Harbor Freight Drummond Brand Shallow Well Pump. Anyone have experience? Startup current draw? (rated 10A @ 120vac)

Sorry if somebody has posted this already. I contacted harbor freight because I bought the same pump and I was looking for amperage or wattage information. They sent me the following in response.

Below are the specs you requested.

Current Draw (Amps):
Start Up: 28 A (3360 watts)
Max Flow: 8.6 A (1032 watts)
Max Pressure: 9.9 A (1188 watts) I think I will respond and ask them if they can recommend a soft start for the product. Alternatively, I do believe I found one on Amazon it's meant to work with planers and other induction motor loads. I don't really want to spend $160 on it, but here is the link for anybody who does.

Innoraymond GS10 Universal Soft Starter for Miter Saw Table Saw Grinder Router Planer etc. (120V, 15A max.) https://a.co/d/0YiLWmt

PopDBop said:

I'm considering using this shallow well pump down here in Florida....

1 HP Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump and Tank with Pressure Control Switch - 950 GPH

Amazing deals on this 1Hp Shallow Well Pump W/Ss Housing 950 Gph at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

The user manual has very little electrical info, other than to say it's rated at 10amps @ 120vac. Or course, that startup current is the kicker. An oversimplification is that running at full power the pump would draw 1200 watts. I plan on running this on a 3000 Watt PSW inverter @ 24vdc. So, does anyone have any experience with this pump and whether or not: 1. the 3000 Watt inverter has a chance of starting this (assuming no other loads) or 2. will I need or should I use a soft capacitor to get this up and running (and ballpark, how many micro farads that starter cap might be rated at, perhaps on a similar 1HP pump).

Thanks.

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PopDBop , what pump/inverter/softstart combo did you eventually decide on?

damo green said:

PopDBop , what pump/inverter/softstart combo did you eventually decide on?

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I ended up returning mine because of the current draw and it was overkill for what I needed. I ended up getting a seaflow 12 volt DC pump with pressure tank. Similar function, but a bit smaller and no need for an inverter. I determined that unless I had basically a whole house inverter at maybe 6 to 12 KW, I would end up having to buy a dedicated inverter just for this pump. And none of the inverters that I already had on hand were powerful enough to handle it by themselves. So when you add the cost of the inverter to this pump, it makes more sense to just go with a DC pump that costs a little more.

shizenyasuya said:

I ended up returning mine because of the current draw and it was overkill for what I needed. I ended up getting a seaflow 12 volt DC pump with pressure tank. Similar function, but a bit smaller and no need for an inverter. I determined that unless I had basically a whole house inverter at maybe 6 to 12 KW, I would end up having to buy a dedicated inverter just for this pump. And none of the inverters that I already had on hand were powerful enough to handle it by themselves. So when you add the cost of the inverter to this pump, it makes more sense to just go with a DC pump that costs a little more.

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This is what I went with

SEAFLO 55-Series Water Pump and Accumulator Tank System - 12V DC, 5.5 GPM, 60 PSI, 2 Gallon Tank https://a.co/d/hobFJVc

shizenyasuya said:

This is what I went with

SEAFLO 55-Series Water Pump and Accumulator Tank System - 12V DC, 5.5 GPM, 60 PSI, 2 Gallon Tank https://a.co/d/hobFJVc

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thanks that's useful info to me!

Abodyofscience said:

I wouldn't buy anything from HF but run thru the possibilities if it fails or if it somehow clobbers the thing powering it.
The only specifications I trust are Grainger's.

In fact, HF may have to pay me to get near their stuff. . .

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Harbor Freight- "building China's army one screwgun at a time"

so does anyone know of a pre made soft starter for devices such as 120v pumps?

Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:

Innoraymond GS10 Heavy Duty Universal Power Tool Soft Starter for Miter Saw Table Saw Grinder Router Planer etc. (120V, 15A max.) https://a.co/d/4lKy58r

I have one on my freezer. Didn’t take away the problem completely but helps. I may turn the on time up from 2 seconds to 7 seconds and see if it helps.

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thank you

kanelr said:

so does anyone know of a pre made soft starter for devices such as 120v pumps?

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In the past, I've seen other posts with users suggesting the use of a soft-starter on a submerged pump. Intuitively, I've always been very cautious about modifications to something that is 3-4 hundred feet down a dark hole. Recently, someone else posted a reply about a pump soft-starter. Post #17 of the following thread.


"Many submersibles use hydrostatic pressure for lubricating the bearings which require a minimum pump output immediately in order to perform.
If you were to start out with too low of current (again on a RVSS or RVAT starter), you may cause incremental damage to the bearings every time you start. The equivalent issue when using a VFD for submersibles is minimum speed and the amount of time you must not exceed in getting there. It could be that from their experiences, they think that even with a VFD you will need to apply that much current to achieve an acceleration rate fast enough to satisfy their design requirements."

For someone on a very tight budget, tinkering with something like your well-pump is a very bad idea, because you only find out that the so-called solution doesn't work after you've fried your very expensive pump.

MichaelK said:

In the past, I've seen other posts with users suggesting the use of a soft-starter on a submerged pump. Intuitively, I've always been very cautious about modifications to something that is 3-4 hundred feet down a dark hole. Recently, someone else posted a reply about a pump soft-starter. Post #17 of the following thread.

