Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

water cooled condenser/solar well pump

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • water cooled condenser/solar well pump

    Moving to a new home with a well. Here in Tampa the water table is very shallow so I'm guessing less that 50' before you hit the aquifer. The AC unit in the home has a water cooled condenser. If I install a solar well pump will it be able to keep up with the pump run time needed for the condenser and the house? Or will I need battery backup to make it possible? 2 adults one child in the home. Thank you

  • #2
    Hi - Welcome to Solar Panel Talk!

    You would need a charger and batteries. Otherwise you would only be pumping when the sun was shining.

    I doubt you want the ground water passing through the AC unit condenser - usually it is not clean enough and would soon coat the inside of the condenser - They usually are not cleanable.

    In that case you would need a separate loop for the ground water and a second heat exchanger.

    You also want to check if you can draw ground water for that purpose. Many localities have restrictions on any once through use.

    Russ
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    Comment


    • #3
      Condensing unit is 8 years old and has been using groudwater as it's cooling source since it was installed It is not uncommon to use the groundwater to cool a condenser. There are no chemicals involved,tubes are stainless so nothing is added back into the water supply. Until the unit fails, replacing it is not an option.
      I am trying to determine if using solar for the well pump is economically feasible or not. I have plenty of room for panel/panels and batteries if need be. Guess I'm not sure exactly how to calculate the requirement for a system like this?
      Last edited by BLPen163; 04-04-2011, 09:03 AM. Reason: additional info

      Comment


      • #4
        What is the size of the motor (kW or hp) and starting current if available. How many hours a day will the motor run?

        If you have an AC pump you need and inverter as well.

        I believe you will be surprised to see the cost of such a system.

        It is uncommon to see ground water used most places actually. Not too many locations have pure enough water to get away with it.

        Russ
        [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

        Comment


        • #5
          400 watts of solar can move a fair amount of water, while the sun shines. for nightime and cloudy days, you will need to either do
          Grid Tie with your solar ( and use the grid as your battery )
          Install batteries, and reduce efficiency by 50% for nighttime, and buy new batteries every 7 years.

          I'd check with your electric utility company, and find if they have a Grid Tie policy and Net Metering Plan. That will take 95% of your harvest, and deduct it from your bill. In Florida, it will take a lot of solar PV to zero out your bill, but even a 5KW array will put a dent in it.
          Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
          || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
          || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

          solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
          gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

          Comment


          • #6
            This is just silly to try to do with solar battery system. Why on earth do you want to pay 10 times more for electricity than what FPL charges?
            MSEE, PE

            Comment

            Working...
            X