# Expensive rebuild



## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

Felt inflation today. The DC permanent magnet motor that powers my #homestead positive displacement piston water pump needed rebuilt. 24/7 irrigating takes it's toll, even on a continuous rated motor. During the rebuild I noticed the graphite brushes were worn out. The cheapest pair I could find were $30 on eBay. No fancy pigtail just hunks of carbon the size of grapes.

The cost of the motor has more than doubled in a few years too.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I feel your pain. We had to replace the water pump in our well. It supplies water for our house, the rent house, the cattle, and the 300 pecan trees.

$8,000.


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## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

That's a large pump


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Yes. It better last a long time.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

The doubling time for prices is found with the equation DT (in yrs) = 70 / r where r is the inflation rate.

$8 Gs is a big nut for most of us working stiffs to shell out at one time, but amortized over a 20 yr useful life, that's only $33/m--- pretty cheap considering the benefit derived, and, for perspective, a single family house in a town or city may well be paying $50/m for their water.....If that's any consolation to you, Alice.


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## Montanarchist (Feb 24, 2005)

$50/month is cheap compared to some places but it's still around 30% of my monthly budget. 

I bought this pump back in 05 for around 1200, and it ran without issues until about three years ago when I had to rebuild the pump down to the cylinder and replace the original PM DC motor at a cost of a couple hundred dollars. This rebuild will cost around $30. So for fifteen years or has cost me around $1500. Homesteading is all about getting rid of bills unless you want to fail. 

College debt might be the largest wage slave trap but every bill increases your required gross income which then gets taxed more which means you have to earn more ad nauseam.


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