Grundfos SQFlex

[PVCabin]

DO NOT buy a pump, till your well is drilled and flow tested.

I will definitely hold off on the pump. I was just trying to get an idea as to how much more solar power ($$) I would need to run my future well pump. Doesn't look like it will take as much as I initially thought, but I guess I will see after the well is drilled.

[Mike90250]

DO NOT buy a pump, till your well is drilled and flow tested.

1) it could be a dry well (I got 2 of them sick puppies !)

2) pumps are rated for Lift (depth) and Flow (volume) After your well is established, you can select a pump according to your needs and the well conditions.

3) there may be other factors, maybe sand in the well (needs a different kind of pump) or clay fines - many different reasons to not buy till the well is done.

[russ]

If it is from Grundfos it is accurate no doubt - as long as you stay within the prescribed conditions

NOTE: Daily volume and flow calculations are based on38

[PVCabin]

SteveC, thanks for the information. I guess I will just have to drill the well and see what happens. I was originally thinking about using the generator to run the well pump, but perhaps now I can use solar power and back it up with the Gen. I came across this spec sheet for the Grundfos-not sure how accurate this is, but hopefully it will allow me to increase the PV array just enough to power the pump. Curious as to what other think of this table and if appears to be accurate...

http://www.aurorapower.net/products/categoryid/23/list/1/level/a/productid/27.aspx

[SteveC]

I definitely want to go with the soft start, even if I use the Gen to run the well pump. Do you by chance know the model of the SQ pump and your well info: depth and static water level?

Thank you!

SQEO5 180 is our model. Five gpm.

The drillers hit water at 325 feet, good flow of 5 gpm. However, in our case, it turned out to be a flowing well, so the head begins at the top of the well pipe rather than 325 feet down. The well top is about 100 feet below our cistern, so we call it 100 feet of head.

We are also at 8500 ft. MSL elevation, and that is supposed to lead to derating the efficiency of the pump. I have held a stop watch and a five-gal. bucket up at the cistern and timed the fill...turns out to be as close to 5 gpm as I can tell with that crude but not ridiculous test. So the pump does as rated even up here at this elevation. Helps that it's a flowing well, of course, as the head remains static since the well is producing about what the pump is pumping.

The Grunfos has been in use here for four years; so far, no trouble and it works great. The 11 amp starting surge is no issue for our 2800 w. Outback inverter, nor was it a problem for our old Trace 2500 w. inverter before we replaced it last summer. The Trace is a modified sine wave inverter and that also caused no problems with the pump.

So, in summary, we get 5 gpm from the pump, as rated, and that's with a hundred foot head. The way the pump runs, I think we'd be fine if our head was significantly more than a hundred feet, though I haven't any way to try that.

[Mike90250]

The chest freezer to a fridge conversion, is well known. I like the thermostat he has rigged up for his kit. But, it needs an odd spot to store it in, a conventional kitchen has no site for it.

A regular size 18CF energy star fridge has many advantages over the mini fridges or the "special solar power fridges". After a couple years, the savings on propane, pays for the extra PV panels used. You can pay now, once, or pay a little bit forever.

[PVCabin]

Found this article while researching energy efficient refrigerators...Very interesting.

http://mtbest.net/chest_fridge.pdf

[PVCabin]

We have a SQ Flex installed in our well, half horse. I don't have the spec's handy, but far as I recall, the pump co. that sold me the pump tried to get me to take the non-soft start version. They told me that version had a 60 amp starting surge. No way I wanted to get into that, so I insisted on the soft start. They said the soft start version drew 11 amps surge. I paid about a hundred bucks more for the soft start, very glad I did.

I definitely want to go with the soft start, even if I use the Gen to run the well pump. Do you by chance know the model of the SQ pump and your well info: depth and static water level?

Thank you!

[PVCabin]

If it is that cold there in the winter consider using the Irish Ice box as my mother would call it The front porch. I am also sure you could set up some sort of system that uses cold outside air to keep things cold with a compressor to kick in when it was not cold enough outside. Considering you are getting the least out of the solar in the winter when it is cold this may be an option It could be done with something as simple as a remote bulb thermostat connected into the compressor circuit to lock it out when it is say 20 degrees outside or below. then the refrigerator thermostat would only bring on a fan to circulate from the outside. Now a freezer could be more challenging perhaps a separate small chest freezer?

In the winter is does get cold, there was not a cloud in the sky today with a relatively warm temperature of 37F, but at night it drops into the teens and occasionally single digits/sometimes negative. I was thinking about the 'Irish Icebox', but there are too many animals up here (rabbits, deer, elk, bears...etc), so not really an option for me. I really like the idea of bringing in the cold air for the fridge during the winter-I will have to research this option as it would certainly work! As far as the freezer, I will try and research a small chest freezer that is energy star rated...

[PVCabin]

Propane Fridge - if you use it more than 5mo of the year, solar works out to be less expensive, than refilling the propane.Must get Energy Star rated fridge, < 400KWH year spec. The extra solar gear pays it off in a couple years.

Hey Mike, thank you for that info...I was only thinking of using propane since the fridge was using up the majority of the solar system. I will be using it year-round, but the compact fridges I was looking at are around the 320kwh/year...or about 870W/day; which would exactly DOUBLE my daily usage. So is it still cheaper to double the solar gear requirement just to run the fridge? I would actually prefer to go this route and not rely on the propane, but seems expensive considering my minimal daily usage...Just a thought.

[SteveC]

We have a SQ Flex installed in our well, half horse. I don't have the spec's handy, but far as I recall, the pump co. that sold me the pump tried to get me to take the non-soft start version. They told me that version had a 60 amp starting surge. No way I wanted to get into that, so I insisted on the soft start. They said the soft start version drew 11 amps surge. I paid about a hundred bucks more for the soft start, very glad I did.

[Naptown]

If it is that cold there in the winter consider using the Irish Ice box as my mother would call it The front porch. I am also sure you could set up some sort of system that uses cold outside air to keep things cold with a compressor to kick in when it was not cold enough outside. Considering you are getting the least out of the solar in the winter when it is cold this may be an option It could be done with something as simple as a remote bulb thermostat connected into the compressor circuit to lock it out when it is say 20 degrees outside or below. then the refrigerator thermostat would only bring on a fan to circulate from the outside. Now a freezer could be more challenging perhaps a separate small chest freezer?

[Mike90250]

Propane Fridge - if you use it more than 5mo of the year, solar works out to be less expensive, than refilling the propane. Must get Energy Star rated fridge, < 400KWH year spec
The extra solar gear pays it off in a couple years.

[PVCabin]

Thanks Mike, I will look into the RV/Marine pumps. I was planning on getting the Generac 6Kw as this is specifically designed for off-grid use and could run the pump and charge the batteries on cloudy/snowy days. I would assume this generator has sufficient power...my solar system will only require about 800W of panels, although still working on the final system requirements. My two biggest power draws were going to be the fridge (getting a Consul propane fridge) and the well pump (will now run off the Gen). Not sure yet about the washer/dryer-may do the Wonder Wash and clothes line for now...

[Mike90250]

Sounds right to me. I'd still get a genset that can run the pump, and power a plug-in charger for the batteries, as long as you are burning fuel, may as well charge too.

Look in the Boat & RV market for small pressure systems, they may provide up to 2 GPM for a shower.