[RE-wrenches] Pump choice - Grundfos or Lorentz; distributors of Lorentz

[tom at thesolar.biz]

I have had problems with both the Lorentz and Grundfos. The controllers on
the Lorentz have had some problems, but changing out the controller is way
easier than pulling the pump which you would do if it was a Grundfos. 

We had three of the Lorentz rotor failures that Windy mentioned, they seemed
to be all around 2005 - 2006 and since then they fixed the problem.

If I had a deep well I would go with the Lorentz over the Grundfos as the
electronics are in the well with the Grundfos. I have been a marine
electrician for years and I always figured that water and electronics were
job security, if you get the jist. 

  Tom Duffy
  Systems Design Engineer
  tom at thesolar.biz
  575-539-2111 X 301

-----Original Message-----
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Roy Butler
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 9:31 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Pump choice - Grundfos or Lorentz; distributors
of Lorentz

I have 11 Lorentz systems in the field. The biggest problems I had were 
with the controller.
Infant mortality, failure within the first 3 months and the float switch 
circuit failing were some of the issues.
I also ran into the rubber problem that Windy mentioned.

So I switched to Grundfos. 16 of those in the field now.
I've had a lot of trouble with the CU200 controller. The dreaded F4 
fault is the worst.

The controller loses communication with the pump. I had a bad batch of 
CU200s that had
faulty modems but got those replaced under warranty. I've had 2 pumps 
with bad modems
as well. Sometimes the pump won't run at all with an F4 fault, but most 
times it will. But the pump
is stuck on the setting it was in when the comm failed and performance 
isn't usually very good.

Even with these problems, I still prefer the Grundfos system. I love the 
flexible input voltage.
It gave me the flexibility to adapt the array when module availability 
was hit or miss.

As for customer support....when Dankoff Solar was handling their version 
of the Lorentz pump
known as the "ETA" pump (aka the Regretta pump!) the customer service 
was phenomenal.
With Conergy, not so good.

I'm still underwhelmed by the Grundfos factory support. They would 
rather have the pump distributors
handle all the warranty issues. When I need to contact Grundfos 
directly, I get the distinct feeling that I'm
inconveniencing them.

I'm installing 5 more Grundfos systems this spring. Maybe all will be 
goodness and light this time ;-)

And Windy.....really glad to see you back in the game for a bit. I've 
missed you my friend!
Also very happy to have support for the many Dankoff pumps I have out 
there. All running very well.


Roy Butler
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer(r)
NYSERDA eligible PV & wind installer
PA Sunshine Program Approved PV Installer
Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC
8902 Route 46
Arkport, NY 14807
607-324-9747

www.four-winds-energy.com

Although no trees were killed in the sending of this message, 
a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

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Windy Dankoff wrote:
> Bob,
>
> Warren is referring to problems with Lorentz that showed up 5-7 years 
> ago. There was a problem with rubber that occurred only in some kinds 
> of water. It took a long time to track down. It was solved and 
> reliability has been high ever since. That's what I've heard from 
> several sources.
>
> I would consider both Lorentz and Grundfos -- look at total system 
> cost of both and make your choice from there. You'll also see that the 
> control options are different, so consider those too if the decision 
> is a close one.
>
> Windy
>
>
> Warren Lauzon wrote:
>> At one time Dankoff (the pre-Conergy Dankoff Solar) handled the the 
>> Lorentz submersibles. They dropped them after about a year because of 
>> failures.
>> Now, that was several years ago and Lorentz may have gotten their 
>> problems fixed, but we have felt more comfortable with the Grundfos.
>  
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