Solar well pump with AC backup

[toyotaman]

I bought and installed my SimplePump.com hand pump in 2015 and would like to upgrade to their solar powered motorized operation.

My setup is that currently my home is using a 220v submersible pump into an 85 gallon pressure tank and I believe the pressure switch is setup for 40/60.

My Simple Pump is setup inline with the existing submersible pump and hand pumps into the existing pressure tank as a backup.

When I upgrade to motorized operating of the Simple Pump can I set it up to be the primary pump to pump into pressure but also keep the existing submersible pump in place to turn on in case of high water demand? I'd like it to come on automatically.

I assume I need to add a second pressure switch to control the Simple Pump and maybe add a second pressure tank.

Can anyone give advise on how I should size and/or configure them?

[bwkemp]

I couldn't find specific information about its specs but...

Yes you can. You need a second pressure switch. I would set them 10 psi apart (40/60 on one and 30/50 on the other). No need for a second pressure tank for what you are doing.

Now why you shouldn't want to run it as the main pump. I Presume it works like a windmill with a rod going down to the cylinder at the bottom of the pipe. That setup is a lot more maintenance/repair cost than your submersible pump. Whatever kind of packing they have on the rod at the top (where it goes into the pipe and goes up and down) will start leaking in short order (months or weeks) and need adjustment, repair, or replacement.

Depending on your situation a backup generator is usually a better solution. Or possibly a solar pump that can run off of utility power. The hand/solar pump is fine for emergencies only, but not for regular use.

Give me some more specifics about how often you need it, how deep your well is, how much water you use, and location and I can make more specific recommendations.

I work on hundreds of windmills a year, along with solar, and 220v pumps.

[Sunking]

Doing this backward. AC should be primary. I agree windmills is the way to go and forget solar.

[bwkemp]

I wouldnt agree windmills over solar. It depends on what you are doing. In his case a solar/grid tie pump would be best. A windmill would not work good at all to pressurize the system.

We work on a lot of windmills, but almost all the new wells (that power lines are far away from) we set up are solar for multiple reasons. (I started to list them but figured it was to much that didn't apply to this thread).

If you have power there anyway use a 220 pump and forget about windmill or solar and buy a generator if you want a backup. That being said if you lived somewhere (probably outside of USA) without reliable power solar backup might be an option.

Just my opinions, if you want to talk more about windmill vs solar vs grid tie start a new thread or message me.

[toyotaman]

Doing this backward. AC should be primary. I agree windmills is the way to go and forget solar.

My goal in this is to experiment with my first solar project at home as well as be able to say 'I've got my water off grid.' We went through Hurricane Irma a couple months back and lost power. And while our hand pump gave us the ability to pressurize our household pressure tank so we can flush toilets and run the faucet I'm looking for more.

I understand why you're saying that the AC submersible should be primary. But if I'm going to get this up and running I'd like to use it, not just having it sitting there as a backup.

[SunEagle]

My goal in this is to experiment with my first solar project at home as well as be able to say 'I've got my water off grid.' We went through Hurricane Irma a couple months back and lost power. And while our hand pump gave us the ability to pressurize our household pressure tank so we can flush toilets and run the faucet I'm looking for more.

I understand why you're saying that the AC submersible should be primary. But if I'm going to get this up and running I'd like to use it, not just having it sitting there as a backup.

You do understand that running that pump from a solar/battery system is more expensive then just running it from the POCO grid.

[Sunking]

I understand why you're saying that the AC submersible should be primary. But if I'm going to get this up and running I'd like to use it, not just having it sitting there as a backup.

You do clearly understand anything you take of-grid, the power is going to cost you 5 to 10 times more than buying it from the POCO the rest of your life right?

[J.P.M.]

Doing this backward. AC should be primary. I agree windmills is the way to go and forget solar.

A wind turbine/generator seem a bit ill suited to simply supply domestic water for a home, and as commonly or mostly agreed, not very practical for most residential applications in general.

For as often as grid power is unavailable, I'd stick with the hand methods - seems like a couple of orders of magnitude less hassle.