# Solar powered well water and 60% hot water



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

I have installed and am using solar power to run 80% of my total water needs... Hot and cold. My electric bill was literally cut in half.  I use pv panels and batteries to provide the water. I use a solar hot water collector to provide 90% of summer needs and about 30% of my needs in the other 3 seasons.

P.S. half was about 75 dollars a month savings.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Lets start with the pumping...

I used a shurflo 9300 deep well pump. I pump into 2 55 gallon food grade drums for about 100 gallons of storage. The pump is triggered by a simple float switch. The water then flows from the barrels to a standard 12volt rv style pressure pump. It's powered by a single 100 watt panel and a 120 amp hr battery.
The system works well and is mostly trouble free. except for the well wire; I reused the old wire and it broke, had nicks, caused issues ... Buy the wire that is sold by shurflo for the pump. It will save you a lot of trouble.... I know it's expensive..... I know it's that expensive. 

This provides 100% of our water needs. Our pump is at 150ft. If your well is real deep you may need more panels to get the energy for the deep well pump. But the cost isn't that much more.

A few links to the actual parts..

Pressure pump
http://www.paulbparts.com/sprayer-pa...-diaphragm-pum

Well pump
http://sunshineworks.com/shurflo-930...ible-pumps.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Panel-St...olar+panel+kit

float switch for cistern
http://www.amazon.com/Float-Switch-C...s=float+switch

The food grade plastic barrels were 15.00 on Craigs list. (you could maybe get them cheaper) but these were clean and just needed rinsed and sanitized. 

The rest of the items were found locally at the homedepot.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

The solar water heating

I setup a basic system like SolarGary's 1000 dollar system. It works great! The only things I did different is I made a big tank (320 gallons) so I can have lots of storage, got a 12 volt pump, and a solar controller that runs on 12volts. I power it all with my well pumping setup. So it's 100% solar.

I did have to get an additional 120 amp hour battery and an additional 100 watt panel. (it was likely enough power, but the battery was often at 70% after a few days of less idea conditions, I want 80% or better. So I dded more power and storage.)

Here is the link to the pump.
http://www.amazon.com/Huhushop-TM-S...&qid=1414193820&sr=8-13&keywords=12+volt+pump

Here is the link to the controller. For the controller you open it up and remove the little transformer... Then it just runs on 12 volts. 

http://www.amazon.com/TK-SC6-Electr...193876&sr=8-1&keywords=solar+controller+water


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

For the winter I have added a "stove" heater to my coal stove, purchased an additional 12v pump, and simple differential controller. It will help heat the water so I don't need the electric!!! So far it has worked marginally. Keeping the water in the 120 range. It seems it needs higher burn rates to function well... Old man winter isn't too far off now tho and it will get to the set point once the stove is really running. When the stove is @ 400 or so the "heater" pumps out about 8000 btus an hour. 

for the coil
http://www.hilkoil.com/

for the controller 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVGWT4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

I also found a nifty device to get more from the well pump. It's a up converter. The pump is more effecient at a higher voltage. So I set this to at 24 volts. I gain 5 gallons an hour for the same power. 

http://www.amazon.com/DROK-Converter-Voltage-Regulator-Charger/dp/B00BZR9PBW/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y


Please note that this must be set with a meter so you have it correct.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Final post on the components... I made a small panel with led indicators and switches for the 12 volt system in the house. It uses simple switches and leds to indicate for instance if the pumps are running or If the cistern tanks are very low. The switches let you turn the various pumps off and on remotely if needed. Like when the deep well pump stopped pumping because of a bad wire. We discovered it after the tanks were totally empty and the big pressure pump was running and running. Now if the light comes on.... We know there is an issue. 

This wasn't difficult to make but does require a bit of electrical knowledge. LEDs with resisters are exceedingly cheap less than 10 cents a piece and the switches and relays were less than 20 bucks. A neat setup if you have the know how.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Now for the good posts....


Pictures!!!


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)




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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Home made led switch panel. Red means the switch is "on". Green means the pump is pumping. 




Wire "mess" in the basement. Note everything is fuse and grounded.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

The only changes I'd suggest is a smaller pressure pump. I have a huge one. The "FAT BOY" It's rated at 7 gallons a min at 60 PSI and capable of 100 PSI. A smaller 5 gal /60 pump would be all that is really needed and use less power over time. I'd also get a different well pump. The shurflo is fine but the wire sealing system problematic. Their are several that use conventional wiring systems. Be careful tho. Some pumps require you get a voltage controller that costs several hundred dollars for the warranty and is not needed if running off a battery. The positives are that this pump is fully user serviceable and extra parts are available. So you can have several spares of ware parts. You may need them.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Instead of a smaller pressure pump just add inline one or two Big bladder tanks.
The more more pressure storage the more "draw down" between times the pressure pump comes on.
With that big pressure pump you can easily fill an 60 to 80 gallon bladder pressure tank.........


