400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in Solar Water Pumping #1
I have a 400' well and looked at solar powered pumps, where you can pump from solar panel straight to 12v to 30v pump.

Can i just use solar panels with an inverter. Then just connect to a regular 240v AC deep well pump.

What would be the pros and cons.

Thanks
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Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    to use the ac from an inverter will require a battery and a controller to regulate to that battery from the pvs. if you cannot find a dc pump and solar setup to suit you then it will be more expensive and involved as i indicated. some of the guys may help you better than i on specific recommendations for you as i don't know allot on pumping.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Pumping from 400' takes very much power. Picture how hard it would be to carry a bucket of water up 40 flights of stairs. That same amount of energy is required to pump water out of the ground that high. A 1 hp pump might draw ~1kw running (guess?) many more amps to start.

    So if you are going to pump water with solar you are going to have to do it either very slowly with a fairly big array, or faster with an even bigger array. IMHO the right answer is figure out what your water needs are over a day/week/month and then figure out how best to manage that water and ergo the power.

    Tony
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Tony is probably understating the pump problem.
    400 feet deep doesn't include the static head which will reduce the pumping needs somewhat. But, you could be looking at a 1 or even 2 HP pump with running Wattage on the up side of 1200 & of course 240 VAC.

    Water is heavy; slightly more than 8 lbs. per U.S. gallon (+/- depending on the exact content, temperature, and barometric pressure). Lifting it 400' is a big task. Water pumps have to provide lift, flow, and pressure. Their available HP can be divided among these, but to gain one you lose on the others. So if you want this amount of lift with reasonable flow & pressure you need a lot of HP.

    Get a well driller to size a pump for the well, then see about powering it. My guess would be a generator run on occasion to fill up some big pressure tank(s) would be more economical than solar. I pump with solar, but have only about 10' of lift. The 1/3HP pump does the job, filling a 33 gallon pressure tank in 6 minutes tops. It draws 800+ Watts running (120 VAC) and the start-up surge is triple that.
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  • audredger
    audredger Solar Expert Posts: 272 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Is your static level 400' down or is the well 400' deep? If the static level is 400' down, then that is a big job! If static level is only 20' down, then not such a big deal.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    I can't imagine why one would have a 400' deep well with a static level of ~20', unless there was a really slow recharge rate.

    Tony
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,935 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    icarus wrote: »
    I can't imagine why one would have a 400' deep well with a static level of ~20', unless there was a really slow recharge rate.

    Tony

    You guessed it! The southwest US! I have three clients doing this. It is not a bad way to go as you can have a big pump, use it after you go to float for a few hours and get an average of around 500 gallons each day. Pump until it goes dry! Cattle or vegetables get very thirsty. If I was anywhere near a place that got decent rain I would go the other way. Not too many ways to goof up rainwater! There are dozens of problems that can be"in"well water if you don't have a good one!
    Not sure if this helps the OP...
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • audredger
    audredger Solar Expert Posts: 272 ✭✭
    #8
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Tony, sometimes you have to drill 400' to hit the aquifer then, the water may rise to 20'. My arsenic well is 220' with a 20' static level. The arsenic is why I catch the rain. 2- 2,500 gal catch tanks & 4- 5,000 gal & 1- 2500 gal storage tanks.

    Had to drill the well in order to get the building permit ... now, how stupid is that!
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    audredger wrote: »
    Tony, sometimes you have to drill 400' to hit the aquifer then, the water may rise to 20'. My arsenic well is 220' with a 20' static level. The arsenic is why I catch the rain. 2- 2,500 gal catch tanks & 4- 5,000 gal & 1- 2500 gal storage tanks.

    Had to drill the well in order to get the building permit ... now, how stupid is that!

    It's the same all over: my neighbour had to drill a new well before he could get permission to build his new house on a property that already had an existing house & well, even though the old house was to be demolished. For potability, he just submitted a sample from the old well because the new well was deep and heavily mineralized.

    Bureaucrats! :grr
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  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    audredger wrote: »
    Tony, sometimes you have to drill 400' to hit the aquifer then, the water may rise to 20'. My arsenic well is 220' with a 20' static level. The arsenic is why I catch the rain. 2- 2,500 gal catch tanks & 4- 5,000 gal & 1- 2500 gal storage tanks.

    Had to drill the well in order to get the building permit ... now, how stupid is that!
    I just looked up arsenic wells. Not a purty picture. The EPA set standards to 10 parts per million as ok for drinking. Is there a way of filtering it out? It causes many cancers. Nasal, lung, prostrate. liver and a few others. I wouldn,t drink it myself but think you could use it for other things if you needed too. You should look it up on epa if you havn,t already. S:Dlarvic
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,654 admin
    #11
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Actually, the EPA dropped if from 50 PPB to 10 Parts Per Billion (parts per million is not good at all).

    [PDF] Arsenic in Well Water: Understanding Your Test Results

    Above ~300 PPB, Reverse Osmosis may not work well enough (need to monitor equipment to ensure is properly functioning).

    Above ~500 PPB, bathing, washing dishes, etc. may become a health issue...

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • solarvic
    solarvic Solar Expert Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭✭
    #12
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    BB. wrote: »
    Actually, the EPA dropped if from 50 PPB to 10 Parts Per Billion (parts per million is not good at all).

    [PDF] Arsenic in Well Water: Understanding Your Test Results

    Above ~300 PPB, Reverse Osmosis may not work well enough (need to monitor equipment to ensure is properly functioning).

    Above ~500 PPB, bathing, washing dishes, etc. may become a health issue...

    -Bill
    I looked up the federal epa site again and it is a little misleading how they have it worded. It list .010 parts per million ( 10 parts per billion) Anyway it is not good for you. S:Dlarvic
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  • audredger
    audredger Solar Expert Posts: 272 ✭✭
    #13
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Mine has 10X the EPA limit! Iron & Sulfates too. This well has too much of everything to do anything with. It's caped off and almost forgotten. Even got it taken off the tax rolls. GRIN
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  • bluetick
    bluetick Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭
    #14
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    At 400' you could use a mini pump jack to pull water with less horsepower than a deep well pump. The counter weight will off set the weight of the water.
    I've seen a setup like this supply water for five houses. The jack was 2' tall with a 1/2 hp motor. Once everything is in motion it takes very little input to keep it turning.
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,935 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #15
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    audredger wrote: »
    Mine has 10X the EPA limit! Iron & Sulfates too. This well has too much of everything to do anything with. It's caped off and almost forgotten. Even got it taken off the tax rolls. GRIN

    How did you do last night with the rain Mike?

    2.29" up near Yosemite and then it got real quiet around 3AM...you know what that means!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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  • audredger
    audredger Solar Expert Posts: 272 ✭✭
    #16
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump

    Only .6" last night. Got quiet here too but, didn't stick. I'm at 1,900' , all the hills are white. All 27,500 gallons worth of tanks are full and overflowing. I am ready for spring:D
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  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,935 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #17
    Re: 400' well can i just use solarpanels and inverter with 240v pump
    audredger wrote: »
    Only .6" last night. Got quiet here too but, didn't stick. I'm at 1,900' , all the hills are white. All 27,500 gallons worth of tanks are full and overflowing. I am ready for spring:D

    Sweet! Now we just need another inch the first week of May!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

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