DC booster pump [RE-wrenches]

[Windy Dankoff]

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Wrenches

There are two sources of noise in the Shurflo system. One is the  
mechanical vibe of the machine. The other is the pulsation from the  
diaphragm action. The pulsation is the serious problem because it can  
often be heard all through the house through the pipes.

Howie mentions "several feet" of flex tubing and yes, that's the trick.

Even when I was selling and installing Flowlights, I used Shurflo as  
an alternative in cases of silty water including rain catch systems  
in dust country. I would hook one up with 3/4" clear vinyl braided  
flex hose (from any hardware store) and observe by feeling with a  
hand. If you have more than 6 feet of hose on the outlet, you will  
feel the pulsation expanding the hose near the pump. As you move your  
hand away from the pump, you feel it diminish. At somewhere around 7  
feet, it's nearly gone. So I recommend minimum 7 feet of hose even if  
you need to coil it up. It deadens the pipe noise almost 100%. I also  
reason that it reduces back-pressure spikes against the diaphragm. I  
believe this is why so many people experience short longevity while  
the guys here are reporting long life.

On the intake, the amount of flex tubing doesn't seem to be critical,  
so I recommend any short length of flex. Avoid sharp bend that may  
collapse under suction.

The flex greatly reduces the chance of somebody breaking a fitting on  
the pump! It also makes service very easy, and it helps that it's  
transparent so you can see bubbles.

Down-side: Plumbing Codes in some states require rigid pipe for main  
feeds and inspectors in some places (Colorado was one) wouldn't pass  
the flex. I would recommend rigid, then retrofit later.

Regarding noise with the Flowlight when it starts up, that's due to  
accumulated bubbles from gasses releasing from the water under  
suction. That can be impossible to solve if water contains high  
dissolved gasses. Little you can do except follow all the rules  
outlined in the manual to minimize suction. Or use the low-speed  
model. And, know when the product is simply out of its feasibility  
range so you don't learn the hard way. You can download the manual  
from Conergy.

I agree with those who prefer to use a soft-start AC pump for  
standard home systems. DC pumps continue to fill a niche where water  
use is conservative and energy efficiency is critical, and especially  
where a sizable inverter is NOT part of the picture. Their positive  
displacement mechanisms make them more fussy about intake conditions  
however, so beware.

I still lurk on the list, but not very often. After this thread, if  
you wish to count me in, you may cc. me directly at windydankoff at mac.com

Still solar pumping at my home with an early ETAPUMP in the well, and  
a Solar Force Piston Pump for the pressure. In summer, I bypass the  
float switch in the storage tank using a wind-up timer, and the  
overflow waters a corn patch. We celebrated our fourth year of sweet  
corn this summer.

Happy to lend occasional advice, before I finish forgetting ...
Windy


> Hi Jeff,
>
> My experience with the Shurflo booster pumps has actually been pretty
> good. As long as sand and grit are kept out of the diaphragm they have
> lasted many years for me. The do set up a decent vibration so it  
> helps to
> use several feet of tubing on either side, to anchor it to a solid  
> base
> that is vibration isolated well, and to sound insulate the whole  
> setup as
> best possible. I have no experience with other booster pumps, mostly
> because the shurflo has worked well enough for me and my clients...
>
> Howie
> -- 
> Howie Michaelson
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
>
> Sun Catcher, LLC
> Renewable Energy Systems Sales and Service
> http://www.SunCatcherVT.com
> (cell) 802-272-0004
> (home) 802-439-6096

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