Solar well experiences?

[STXdevilsquid]

Looking to put a solar pump on one of the wells, was wondering if anyone had any experiences?

 

[Sam Colt]

How deep is the well?

 

[STXdevilsquid]

Water around 200'

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[Sam Colt]

2 options:

Set up a panel array and battery bank and drop a 24v pump down the shaft. The cons are the power loss through the 200' of wire and the cost of pulling the pump and related maintenance if it fails.

Get a Simple Pump and solar motor. The motor drives the shaft from the top so there's no loss due to the wiring, the motor is simple to service, and there is an option to attach a handle and pump by hand.

200' is the limit for the Simple Pump, but it's doable and works great.

Also, you can get a well cap with holes for the electric AND hand pump pipes from Simple Pump. Run off the grid until a problem hits, and then shift easily to solar. Works great for me. Expensive up-front, but well worth the peace of mind.

http://www.simplepump.com/

 

[F350-6]

Without a battery storage I'd skip the solar if it were me, but I'm no master at this. I do have a well though. My opinion would be a windmill with a hand pump back up would be a better option.

Too low a voltage from the solar panels or batteries and I'd worry it would burn out the pump and then make it even harder to get water out.

 

[STXdevilsquid]

For this well, I want the well to pump into a collection tank, then overfill into a livestock/fish tank. This isn't primary, but will tie into other primary well as back up. Wells already there, just no pump in it.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Get a Simple Pump and solar motor.
200' is the limit for the Simple Pump, but it's doable and works great.
http://www.simplepump.com/

I want to thank you for this information. I'm also considering a well and solar pump. This looks like a great way to go.

 

[Sam Colt]

YVW. We installed ours in the same well shaft as the main electric pump. They were very easy to deal with. The pump is everything we wanted and more.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

I was considering a submersible solar pump from Advanced Power with a "back-up" hand pump from Flojak. This has it all in one unit, and having installed and then replaced my own Sears submersible pump thirty some years ago, I know I didn't want to do that again if I could avoid it.
The pipe and rod going down in the hole, is it corrosion resistant and have a long lifespan? How is it for freeze protection?

 

[Sam Colt]

The rod is carbon fiber; the well pipe is PVC with a ball valve at the foot. The very top section of well pipe has a weep hole 16' down. When the pump is not being used, the water drains to that level to prevent freezing.

They have good YouTube overviews.

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Thank you. Sounds well thought out.

 

[STXdevilsquid]

So this thing goes over an existing well? So they are both there?

 

[Sam Colt]

Depending on your bore size, yes. You replace the well cap and this can go in the bore next to your existing drop pipe.