diy solar

diy solar

Help needed

Bhaynes702

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Jul 20, 2021
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I’m trying to set my well pump to run solar I’m open to a hybrid system wind and solar. My well pump is 1 hp 230 volt running watts are 750 watts. 2100 watts at start up. This information I found on the web for the pump that was just installed the other day. I’m currently running a generator at the moment. What system is my best choice? There are so many different systems out there and don’t want to waste money trying things that will not work. Thanks
 
Do you have any idea how many hours the pump runs in a day?
How many cloudy days in a row do you want to plan for?
Can the pump run on 50Hz? (This opens up the inverter options)
Do you plan to run anything else off of the system?
Do you want to have generator back-up?
Do you want to be able to charge from the Generator?
 
I was looking at a standalone system for the pump with a generator backup. I’m pretty sure that it’s a 60Hz 230v pump. Yes I would like to charge from the generator as well.
 
Yes I would like to charge from the generator as well.

I’m pretty sure that it’s a 60Hz 230v pump.
Can you get the specs on the pump? A lot of pumps are rated for both. If it can operate at 50hz it will open up for the use of non-us inverters. (most lower priced US inverters don't do 230V unless you stack them and that gets expensive)
Yes I would like to charge from the generator as well.
Then you may want to consider an inverter-charger. However, if it is a 60 Hz generator it may limit your inverter choice to US models only.
 
When you say expensive what are we talking in dollars ball park not going to hold you to it
 
When you say expensive what are we talking in dollars ball park not going to hold you to it
Wow.... that is kinda like asking "How long is a piece of string?"

Depending on the quality you are looking at the prices can range significantly. you are going to need to do some research on this.


My well pump is 1 hp 230 volt running watts are 750 watts. 2100 watts at start up.
The inverter does not have to be rated for the full 2100W, but it does need to be able to handle the 2100W surge. Low frequency inverters (expensive) can usually do a 3x to 4X surge. A high frequency inverter can usually do a 2x surge. However, a pump can have a long surge so I would target an inverter in the range of 1500W or more.

For 230V, the 60Hz units are aimed at the US market and tend to be fairly high wattage so you would end up paying for more than you need.
AIMS makes a 4000W unit for around $1200 but I have heard mixed reviews on the quality.

The alternative for 230V 60hz is to buy two 120V inverters that can be 'stacked' to create 230V (Not all 120V inverters are stackable). As a rule of thumb the 'stakable' also tend to be higher power.... so you end up buying more than you need.

I am a fan of Victron inverters. They are rock solid but are also quite pricey. Unfortunately, a lot of their lower power inverter-chargers are only for the 50hz market. NOTE: Victron is changing over there models right now so some of the older models are on sale.... you might want to take a look.
 
Note: You may want to look at the MPP all-in-one split phase units as well.
 
I was looking at a SOL-ARK all in one 12k hybrid inverter a little expensive ($6,500) but willing to go that route to not be on the grid. from what I understand this can do solar as well as wind turbine charging but don’t see if it’s capable of 230 output. Forgive my stupidity but I’m old and just learning about solar systems and one thing I’ve learned is it can be overwhelming.
 
Wow! The 12K is a lot more than you need. You could easily get away with the Sol-Ark 6K with plenty of power to spare. You could run all but the big items in a small house on a 6K Solark. (and yes, the Sol-Ark will do 240 split phase.)

You have mentioned wind turbine several times. Are you in a very windy area? As you are looking at that, be careful with the specs for the wind turbines being sold. Some of them need a constant 30+ MPH wind to produce the rated power and it drops off very quickly with slower winds. For most situations, a good marine/boat windmill that produces a lot less power is the best you can do for residential wind.
 
Yes I live on the top of a mountain in the blue ridge mountain area in Georgia the sun shine is constant and a nice breeze but no sun and it gets pretty windy. I’m looking at wind as a backup power source to charge the batteries.
 
My well pump is 1 hp 230 volt running watts are 750 watts. 2100 watts at start up. This information I found on the web for the pump that was just installed the other day.

Induction motor? I would expect 5x surge, 3500W.

Above ground motor, or submersible pump? How many minutes/hours per day does it have to run to supply needed power?
A smaller motor would draw less, run longer for the same volume. Save money on inverter system.
In some cases, a brush-type pump or DC brushless can do the job. Depends on well depth etc.

If induction motor, likely 50 Hz would work, just runs slower.

Of course you can make a system to power other household loads too, get more use out of what you buy.
 
BTW: We also need to know how long the pump runs to calculate the battery size needed. Depending on the answer, the battery size can vary significantly.

If we assume it runs 25% of the time (that is almost certainly way too high)
  • 750W * .25 * 24Hr/Day = 4.5KWh.
  • If we assume we need enough for 1 cloudy day, we can double that to 9KWh.
  • To cover system losses, lets call that 10KWh. That is pretty big.

Now lets assume the pump runs 5% of the time.
  • 750W * .05 * 24Hr/Day = 0.9KWh.
  • If we assume we need enough for 1 cloudy day, we can double that to 1.8KWh.
  • To cover system losses lets call that 2KWh. That is much more manageable.

Having said that..... if he uses Solark, it may not matter as much. I am pretty sure SolArk is 48V so there will need to be 16Cells. Even just 100AH cells would provide ~5.1KWh. If the popular 270AH cells are used it is ~13.8KWh
 
Ok it’s a submersible pump 625 feet in the ground. I’m going to purchase a 500 gallon holding tank for above ground then a 110 volt pump to supply my home. So the deep well pump will only run when the tank is very low I decided to get the solark 12kwh unit and thinking of getting 4 Tesla model S modules for the batteries I’ve read a lot about them but still uncertain
 
The people here who've dealt with lithium batteries will tell you to DIY LiFePO4 with 280 Ah or similar cells. A couple of trusted sources.
The EV explody lithium cells are more bother and trouble, although some people are using them successfully.

But with the well pump while sun shines, small booster at night plan, do you have revised estimate of power draw at night? That could affect battery selection.
 
Night draw I have no clue at this time. I’m building a new log cabin right now and I want it completely off grid so I’m building it to be that way so if that means I don’t have the power for a dishwasher then I’m not installing one. If you know what I mean.
 
Look up the no-load draw of inverter.
Consider low voltage DC powered LED lights, and having inverter turn off with a timer or daylight sensor.
Daytime you can run bigger loads while panels produce power.
You might get it down to where even automotive starting batteries could be a buffer for daytime loads, providing starting surge for motors. Then you could commission the system with used batteries from a wrecking yard.
Upgrade to quality FLA or AGM later. Especially if typical discharge cycle is only to 15% DoD each day, those can give 15 years or 10 years service respectively.
 
Night draw I have no clue at this time.
With a little work you can get some pretty good estimate of the possible needs. Here is a tool that would help:

 
When you see this thread has just about finished and you get an actual working solution in place it would be nice if you drew up some plans on paper and explained the steps you did to accomplish your task. Many a farmer would appreciate your experience. And NO deep well injection pumps cannot be soft started. Think about hauing a 5-gallon bucket of water up 200+ feet. It needs a high Amp start.
 
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