[RE-wrenches] Booster Pump/Slowpump information

Thu Oct 20 15:09:58 PDT 2011

I HAD one installed and the inspector would not let me use an inline fuse
(seems like it was a 1 amp) so we had to run it from a breaker and it locked
up and let the smoke out of it.

Just another experience,

Bob Ellison

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Roy Butler
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 5:33 PM
To: Allan at positiveenergysolar.com; RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Booster Pump/Slowpump information

Thank you Allan, this is really good information. I have about 35 of these
in the field at this time
and I'll need this info soon, I'm sure!

Roy Butler
NABCEP Certified Small Wind InstallerR
NABCEP Certified Solar PV InstallerR
NYSERDA eligible PV & wind 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.

On 10/20/2011 4:10 PM, Allan Sindelar wrote: 

Wrenches:
This information is important to those companies that have customers with
Dankoff/Flowlight Booster Pumps and Slowpumps. These pumps use DC motors to
drive rotary vane positive displacement pump heads made by Procon. Windy
Dankoff developed these pumps about 30 years ago and I think thousands have
been sold. Other than the quirkiness of their need for fine (10 micron)
filtration on the intake side, and the relative unreliability of the
optional dry run protection thermal snap switch, the pumps are exceptionally
well-made and long-lasting, in my experience.

Early (before around 1998) pumps were sold under the "Flowlight" name; then
under "Dankoff Solar Pumps" name until Conergy bought Dankoff around 2004.
The pumps had Conergy's name on them until around two years ago, when
Conergy closed its sales and distribution of water pumping, solar thermal,
and wind products. Innovative Solar bought the water pumping line and
restored the "Dankoff Pumps" name. Innovative Solar became Argand, and
changed their distribution model in order to not compete with their dealers
(attaboy!); Dankoff Pumps, while owned by Argand, is wholesale only; new
dealers must place a minimum stocking order. The pumps continue to be
manufactured here in Santa Fe by the same folks that have made and serviced
them for years, and quality and support remain high. 

Dankoff Pumps website is currently www.Dankoff-Pumps.com. Note the hyphen;
www.Dankoffpumps.com takes you to a (currently closed) online store, with
referral links to Dankoff Pumps for dealers who want to become dealers.
Dankoff Pumps will soon be either moving to or adding
www.DankoffSolarPumps.com as well, I understand, but this hasn't happened
yet. Contact Dankoff Pumps at matt at dankoff-pumps.com.

The Procon heads wear out. New replacement heads are available through
Dankoff Pumps (and probably other sources as well). However, the heads are
rebuildable, and the cost is much less than new. We always ask customers for
their old pump heads in exchange for new or rebuilt ones. The rebuilder is
Edco Service Center, 8220 Belvedere Ave., Suite F, Sacramento, CA 95826;
916-454-1445. The contact person there is Sandie,
sandie at edcodistributing.com.

Recently we learned some critical information related to pump rebuilding:
the heads may rebuilt in many configurations, and it's essential to specify
that the pump heads must be for potable water applications. This has to do
with the amount of lead in various internal components. According to Sandie
at Edco, you must specify a 114E head. According to Matt at Dankoff Pumps,
the full designation is 114E240F11XX for the Booster Pump head and this
should be specified in full. All original Booster Pump and Slowpump heads
were acceptable for potable water; however, due to a mixup of indeterminable
cause, we were recently sent a set of 104 rebuilt heads, which aren't
(according to the State of California) suitable for potable applications due
to lead content. To their credit, Edco will re-rebuild these heads to
potable standards at no cost to us save shipping, but this seemed to me to
be a good opportunity to share this information widely with other water
pumping Wrenches.

Allan

-- 
Allan Sindelar
 <mailto:Allan at positiveenergysolar.com> Allan at positiveenergysolar.com
NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer
NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional
New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
Positive Energy, Inc.
3201 Calle Marie
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
505 424-1112
www.positiveenergysolar.com <http://www.positiveenergysolar.com/>  

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