Best Inverter for deep well pump

[Wellbuilt]

I am going to use a Grunfos SQF6-3 my well pump needs to be @ 700’
I have a slow yield well .
At first I was going to run it off solar panels but now I’m thinking about running it from my out back 36/48 inverter .
The guys tell me it can run off a 2200watt Honda so it should work good off the out back
I’m thinking of running it 10 min on 1 hour off three times a day so 30 min @ 6 gallons min 180 gallons a day .
I use a holding tank and 120v RV pump to feed the house .
This seams like a better option then running I bid inverter .
Most of the time I’m using 2/300watts of power from the inverter .

 

[chadjones99]

I'm in a very similar boat , building a trailer mounted system ( enclosed car hauler ) to power " just the well " and when I'm visiting the cabin it will also supplement power to my RV which has its own system. I am looking for a 48 volt inverter , split phase low frq that can handle the start up. but my well is at 850 ft ( that's right the pump is at 850ft the hole is 1250 ft deep ) I do not use a pressure tank , so start up against high head pressure is not there . It pumps to a 1000 gallon holding tank ,that's it. Another system runs a pressure pump to the house. I think its a 2 hp pump ?
But I need to find a 6kw or 8 kw inverter , here's why i say 6 or 8 kw. I can run it off my Honda 6500 EU , and we are at 8000 foot above sea level so the generator is de-rated about 20% But I have seen ( in not all ) of these split phase inverter use 2 inverter inside , one for each leg. So I believe its either MPP or grow watt , but basically their split phase inverter has ( on a 6 kw ) two 3000 watt inverters , like i said one for each leg. so you can under size yourself thinking the total power is what you have available . SO I am open to suggestions.
I need a good split phase inverter or a big single phase that i can run through a transformer . Also would like a all in one type ( inverter / charger / charge controller )

 

[MichaelK]

I'm in a very similar boat , building a trailer mounted system ( enclosed car hauler ) to power " just the well " and when I'm visiting the cabin it will also supplement power to my RV which has its own system. I am looking for a 48 volt inverter , split phase low frq that can handle the start up. but my well is at 850 ft ( that's right the pump is at 850ft the hole is 1250 ft deep ) I do not use a pressure tank , so start up against high head pressure is not there . It pumps to a 1000 gallon holding tank ,that's it. Another system runs a pressure pump to the house. I think its a 2 hp pump ?

What I would highly recommend you do is the same thing that I did when I was in the design-phase of my off-grid system. I bought this clamp meter that has an "inrush current" feature. It will measure the peak current that occurs in the first fraction of a second right at startup. It proved to be very valuable, because a standard AC clamp meter is not fast enough to "catch' the inrush (I tried).

UNI T TRMS Digital Clamp Meter AC DC Multimeter Inrush Current NCV VFC Temp Test 6935750532164 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for UNI T TRMS Digital Clamp Meter AC DC Multimeter Inrush Current NCV VFC Temp Test at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

With this inrush meter you'll get hard data on what your pump is drawing, and then you will KNOW the design specifications you need to meet.
The Schneider XW Pro can surge to ~12,000W
The Outback Radian can surge to ~14,000W

If you need more surge power than that, two or more of these units can be paralleled together to increase the total startup power required. Once you know what power level you need to meet, then you will be able to design it to work on the first go around.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Well, if your pondering replacing the pump, then dive right in, get a Grundfos SoftStart SQ series and never worry about it again. They have 120V & 240V with various capacities. They are NOT cheap but they are the cat's meow.

Submersible Well Pumps

Grundfos submersible well pumps are available in a wide range of sizes and materials to fit your application needs.

ca.grundfos.com

Absolutely love my Grunfos SQ well pump..magic!!

 

[chadjones99]

The pump is 850 ft in the ground so not replacing it, I can say that I can start it fine with a honda EU 6500 generator.
Im not at the property to run a surge ( amp ) test on it. As Im out of town working.
Was looking to order something soon as prices are going up on everything. I do have an inverter question. on a split-phase pass-through inverter. how can I word this. .... what happens if the input side of the inverter is being powered by a single-phase generator? meaning L1 & L2 on the input outlet are the same phase like you see at a RV park that only has 30 amp plug and you use one of those 30 to 50 adaptors?

 

[MichaelK]

I would really, really try to dissaude you from making a quick purchase before you have real data on hand. That may turn out to be a mistake that will cost you dearly. Maybe one piece of advice I could give you is if you HAVE to buy it now, buy an inverter designed to be paralleled with a second unit. That way, if you find out it is under powered, you can add a second inverter side by side later.

Some inverter ACin terminals can be jumpered to provide the same phase to both L1 and L2. I believe that Will P. mentioned this on some past post. Read the owners manual concerning that before you buy. Most owner's manuals can be downloaded for their manufacturer's website.

 

[chadjones99]

good advice, The 2 main uses for the inverter will be to power my RV ( which has its own system ) but as a backup means, Ill be staying in the Colorado mountains long term off-grid, lots of solar I just gotta finish putting it all up. The 2nd use for the inverter will be to power a deep well pump once a week for about an hour. And the output on L1 and L2 will be from the inverter only ( from the battery ) but when powering my RV If I have to use the generator to top off battery, etc its a single phase 30 amp generator. so input L1 & L2 will be the same phase. Ive just never tried that before . was wondering how a split-phase inverter would react to seeing an input on both lines of the same phase.
And like I said I'm not there to test well pump amp draw. butI do know a 5kw generator will run it.
thanks for info
Chad

 

[MichaelK]

Here is a pump chart originally posted by another member Mike94945. He's an electrical engineer, specializing in solar installations, so I trust what he posts religiously. I'd use that as part of your info during the design phase. His chart data matches my real-world measurements of my own pump to a fraction of an amp.

