Can I run 12 volt 120 feet?

[Larry12]

Can I run 12 volt 120 feet? I want to power a 12 volt Shurflo 2088 model RV style pump to pump water from a tank uphill to my house. I have been using a 110 volt Shurflo 2088 but want to go solar. My battery is 150ah and is powering one 12 volt model 2088 Shurflo120 feet away from the location of the tank where I want to put the new 12 volt pump. If this can be done should I use #12 automotive wire in conduit (I was thinking I should based on a conversation with an electrician).

 

[Crowz]

Its not the volts its the amps and cable size that determines how far you can run a cable.

5 amps to 120 feet needs 10 awg wire size.

50 amps to 120 feet needs 2 awg wire size.

The higher the voltage the less the amps with the same amount of power. That's why 120 volts is better than 12 volts ac or dc is because the amps go down as the volts go up with the same amount of power.

You didn't mention the amps so I can't say what your need wire size wise.

 

[yodamota]

looks like there are a bunch of different shurflo 2088 pumps

 

[Ampster]

The problem with running 12 volts that distance is that just a 10 percent drop in voltage may not serve the devices well. I agree it is the Amps that govern wire size, but upsizing wire may reduce voltage drop.

 

[Supervstech]

Can I run 12 volt 120 feet? I want to power a 12 volt Shurflo 2088 model RV style pump to pump water from a tank uphill to my house. I have been using a 110 volt Shurflo 2088 but want to go solar. My battery is 150ah and is powering one 12 volt model 2088 Shurflo120 feet away from the location of the tank where I want to put the new 12 volt pump. If this can be done should I use #12 automotive wire in conduit (I was thinking I should based on a conversation with an electrician).

Need to know the watt load on the circuit.
And since it is a motor load, 12V likely will need #4 or larger to handle the startup surge.
A 2A motor needs 20A to start...

 

[Hedges]

Surflow, brush-type motor, I expect will start fine even if large voltage sag.

Supply voltage figures into determining what percentage voltage drop IR works out to be.

 

[JRH]

Can I run 12 volt 120 feet? I want to power a 12 volt Shurflo 2088 model RV style pump to pump water from a tank uphill to my house. I have been using a 110 volt Shurflo 2088 but want to go solar. My battery is 150ah and is powering one 12 volt model 2088 Shurflo120 feet away from the location of the tank where I want to put the new 12 volt pump. If this can be done should I use #12 automotive wire in conduit (I was thinking I should based on a conversation with an electrician).

Always use larger wire than recommended .. always ….those Shureflow are good pumps.. I have had about 20 over the last 40 years in my boats and farm and Present RV….they do tend to generate a good bit of heat … im assuming this is a diaphragm pump Capable of run dry conditions..
if it’s an impeller ( then be way more careful.)

the pumps will last much longer if you help them run cool. Big wire is one way I do it if your Gona be pushing it… there are many kinds and all have a duty cycle . Some as low as 20 min then be shut off for 10 min… some longer.
…I don’t know what you have but I can usually run a couple of hours easily but that really a bit long at full load…Find out what that is… you can burn them up as I have done it running them a-bit hard… they run from about 60 bucks to a hundred fifty for what I use…some are a lot more but I don’t need that Level pump.

im using a 7;amp 12 volt now as a transfer water pump for a 350 water tank…it will last about 5 years the way I use it… put your hand on the motor to learn its temps.. it will make different noises when it’s laboring …
double the wire size and it will reward you…
go shureflo…
J.

 

[MichaelK]

I have been using a 110 volt Shurflo 2088 but want to go solar.

Why can't you keep the 110V pump and also go solar? They are not mutually exclusive. You just need an inverter to power the pump. I power my own 240VAC submerged pump solely via solar.

 

[Larry12]

looks like there are a bunch of different shurflo 2088 pumps

All basically the same. All put out 3-4 gallons per minute. The one in the foto calls for an 1.5 amp "slow blow" fuse, .9 amps current (current draw? See photo). Low power consumption whether 12 volt dc or 115 ac. This is one I am running off my inverter (photo).

 

[Larry12]

Why can't you keep the 110V pump and also go solar? They are not mutually exclusive. You just need an inverter to power the pump. I power my own 240VAC submerged pump solely via solar.

