surface mounted pump uses 10 amps at startup and 5 amps running. The pump runs at most 30 minutes once or twice a day. The drop tube with check valve is 40ft down.

What is my best solution? The well only has a 2" casing so going to a submersible pump isn't going to work unless I go with a "Chinese" copy which I'm not willing to do. What is an adequate solar system to run this pump?

I'm also looking at a Simple Pump with the motorized option and have toyed with the idea of an air lift pump.

Thanks,
Gary

mike95490

First generic motor specs:




Half HP motor, will need 55A @ 120V  ( 6,600watts ) for about 1 second, to start the pump ( That's why lights in a average house dim for a second, when the 1/3hp fridge motor starts up.  This means you need to dig into the inverter specs and see how much power it can output for a second. 
At 12V battery, that would be  550 A DC, for the cables to be able supply without starving the inverter.   That's the main reason
many folks use a 24V or 48V system, which uses half or 1/4 of the 12V amp requirement.

Generators, with their spinning flywheel mass, often can easily supply this for 1 sec without overloading.

To accurately measure the instantaneous start-up current, you need a Peak-Hold AC amp meter, which is expensive.  You might get an electrician with one, to measure it for you , or spend the $400 for a meter.

Or maybe the generator is OK !

RiverRat

Thanks Mike95490 for the quick answer.  I didn't think that it would work but wanted a second opinion from something who knows what they are doing. The Simple Pump with the solar option seems to be the way to go if I want solar. Then again the generator is the most rational and  cost effective solution if my generator will handle it.  What size generator would you recommend for this pump?

mike95490

my inverter's internal meter logs my 1/2 hp pump at about 1,000 w consumed.   With power factor to be considered, I think a 2,500 running watts generator ( not inverter style ) could work.   3kw running watts even better

RiverRat

Thanks Mike. My current generator puts out 4750/3850 watts on propane so I could have actually gone a little smaller. 

mike95490

RiverRat said:

.... Then again the generator is the most rational and  cost effective solution if my generator will handle it......

I thought you said earlier, that you did use the generator for pumping water upon occasion ?   If this is the same generator,
you would be fine, as under-loading a spark ignition generator only effects fuel economy. Under loading a diesel can lead to excess carbon buildup

I can run the well pump on a generator for emergency use....

RiverRat

Actually the generator I used was an 8kw diesel generator that is on my boat. I have another generator that runs off of propane that I am setting up. Amazon just delivered (on Easter!!!) a Reliance switch panel so I can run the generator into my main panel. This will save the hassle of plugging and unplugging extension cords. It will also save the long cord from the dock to the well pump.

I had bought the propane unit to run the freezer and refrigerator during power outages but was hoping to add in the well pump (not all at the same time of course).