Well help

wellbuilt · March 2021

It’s spring !
It’s time for my annual well pumping questions .😄
my well is 735’ and want to pump from 700ish .

I want to use a grondfous SQF 3 3 with max head 655 feet
Or a SQF 6 3 with max head of 820
I my only have 1 or2 GM in the summer and the water is down 500’
I would like to pump slow 200 gallons a day ?

I have 12 more 295 watt panels and want to add it to my system .

I’m not sure if I should power the pump with 6 solar panels or power my system with all 12 and run off the inverter ?

I’m running Sch 120 pipe and 10/2 with ground to the center of the earth .

I don’t really want to use the controler ? Any thoughts ?

mcgivor · March 2021

Have you considered using a DC to AC 3 phase pump inverter, mounting the panels at the well head, this would eliminate a long wire run, remove the load from the inverter and eliminate the potential of the pump drawing from the batteries should the clouds move in, the pump inverter will vary the pump speed depending on sun available.

wellbuilt · March 2021

Hi mcgivor , I really have no clue what that is , how would I get a working system?
This would use a regular 220 pump with the correct max head .

I really don’t have good sun at the well head I could put panels on the east or west side of the roof
or the panels would be 50’ away +-
I’m guessing this would be less expensive then the SQF pump .
Im not sure where I would get the equipment from ?

Could you offer a little more information?

mcgivor · March 2021

There are many options available here is a random Amazon search https://www.amazon.com/Happybuy-Submersible-630ft-Stainless-Industrial/dp/B07JZ298VL#productDetails alternatively there are DC brushless types https://www.lorentz.de/
Pump selection is important especially when total head is higher, as in your case, needing a high power version to overcome the water column of 6000 inches or 217 psi. Consulting a pump expert would probably be a wise decision, something I'm definitely not, my wells have static water level of between 12 and 20 feet depending on season so I can get away with a 300W pump.

wellbuilt · March 2021

I going to try to find a pump guy , but no one really wants to do the job .

I’m getting prices of 13k to 24k for working system ?

I don’t know why it so much money ?

The SQF pump and wire and sch120 with all the fittings cost around 4K
I would think a well guy could push a pump down a hole in a day ?
I could pay 2k to have some one do it after that I may have to give it a shot .
It’s only threading 35 pipes Hemmmmm
I think at some point the pump would start to float in the hole with air in the lines ?

I’ve called 3 pump sales companies and haven’t gotten to talk to anybody yet?

It looks like a cool way to pump water .
I’m allmosed tempted to try the pump in your post at 500’ and see how it go’s
It’s cheep enough .

I would like to get some thing that will last .

I’ve been reading in other post here about well pumps needing to be changed out every 10 /15 years or so .
ive been living in my home 32 years with the same pump ?

My moms pump is 40 plus years old .

I’m 60 now and don’t want to have to replace the pump in my life time .

Aguarancher · March 2021

You might call a well driller and have them change out your pump on the service end of their business. If you have 220V to the well head personally I'd stick with a quality conventional pump.

wellbuilt · March 2021

rancher , I have no power and never had a pump .
I had a friend drill the hole , he dosent do pumps at all and the guys that do his pumps don’t want to travel .
His guy wanted me to use a regular 3hp pump with a genarator steal drop pipe , I really don’t want to run a large pump with genarator

The well has low recovery at best maybe 2 gallons a min in a dry year .

I’ve seen lots of wells drilled but this one is very slow to recover .

Last year I used less then 900 gallons .

I have a 200 gallon tank in side and a 275 gallon tank out side.

I really want to get this going but just don’t know what to buy , it seams like it’s some kind of Secret

mcgivor · March 2021

Some useful information regarding well pump selection https://oakvillepump.com/blog/2019/6/17/can-i-just-put-any-submersible-pump-in-my-well

wellbuilt · March 2021

Thanks Mike goo read , I talked to 2 pump Suppliers today.

No one has sent me a pump spec or price of any thing yet maybe tomaro

Dave Angelini · March 2021

What is your rainfall amount per year

For Offgrid you have to do it all, know it all, or learn it all. IMHO.
Collecting rain can be much easier for some folks offgrid.

wellbuilt · March 2021

Hi Dave , I’m planing some rain water Collection I get 52” a year .

