Solar pump recommendation

Re: Solar pump recommendation

I have a deep well through 165 feet of solid granite. We have 205 gallons per minute. Because of circumstances overall, my system operates off a very standard system. Either generator powered, (I have both diesel and LP. Diesel storage is 500 gallons and LP storage is 1000 gallons) The underground well pump is the smallest 240vac pump we could find. It pumps into two storage tanks. One inside the house which is elevated and whose primary use is to the toilets with no pumps. Flush anytime you want, day or night, power available or no power available. It holds 125 gallons, atmospheric.

The other storage tank is on a lower level, is also atmospheric and holds 250 gallons. Both are round horizontal fiberglass food grade with 4 outlets on the end and a manwell. So I can fill both tanks in minutes with either generator. Water lasts for weeks. The lower tank has a Grundfos 120vac bronze pump for house/shelter pressure.

There is a spare sitting right next to it. It is run from a small inverter off the batteries. There is a spare inverter sitting right next to that one. Its all cheap! The pump pressure is controlled by a standard, adjustable well pressure regulator connected to the pumps. There are spare regulators sitting next to the pumps. Also cheap. So much redundancy there you could limp along for decades by scavenging parts if you had to.

The other concern for proper health precautions was primary in my system! On the incoming side I have a whole house filter, 50 micron, and a secondary filter 5 micron with spares for both standing by. I built a huge activated charcoal filter (Use only coconut shells) that is never in the loop but awaiting an event where you must be sure. It is constructed from 4" pvc and in that volume could last ten years. The primary elevated tank has those filters. It also has a 53 watt UV filter for a large fish pond. It has a small circulation pump such as you would use for an aquarium. Almost no power consumption. All incoming water is filtered before it gets to the smaller tank.

The only device for healthy water on the larger tank which takes water after its filtered by the larger tank is another 53 watt UV lamp. Same 24/7 pumping arrangement when the cabin is in use. Each tank does have a 12vdc connection and a spare Sureflow 12vdc pump with necessary connections in the event nothing but 12vdc power is available. This may sound like a lot but it really isn't. Most everything is available on ebay. I just wanted to spend a bit of extra time and money to assure me and my family could meet just about any emergency situation where our water was concerned and I think we have done that. Only the recirculation UV system runs 24/7.

As an aside, we used to use Johnson Penn float controls in tanks. They now cost about $300.00!!! I found on ebay a float control and a solenoid to do the same job for about eight dollars total, but purchased separately. The housing for the float control is inside a 90 degree pvc fitting, reduced down to 3/4 and mounted to control the highest water level desired. Pretty cool! And to be sure, right next to those are redundancy parts with simple instructions about how to replace them. Maybe that will keep you thinking for a while. I do also have 3000 watts of solar panels which do all but the well pump.

Why complicate things if you don't have to. Buy standard well pumps and use a generator with a 220vac connection running well water into atmospheric tanks. Ive been doing this for over thirty years. Show me a better, easier, cheaper, more reliable way and I will take it.

PS: The generator that is pumping water into the storage tanks is charging the battery banks at the same time. Hope some of this is useful.