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Jim-mi said:


> Instead of a smaller pressure pump just add inline one or two Big bladder tanks.
> The more more pressure storage the more "draw down" between times the pressure pump comes on.
> With that big pressure pump you can easily fill an 60 to 80 gallon bladder pressure tank.........



I have a standard 26 gallon pressure tank already. It really is plenty.

The reason I don't need so much flow per min aka 7 gallons... is none of my faucets use near that much. Water conserving aerators, low flow shower heads, and the like make a huge pump useless except for filling the tub. And other than my 6 year old no one uses that. 

The difference in pump efficiency is huge tho.

The big guy uses 17 amps for 60 psi and 5 GPM. and the smaller one uses 13 for 60 psi and 3.5 GPM


It would seem that the big guy is more efficient. Except that batteries work better delivering less power for a longer period of time.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

Just curious..

How long does it take your pump to pressure the 26 gal. tank back up?

I use the Shurflo 2088 type pumps. (Demand) I always figured it was more efficient to use them as such. I don't have a pressure storage tank but I do have a section of my plumbing that will expand/contract to work with the pressure switch. (An 8' piece of good quality garden hose)

When I use a spigot or take a shower, the pump is basically "Free Flow", or just fighting the resistance of the shower head (Low Flow) or the small openings of the spigot(s). During use, the pump draws ~4 amps. When I shut the spigot/shower off, the pump then begins to make pressure and the current draw is much higher (~12-14 amps) but for a very short period of time. (1-3 seconds) It doesn't need to run for a longer period of time to build up enough pressure to make the pressure switch shut it down..

I can crack a spigot open, just enough to allow the pump to run constant, and it can be pulling as much as 8-10 amps, depending on how much water that I'm allowing to get through. This would simulate a pressure tank building up pressure, getting close to the upper pressure setting. As the pressure increases, the pump must work harder to make the shut off level pressure for a longer period of time..

Is it really more efficient to use a pressure tank on a demand pump? Just my theory..


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

12vman said:


> Just curious..
> 
> How long does it take your pump to pressure the 26 gal. tank back up?
> 
> ...



Generally the pump runs for about two minutes. It's a hog. The pictures don't do it justice... think of your 2088 9" long and 6" wide.

The big difference with a tank I suppose is that you can draw small amounts water often without running the pump at all. Like flushing a low flow toilet. A gallon or two doesn't trigger the pump. Also, when it runs your amps consumed are generally at the approx. middle of the road. So say at 40psi you use 10 amps and at 60 you use 15. Your using an average of 12.5 all the time. With no tank your using as much as the pump can for a particular flow rate. So a low flow like a gallon a min shower head might be near the top amp rating all the time. So strangely a higher flow shower head may require less amps. An odd paradox indeed. Tho, I don't know if in the "real world" using more water at a less pressure would indeed result in less power consumption. I figure the actual amps aren't that different. One other thing to consider is the life of the pump. If it's always running at it's "max." rate it will stress it more than never getting to that point. My fatboy, has a max psi of 100, it never goes above 60 because I use a separate pressure switch. The average pressure it's pumping against is 50 psi. It's on at 40 off at 60. It also seems to pump a long time at the lower pressure and suddenly peak. But it could just be the very old pressure gage sticking.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

*The big difference with a tank I suppose is that you can draw small amounts water often without running the pump at all*.

I understand this but the pump must replace the used water. As the pressure builds, the pump works harder for a longer period of time, drawing more current for a longer length of time. Maybe in the long run, the pump runs for about the same amount of time but in my case, higher current is only pulled for a few seconds, compared to ~2 minutes, tapering higher as the pressure builds..

Again, I'm just comparing to my system and my thoughts with no intention of being condescending. 

I need to conserve water around here. The low flow isn't a concern and it actually helps me. (~1 gal./min.) As long as it squirts out of the shower head and provides enough flow to turn on the tankless water heater, I'm good to go..

My flow pressure is dependent on the amount of resistance. I assume my open flow pressure to be easily under 10 lbs. but will gain to shut off pressure (~35-40 lbs.) in a matter of seconds. I don't have a gauge inline so I only assume the upper level, according to the specs of the pump. The pump doesn't work hard at all during usage but will grunt for those few seconds while it's building up pressure to shut off..

I also use a Shurflo to pull water from my outside collection tank to fill my indoor storage tanks.(I collect from my roof) This pump runs free flow constantly when I'm drawing in water. It uses ~2.5 amps. When it starts drawing any more than that, I know the input filter in the collection tank is getting clogged..

Great looking system! Very well planned.. Thanks for sharing!


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Nice setup.

I should be posting here in a couple weeks on my well pump setup that will be used mainly for watering an orchard until we move to the ranch. It's based on the same pump with a 120 watt 24V panel running PV direct.

WWW


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