[RE-wrenches] two VFX3524's and a Franklin 3hp sub pump

[R Ray Walters]

We've done a few set ups with storage cisterns too. While it definitely takes the load off the inverters, it has some downsides:
1) if the genie goes down, you are out of water, which is worse than being out of electricity.
2) Even the best cisterns filled from a clean water source, get nasty after a while and need regular chlorination to be safe.
Systems with tanks and float switches will fail, not if but when. After a few years, the float hangs up or goes bad, and then either the tank goes dry, or overflows.
I've lived with such a system for almost 10 years (along with mild dysentery), and was glad to convert to a single pump system. Less hassle, and cleaner water (dysentery cleared up amazingly).
Taos realtors do water quality tests on most real estate sales, and guess what? The cisterns were not passing. (chloroform bacteria levels too high) 
Since I'm all about safety, I quit putting my name on these potential disease pools, and started converting systems over.
The closer the water system is to normal, the less liability you are assuming.
 
R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer




On Jun 15, 2010, at 3:45 PM, Jeff Yago wrote:

> We designed and installed a few off grid systems out west about 10 years ago and found all the wells there drill halfway to China.  Since here in Virginia most wells hit quality water at 30 feet, we know there was no way the single SW4048 could handle a 2 or 3 HP pump.  
> 
> So we installed a 300 gallon plastic tank, ( the non-pressurized kind they sell farmers to store chemicals) on the concrete floor in the basement, and used a float switch to signal the 12 kW generator to start and run the deep well pump until the tank was full.  Since the float ball was adjustable, this usually means the pump and generator only runs every few days, and since it takes over an hour to refill, we good a good charge on the batteries at the same time.
> 
> We installed a DC pressure pump at the bottom outlet of this tank which supplies the regular expansion tank and house through a carbon filter and a ultra-violet filter first. We later found we needed a sand filter on the line from the well to the tank as after a year you will get a layer of sand in the bottom which the DC gear pump does not like.
> 
> These tanks are cheap, strong, clean, and you can get about any size and shape, including some "flat" designs than will go sideways through a door and look like a stack of pancakes.
> 
> The 4 kW inverter runs all house loads and has no major large motor loads.  The generator not only easily runs the well pump and charges the batteries when solar is low, but we added several outside faucets on the well pump side of the tank for fire protection and car washing.
> 
> Here is a link to photos ---->    http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago71.html
> 
> Hope this helps,
> 
> Jeff Yago
> DTI Solar
> 
>  
> Netscape.  Just the Net You Need.
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