Inverters / controllers for well pump & lights

[2022solarguy]

12V would be hard to do on a well pump. Let's say startup surge is 30A. 30A x 120V = 3600W per leg. 3600W divided by 12V = 300A needed for a 12V system per leg for a total of 600A.

24V system would be 150A, 48V system would be 75A per leg.

Ok thanks...I think a hand pump at the well would be alot more practical than trying to rigg up solar..im already hooked up to the grid just trying to have backup.

 

[timselectric]

Ok thanks...I think a hand pump at the well would be alot more practical than trying to rigg up solar..im already hooked up to the grid just trying to have backup.

A belt driven pump, connected to a stationary bicycle with a fan belt. Is another option, if you need to pump a lot of water. And, it gives the kido's something to do, when the power is down.

 

[2022solarguy]

That is genius...I didn't realize a guy could just run hose or pipe along side the existing pump till last night...get a manual pump and your in business..id only need solar for a refrigerator and lights, maybe some small appliances

 

[TorC]

One note: usually the smallest casing you can reliably get two pumps down side by side is a 5". If you have a 4" you can try measuring the casing, the stand pipe, and the specs on your hand pump cylinder to see if it will fit. Failing that, the only hand pump I know of that will always work in a small well is the Bison inline cylinder.

 

[2022solarguy]

right on, thanks..ive found a flojack pump on the internet..they seem like they work too..ill check out the bison

 

[MichaelK]

That is genius...I didn't realize a guy could just run hose or pipe along side the existing pump till last night...get a manual pump and your in business..id only need solar for a refrigerator and lights, maybe some small appliances

This might or might not actually work. It's standard practice to attach torque arrestors around the well-pipe are various intervals to prevent the gyroscopic effects of the spinning pump motor from loosening screwed pipe junctions. A second tube slid down the well casing will not be able to pass this. My well pipe has two installed.

 

[timselectric]

I don't know much about well pumps. But, could you tap into the existing pipe with a "T" , add a couple shut off valves. And then install the extra pump on the "T" ?
Would there be any issues with drawing water through the existing pump?

 

[MichaelK]

I don't know much about well pumps. But, could you tap into the existing pipe with a "T" , add a couple shut off valves. And then install the extra pump on the "T" ?
Would there be any issues with drawing water through the existing pump?

This would depend on the depth of the water. It is physically impossible to "suck" water that is deeper than 32'. Deep water pumps must "push" the water up from the bottom of the well. Though water can be sucked only 32', it can be pushed up hundreds or even thousands of feet.

 

[timselectric]

In that case, how does a hand pump work?
This was a suggestion, above.

 

[MichaelK]

In that case, how does a hand pump work?
This was a suggestion, above.

The units I seen advertised have what I believe is called a "sucker rod", a thin steel rod that get threaded down the hole along with the pump. As the pump gets deeper, additional lengths of rod get screwed together, till the unit reaches the desired depth. So, as the pump handle gets pumped up and down, it is moving the sucker rod up and down, which is actuizing the pump mechanism.

 

[TorC]

MichalK is right. Most hand pumps, and all deep well hand pumps, are designed with a positive displacement mechanism at the bottom that gets actuated by the sucker rod he describes.

The reason for the 32' limit is the pressure of the atmosphere. Above that the weight of the water column below pulls the pressure at the top down to vacuum and boils the water.

 

[timselectric]

That explains it.
Thanks, guys.

 

[2022solarguy]

I don't know much about well pumps. But, could you tap into the existing pipe with a "T" , add a couple shut off valves. And then install the extra pump on the "T" ?
Would there be any issues with drawing water through the existing pump?

Not sure but it might make things difficult in the winter when everything freezes

MichalK is right. Most hand pumps, and all deep well hand pumps, are designed with a positive displacement mechanism at the bottom that gets actuated by the sucker rod he describes.

The reason for the 32' limit is the pressure of the atmosphere. Above that the weight of the water column below pulls the pressure at the top down to vacuum and boils the water.

Those flojack pumps have line that goes down 200'...not sure where the pump rests

 

[MichaelK]

One note: the Schneider SW4048 inverter cannot be paralleled, or at least that's what I got looking in December. Older ones they sold as being stackable, but something wasn't working, and the newer ones, last I saw, are sold as single inverter only.

This was a big surprise for me. I have the 2015 model year of the 4024, and my manual specifically states that two units can be paralleled. Sadly, it appears that from the model year 2020 onward, the Conext is no longer parallelable. I have to apologize to anyone I gave bad advice to.

 

[2022solarguy]

This was a big surprise for me. I have the 2015 model year of the 4024, and my manual specifically states that two units can be paralleled. Sadly, it appears that from the model year 2020 onward, the Conext is no longer parallelable. I have to apologize to anyone I gave bad advice to.
View attachment 91612

It's all good