The house has regular shingles on it , but I’m planing a 26x30 garage with a steel roof so I can collect rain water if need be .
I think I’m only going to have a problem in dry years and I want to get a pump set up .
I think I need a SQF 6-3 that pumps from 820 feet .

I’m trying to decide the best way to make this work .

With the pump at 700’ +- I’m thinking I can only pump 15 min at a time @ 6 gallons a minute 90 gallons so I don’t draw the well down to much .
It seams like a wast of power to run the pump with a solar array .

I have a second fm 80 and 12 295watt panels sitting in the garage now .

( Dos it make more sense to run the solar to the main system and just pump water in the after noon with my 120v inverter ? )
My battery’s reach full charge by 100 pm with a 3 hour absorb .

I think 200 gallons of water should be enough for a few people .
In the winter I can just pump 200 gallons when im charging the battery’s , my panels have been snowed over since Christmas and I started getting sun again last week .
I have a 200 gallon tank in the utility room that stays warm , and it’s piped to a 500 gallon tank out side that I drain
In November and re fill at Easter
I have Sch 120 pvc with hubs and 700 feet of 10/2 with ground in a plastic sleeve pump wire.

Check valves every 200 foot rubber Torque preventer for the bottom , and I have pipe wire spacers for every 40’ of pipe . I just need a pump and a pump guy to stuff it in the hole 🕳.

I hope I don’t have to do it my self . Any advice would be so help full .

Dave Angelini · March 2021

That is my general advice. The electrical I bill for.

We have lived on as little as 15" of rain and normal is 30". We collect 18K gals and end up with 5K gals for a early winter wildfire.
Rain does not start here until october/november. Most of the water goes to the garden. Tomatoes sometimes in December. Good Luck!

wellbuilt · March 2021

Thanks Dave for your help 👍

MichaelK · March 2021

I've been successfully running my 1hp Grunfos 240VAC wellpump off of solar for years now. Look at the specification in my bi-line below. The pump runs on system #1. I can run the pump via solar from about 8am to 4pm with zero battery depletion.

wellbuilt · March 2021

I’m getting all the parts together now , how deep is your well ?

My inverter is 120v and I have been planing to just use a SQFpump on solar but now im second guessing
my self .
It seams like a wast keeping panels tied up just pumping water for 30 mins a day

mike95490 · April 2021

You first have to decide your system load. 90 gallons a day, 40 psi /00' lift, 3 hours of light

When you have those requirements, you use a pump selector curve chart to find a pump with the right size motor and the the needed turbine plates to meet your specs.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6024911/uploads/editor/yk/p3ym4fb6rjz3.jpg

Then you start creating a build sheet, or redesign

Myself, I went with a plain 3wire 240VAC pump with above ground control box. Generally known to be good for +30 years
The new tech gear, solar inverter stuff, when it goes bad - may take a week to find a replacement. But the pump shops have gear in stock, And I just run it off an beefy inverter

wellbuilt · April 2021

mike95490 said:

You first have to decide your system load.    90 gallons a day, 40 psi /00' lift, 3 hours of light

When you have those requirements, you use a pump selector curve chart to find a pump with the right size motor and the the needed turbine plates to meet your specs.

Then you start creating a build sheet, or redesign

Myself, I went with a plain 3wire 240VAC pump with above ground control box.   Generally known to be good for +30 years
The new tech gear, solar inverter stuff, when it goes bad - may take a week to find a replacement. But the pump shops have gear in stock,   And I just run it off an beefy inverter

wellbuilt · April 2021

Hi Mike,
So looking at your chart the 2 hp pump would be in my sweet spot for a pump set at 700feet.
It would give me 5 gallons a minute , @ 300feet I would get 13 gallons a minute
my water really moves up and down summer to spring
I have been looking at these pumps for a long time the 6-3 and 3-3 the 3-3 seams like a good fit .
But it is at max head at 655’ witch I think is ok ( this pump has a set depth of 500 feet )
I have to check the water in the well in a week or so to see how high up it comes ,but in mid April It could be at 100feet ?
So that would leave me with a max depth of 600’ I drop a stone down the well and I’m 8/9 sec to water what ever that means .

The well pump may be on hold again my neighbor want to sell me his 15 acres of land next to my place.

They aren’t making any more land , but I want to start Collecting materials any way .

I really don’t want to have to sink the pump my self but I may have to.

Well help

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