Submersible pump power consumption

rp3703
rp3703 Registered Users Posts: 129 ✭✭
in Solar Water Pumping #1

I decided to purchase a power meter to plug into all my appliances to see how much power was actually being used versus what I projected them to use. The one appliance that surprised me the most was the well pump. According to the meter, it averaged 4 KWH for the couple of days I had it plugged in. This is way higher than the 500 WH I figured it would use. Our cottage has about 5-6 people staying there the whole time. Is anyone else seeing these same numbers for their well pump? I should state that the submersible pump is a 110V 11.5 Amp that we stick in the lake, not in a well and it works great.

1860 W (6) Rensola JC310M, Classic 150, 430AH@24V (8) Deka DSGC15 FLA's, Victron Phoenix Multi 24/2500 Inverter
Powering-20.5 CuFt. Fridge, 1 HP Submersible water pump, UV, Washing Machine, Gas Dryer, Gas Stove, Lights and Receptacles
Off Grid Cottage on lake in Northern Ontario 46˚N 
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #2
    How many hours per day is the pump running?
    • 110 VAC * 11.5 Amps = 1,265 VA
    • 1,265 VA * 0.80 Power Factor (guess) = 1,012 Watts
    • 4,000 WH per day days / 2 days = 2,000 WH per day
    • 2,000 WH per day / 1,012 Watts (est. running Watts) = 1.98 ~ 2 hours of pumping per d
    Water pumps have highly variable water pumping volume (jet vs other types) and need to know the head/water pressure of your installation.... Do you have details/link to the pump you are using...

    Guess at water pumping can be from 10 to 50 GPM or 600 to 3,000 GPH.

    2 hours per day guessing at 1,200 to 6,000 GPD of water usage?

    If each person used 40-100 GPD, 6 people * 40-100 Gallons per person per day = 240-600 GPD

    Use a 5 gallon bucket and time how long it takes your pump to fill the bucket... Figure out GPM pumping rate (full flow, and at 40 PSI). Do you have a pressure tank?

    Does that sound anywhere near reasonable?

    -Bill

    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • rp3703
    rp3703 Registered Users Posts: 129 ✭✭
    edited August 2022 #3

    So here is the water pump we are using 

    https://www.amazon.com/Hallmark-Industries-MA0414X-7-Submersible-Stainless/dp/B00NTT2JO4/ref=sr_1_30?crid=2ZT1XV4R2QT9T&keywords=industrial+submersible+pumps&qid=1659457494&s=industrial&sprefix=industrial+submersible+pumps%2Cindustrial%2C162&sr=1-30

    It states 33 GPM. I cannot do the bucket test since I have already left for the winter. At 2 hrs of pump time, that would be 3960 Gallons per day or 660 Gallons per person per day. This site 

    https://water.phila.gov/pool/files/home-water-use-ig5.pdf  

    says the average person uses 101.5 GPD and that’s with toilet use, which the cottage does not have. So should I not trust what the power meter reads? My hope was to use this meter to get accurate numbers for sizing future battery banks.

    We have a 33 gallon pressure tank and the draw down takes about 2 min. The cottage has a kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower and clothes washer. We wash dishes in the sink which I would assume uses more water than a dishwasher. 

    1860 W (6) Rensola JC310M, Classic 150, 430AH@24V (8) Deka DSGC15 FLA's, Victron Phoenix Multi 24/2500 Inverter
    Powering-20.5 CuFt. Fridge, 1 HP Submersible water pump, UV, Washing Machine, Gas Dryer, Gas Stove, Lights and Receptacles
    Off Grid Cottage on lake in Northern Ontario 46˚N 
    · Share on Twitter

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