 

[chadjones99]

Wow thanks , that should help

 

[chadjones99]

Wow thanks , that should help

An additional question I'm looking at a split-phase grow watt 8kw inverter . what happens if you only supply power to L1 ? I want to use it in an off-grid set up from battery and solar, but I do have a single-phase generator ( 120 volt) So I will feed power on the input of the inverter to L1 , does this just pass through L1 ( update I just called signature solar & they said yes it will pass through 120 on L1 and charge battery ) but. they were unable to answer what I thought would be a basic question ( even though they tried & were helpful ) . I even downloaded the manual & spec sheet. What is the start-up inrush/surge output capacity of this inverter in AMPs I.E. 70 amp for 10 Ms , etc . This is what will tell me if it will handle my well .( which looks like it has a start-up surge of 70 ) , Also if I tie the L1 & L2 on the output of my generator ( it only has L1 ) together on the input of the inverter does it pass through 120 / 120 on L1 / L2 output side of the inverter or does the built-in transformer split-phase it ? or does it catch fire LOL ?
This is a :

Growatt 8kW Split Phase Off-Grid Inverter | SPF 8000T DVM-MPV​

Thanks for the help

 

[Zwy]

An additional question I'm looking at a split-phase grow watt 8kw inverter . what happens if you only supply power to L1 ? I want to use it in an off-grid set up from battery and solar, but I do have a single-phase generator ( 120 volt) So I will feed power on the input of the inverter to L1 , does this just pass through L1 ( update I just called signature solar & they said yes it will pass through 120 on L1 and charge battery ) but. they were unable to answer what I thought would be a basic question ( even though they tried & were helpful ) . I even downloaded the manual & spec sheet. What is the start-up inrush/surge output capacity of this inverter in AMPs I.E. 70 amp for 10 Ms , etc . This is what will tell me if it will handle my well .( which looks like it has a start-up surge of 70 ) , Also if I tie the L1 & L2 on the output of my generator ( it only has L1 ) together on the input of the inverter does it pass through 120 / 120 on L1 / L2 output side of the inverter or does the built-in transformer split-phase it ? or does it catch fire LOL ?
This is a :

Growatt 8kW Split Phase Off-Grid Inverter | SPF 8000T DVM-MPV​

Thanks for the help

You would probably do better with the SPF12000T if you want to go that route. https://watts247.com/product/new-gr...se-120v-240v-output-100a-at-120v-50a-at-240v/

Both of these units and the 6000T require 240V split phase input from a generator.

None of the low frequency inverters are stackable, be aware of that.

Have you considered any of the high frequency larger inverters like the LV6548? My well has a surge of about 30A on startup, 12A running. I am installing a pair of LV6548's. Well pump is only 2 years old and I have no desire to change it out either.

You can also go with a dedicated well pump controller: https://watts247.com/product-category/well-pump/

 

[Wellbuilt]

Up date , my pump is in ?
I have to say you are so much better off just plucking the pump out of the hole and replacing it with
a SQF 6-3 pump it can be set to 820’
gives 6 gallons a minute and uses very little power . Easy peeze
my 3600 watt inverter runs the house, charges the battery’s and pumps water on a 2800watt Honda
with out a sweating it .
the pressure tank is nothing compared to the water pressure pushing down .
I have check valves on top of the pump and then every 200’
1” sch120pvc and 10g well cable with ground .
we started droping the pump at 10am and I had water by 2pm
I just added a length of 12g wire and a plug and stuck it in a out let in the garage , nothing to
it runs on my 120v inverter .
It is using 7/800 watts with no serge at all , the lites don’t even flicker .
if you don’t want to replace the pump I would just pump water with a cheep champion generator and leave it there ,if it gets robbed just replace it .
I left mine sitting under a tree in the middle of nowhere for 6 months .

 

[niktak11]

What I would highly recommend you do is the same thing that I did when I was in the design-phase of my off-grid system. I bought this clamp meter that has an "inrush current" feature. It will measure the peak current that occurs in the first fraction of a second right at startup. It proved to be very valuable, because a standard AC clamp meter is not fast enough to "catch' the inrush (I tried).

UNI T TRMS Digital Clamp Meter AC DC Multimeter Inrush Current NCV VFC Temp Test 6935750532164 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for UNI T TRMS Digital Clamp Meter AC DC Multimeter Inrush Current NCV VFC Temp Test at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

With this inrush meter you'll get hard data on what your pump is drawing, and then you will KNOW the design specifications you need to meet.
The Schneider XW Pro can surge to ~12,000W
The Outback Radian can surge to ~14,000W

If you need more surge power than that, two or more of these units can be paralleled together to increase the total startup power required. Once you know what power level you need to meet, then you will be able to design it to work on the first go around.

The "max" mode on some clamp meters actually has a pretty fast measurement rate. My uni-t one has no probably catching the very brief inrush on my 3hp well pump.

 

[Altoidfishfins]

Grundfos Solar pump. Forgot the model number but it can pump up to 820 feet of head.

Run it directly from your solar array high voltage DC. No inverter or batteries required. I used mine for 8 years and I love it. Power it off some old Kyocera solar panels (1992 manufacture) I got that were used, 50W each, ten panels connected in series. Pump is set at 580 feet low yield (.5 gal/ minute) well but the pump delivers about 7-8 gals / minute (60 foot static) and I have it shut off automatically when the storage tank is full.

It also runs on any AC voltage 90 to 250 volts so in a pinch you can drag out the generator. In 8 years I did that once to just see if it would work.