I work with isolated locations and they make an excellent 12 volt pump. I do use an inverter on two 115 volt pumps in my home system.

 

[Hedges]

120V 0.9A, maybe 12V 9A.
If 10% voltage drop allowed over 120', need 6 awg according to this calculator.

Voltage Drop Calculator | Southwire

www.southwire.com

That may be some $400 worth of wire.

A couple hundred watt inverter for AC pump, enabled by switch, seems like a better way to go.

 

[Larry12]

Surflow, brush-type motor, I expect will start fine even if large voltage sag.

Supply voltage figures into determining what percentage voltage drop IR works out to be.

I need to test it and cant find my meter today! But the charge controller reads 12.9 battery (150ah) even after a completely cloudy day and much pumping. I'm thinking I could add another pump to the line 120 feet away.

 

[Larry12]

I work with isolated locations and they make an excellent 12 volt pump. I do use an inverter on two 115 volt pumps in my home system.

Specific to your question though, the 115 volt ac available at the pump is shared with the grid. I turn the grid on sometimes and then off for using inverted solar ac power. I now want to use the grid for a business, isolating it from my house systems, gone completely solar on the house (trying to anyway. Last night my lights flashed when I took a point of service instant heat hot shower).

 

[JBertok]

I have had the delight of tinkering with supercapacitors just recently. If motor-startup surge is an issue, you can install a 6s bank of 350 Farad supercapacitors fused to the DC feed right next to the pump. Guaranteed to resolve that problem. There are automotive application variants that would work too. (Always pre-charge a supercap bank through a current limiting device before connecting to the DC mains.)

 

[Hedges]

Last night my lights flashed when I took a point of service instant heat hot shower).

There is your problem - on-demand heater. For off-grid applications, use a tank-type water heater and power it with low wattage (e.g. 240V filament fed 120V, or even stepped down lower with a transformer.

 

[CoolWill]

You can do anything with enough money. I personally wouldn't hesitate to use #12 at that distance for that pump, but as a recommendation I'd say #10.

 

[Hedges]

I was expecting to say 12 awg was OK for the 12V pump, but that was 31% voltage drop by the calculator I just used.
Double-check with long hand math before making a decision.

 

[JRH]

All basically the same. All put out 3-4 gallons per minute. The one in the foto calls for an 1.5 amp "slow blow" fuse, .9 amps current (current draw? See photo). Low power consumption whether 12 volt dc or 115 ac. This is one I am running off my inverter (photo).

120V 0.9A, maybe 12V 9A.
If 10% voltage drop allowed over 120', need 6 awg according to this calculator.

Voltage Drop Calculator | Southwire

www.southwire.com

That may be some $400 worth of wire.

A couple hundred watt inverter for AC pump, enabled by switch, seems like a better way to go.

I agree with you about 110v and inverter ..I have always needed 12 volt because of the portability factor and Untill the last decade or two inverters were sorta poorish compared to today. and expensive for a good one…,I never needed to have that long run as he does…all of mine have always been 6-9 amps and called for about a 10 amp fuse at 12 volt…
best pump I ever had was called a “whale “ .. an emergency manual bilge pump…about 300 dollars 45 years ago… big and yellow…all metal…with a long handle …” One Gallon Per Stroke “ ..
that was a beast of a pump.
no electricity needed. A scared man could pump alot of water as a last resort.
I never had to use it thank goodness..
J.

 

[Larry12]

120V 0.9A, maybe 12V 9A.
If 10% voltage drop allowed over 120', need 6 awg according to this calculator.

Voltage Drop Calculator | Southwire

www.southwire.com

That may be some $400 worth of wire.

A couple hundred watt inverter for AC pump, enabled by switch, seems like a better way to go.

Interested. Enabled by a switch is okay as long as I can leave it always on. I want a system that is fully automatic

 

[Larry12]

All basically the same. All put out 3-4 gallons per minute. The one in the foto calls for an 1.5 amp "slow blow" fuse, .9 amps current (current draw? See photo). Low power consumption whether 12 volt dc or 115 ac. This is one I am running off my inverter (photo).

Ok I will have to eat my words. The 2088 12v DC pump I am trying to use is 5-6 times the power draw of the 2088 115 volt AC.