Solar for cistern waterpump

[Piz]

I have I stalled a 850 gallon cistern and have hard wired the 1/2 hp springer pump to a 20 Amp service. It works well but I want to transition to Solar. I am wondering how many solar panels, battery, type inverter I will need. As it stands I have two 200 watt renogy panels and two 12 volt renagy batteries (100ah) and a 2000 watt renogy inverter. The springer pump is 115 volt and 10 Amp. Thanks for your input, Steve

 

[MichaelK]

Best way to do this is to put a clamp meter that has "inrush current" capability. I have and like the UniT216C for that. Once you know you're pump's inrush draw, you can calculate how many watts you will need. Off the top of my head though, I'd suggest that you want to go higher than 12V.

If you assume the inrush of your pump is ~55A (not sure, you measure it), you are likely to need at least a 6000W inverter to power it. Maybe a 3000W inverter if it is a high surge capacity low-frequency pure sine wave model. If your pump runs on 10A, it is likely to have a 40+A starting surge. I wouldn't even try with a Renogy inverter. It will likely shut down immediately, or perhaps damage your pump.

 

[Piz]

Best way to do this is to put a clamp meter that has "inrush current" capability. I have and like the UniT216C for that. Once you know you're pump's inrush draw, you can calculate how many watts you will need. Off the top of my head though, I'd suggest that you want to go higher than 12V.

If you assume the inrush of your pump is ~55A (not sure, you measure it), you are likely to need at least a 6000W inverter to power it. Maybe a 3000W inverter if it is a high surge capacity low-frequency pure sine wave model. If your pump runs on 10A, it is likely to have a 40+A starting surge. I wouldn't even try with a Renogy inverter. It will likely shut down immediately, or perhaps damage your pump.
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Michael, thank you for the quick reply and I appreciate it and i will pursue your advice. Piz