Schneider XW vs Sol-Ark

Ok so your getting that 96.5% efficiency throughout the day as long as the battery isn’t being used. well I just meant that since you were using grid power for part of the day then you were paying for power everyday so the money you are saving thru the inverter efficiency is put back into...

diysolarforum.com

"Many submersibles use hydrostatic pressure for lubricating the bearings which require a minimum pump output immediately in order to perform.
If you were to start out with too low of current (again on a RVSS or RVAT starter), you may cause incremental damage to the bearings every time you start. The equivalent issue when using a VFD for submersibles is minimum speed and the amount of time you must not exceed in getting there. It could be that from their experiences, they think that even with a VFD you will need to apply that much current to achieve an acceleration rate fast enough to satisfy their design requirements."

For someone on a very tight budget, tinkering with something like your well-pump is a very bad idea, because you only find out that the so-called solution doesn't work after you've fried your very expensive pump.

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good info, but in this case the OP specifically described a low cost shallow pump

For cheap experimentation I have both a 2500W high-frequency inverter and 2700W low-frequency UPSverter. Both are powered by my 48V golf cart FLA so have plenty of battery. What I have learned from starting my 1/2hp garbage disposal or garage door opener:
- The 2500W HF inverter will barely start either, and will brownout the entire house while doing so.
- The 2700W LF UPSverter doesn't even struggle, and you can’t tell the difference from starting on grid power.

Good used UPS’s with bad batteries can had for a fraction of the price of a quality, but stupid expensive, low-frequency inverter. I look for APC “XL models” that are rated for continuous operation, and can easily be identified by the rear battery connector. Downside is UPSverters are not very efficient, especially with minimal loading.

Well the possibility of a failure due to too slow a speed windup may be a possibility with some designs as some here mention. However I do know of many induction motors used with variable speed devices in shops. I think a soft start for a 120VAC shallow well or sump pump is doable. For context, I have been running a 5/8HP AC sump from a traditional outlet but fed by the inverter since may. We only have 500AH storage recharged by a dozen panels. No failure to supply enough at the sump pump this year with house lights, a computer and a minifridge in tow as well, without ever getting below 50% battery and no help from the utility side. Most days it sits above 95%. I can't justify the 1500+ for a good dc one to bypass what I would guestimate would be a few percent efficiency loss, and the pump cycles from once to three times an hour depending on weather.. BUT a soft start would allow the refrigerator to go on as well instead of the mini fridge, trying that right now results in a trip of the inverter's protection on the occasions when the sump kicks on while the compressor in the fridge is running. Our 12A sump pump draws about 27 at startup.

I have the older blue version of this pump. My neighbor was able to start it with a Renogy 2K high freq inverter. Of course it was empty and likely needs more umf with water on the impellers. It looks like a jet pump, not sure if jet pumps need more current when under pressure.

Jack Rabbit Off Grid said:

I tried one of them and it didn’t work for me. I was powering with my Magnum 4448. Every time it started it would dim the lights and shut off the TV. I ended up replacing it with two Pentair 3.3 gpm pumps in parallel to a pressure tank. They only draw 104w each. Less then $75 ea on Amazon. I could have gotten away with one But didn’t know at the time.
View attachment 103866View attachment 103867

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Are you using this setup for a shallow well? Currently running a 3gpm shurflo pump that's pulling water 4ft up from a creek and pushing it 100ft. Planning to put in a sand point well this summer wondering if your setup has enough head lift for 15-22ft.

I have this pump on the end of 200ft of 12 awg and with that much voltage drop it can draw a startup surge that will flicker the LEDs on grid power.

PopDBop said:

I'm considering using this shallow well pump down here in Florida....

1 HP Stainless Steel Shallow Well Pump and Tank with Pressure Control Switch - 950 GPH

Amazing deals on this 1Hp Shallow Well Pump W/Ss Housing 950 Gph at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

The user manual has very little electrical info, other than to say it's rated at 10amps @ 120vac. Or course, that startup current is the kicker. An oversimplification is that running at full power the pump would draw 1200 watts. I plan on running this on a 3000 Watt PSW inverter @ 24vdc. So, does anyone have any experience with this pump and whether or not: 1. the 3000 Watt inverter has a chance of starting this (assuming no other loads) or 2. will I need or should I use a soft capacitor to get this up and running (and ballpark, how many micro farads that starter cap might be rated at, perhaps on a similar 1HP pump).

Thanks.

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Absolute joke of a pump. Ours never worked right, then leaked we tossed it and went with legit well pump equipment.. This pump is 120V and works perfectly

Sabre36 said:

Absolute joke of a pump. Ours never worked right, then leaked we tossed it and went with legit well pump equipment.. This pump is 120V and works perfectly

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Mine's just for a creek pump so np if it leaks, if the water's stopped it re-runs maybe twice a day.

Otherwise, it's been working for my purpose for a couple years now. In my setup, it only has to draw from a 50 gal drum it's next to, so it's not fighting any suction head. From there it goes 30ft up vertically, and through 200ft of hose to a sprinkler head.