[RE-wrenches] Shurflo pump

Wed Jun 1 12:08:16 PDT 2016

Gary,
What I suspect may be at issue is the wire. Shurflo requires jacketed 
cable (10 or 12 AWG) of a particulat dimensional range. The issue is 
that few suppliers carry the right cable. It's a Code issue - any pump 
with a metal case requires an equipment bonding conductor (silly, I 
know) which means three conductors, which won't fit in the cable gland. 
Having a nonconductive plastic case, the 9300 only needs two conductors, 
will only fit two conductors, and no pump or electrical supply house 
carries two-conductor cable because nothing they sell uses it. Sort of a 
catch-22.

Also, using unjacketed (yellow) multiconductor cable is a guaranteed way 
to get water into the motor.

Hope this helps.
Allan

*Allan Sindelar*
allan at sindelarsolar.com <mailto:allan at sindelarsolar.com>
NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional
NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional
New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
Founder (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc.
*505 780-2738 cell*

**

On 6/1/2016 12:53 PM, Gary Higbee wrote:
> Drake and Wrenches,
>
> Interesting timing as I experienced a failure with my 9300 a couple 
> weeks ago. I originally installed the pump about 17 years ago for an 
> off-grid cabin I had then. I put the pump in the well, tested it, then 
> removed it after a year or so. In total it had about 30 minutes of run 
> time. The pump sat around in the house for about 15 years before I 
> tested it in a bucket, in preparation for installing it in a new well 
> on a different piece of land. The test went fine though I decided to 
> put a new gland connector on the wire, which was a royal pain. The 10 
> ga submersible wire just met the maximum width noted in the 
> documentation yet the hard plastic collar seemed to rub hard on the 
> wire jacket when assembled and screwed in.
>
> Down the new hole went the pump and we ran it solar-direct for 
> testing. To our joy up came the water. Thirty minutes later, to our 
> great dismay, the pump ran very slow then stopped (oh, from joy to 
> despair in such a short time!). Testing showed module current around 
> Isc for those conditions and only a couple volts, about 1 ohm with the 
> module disconnected. Up came the works and we connected the module 
> directly to the pump. No go. It seemed there may have been a little 
> water where the gland connected to the pump socket, or it may have 
> been a drip.
>
> I haven’t taken the pump apart yet so don’t know if it’s got water in 
> it (expect it does). My guess is either the new gland connection had 
> some problem OR the pump seals deteriorated as it sat on the shelf all 
> those years (argh, should have thought of this possibility and 
> replaced the seals).
>
> Currently I’m waffling a bit on whether to rebuild the 9300 and try 
> again or go with a Grundfos SQFlex. I’m not excited about the ~ $2500 
> for that (with controller, etc.), also am not excited about regular 
> maintenance and maybe questionable reliability with the 9300.
>
> I agree with the comments of others to run the pump solar-direct. If 
> no success check the voltage and current with the module connected. It 
> could be a short, as I experienced.
>
> Then begs the question as to whether if rebuilt the Shurflo is worth 
> putting back in the hole, or might better serve as a super-efficient 
> water feature pump and spend the big bucks for a different well 
> solution. The Grundfos I installed in a different well on the same 
> land 16 years ago still runs flawlessly.
>
> Gary
>
> Gary Higbee
> Windstream Solar
> Oregon License 17LRT
> Renewable Energy Consulting
> Contracted with Energy Trust of Oregon and Emerald People's Utility 
> District
> gary at windstreamsolar.com <mailto:gary at windstreamsolar.com>
> 541-954-3881
>
>
> Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 23:54:35 -0600
> From: Allan Sindelar <allan at sindelarsolar.com 
> <mailto:allan at sindelarsolar.com>>
>
> Mac,
> My experience is similar but slightly different. I have worked with the
> Shurflo 9300 for nearly twenty years. I have closely followed the mfgr's
> directions - even the temporary wrap of tape - and as far as I can
> recall have had maybe one failure due to water penetration at the cable
> gland. But I have seen a number of homeowner installs with this failure,
> so it's easy to not get right. I agree that a fixed, sealed pigtail
> would be a better approach, like a SunRotor, Grundfos or Lorentz.
>
> The 9300 has a one-year warranty as I recall. Running open discharge
> without float or time control, such as all day into a wildlife pond with
> overflow, the pumps last about 1 1/2 years before needing the
> diaphragm/drive kit and valve kit for a minor rebuild. If water never
> reaches the motor, it will last through several of these lifetimes, but
> usually folks don't do the service until the pump stops, and often a
> failed diaphragm leads to water reaching the motor. But I have seen many
> of these pumps go five or more years of intermittent duty needing nothing.
>
> And the pump will run at less than half speed on a 12V battery. Standard
> DC brush motor - speed and thus output vary directly with voltage.
> Allan
>
> *Allan Sindelar*
> allan at sindelarsolar.com 
> <mailto:allan at sindelarsolar.com> <mailto:allan at sindelarsolar.com>
> NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional
> NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional
> New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
> Founder (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc.
> *505 780-2738 cell*
>
>
> On 5/31/2016 1:30 PM, Mac Lewis wrote:
>> Hi Drake,
>>
>> I'll second Kevin's suggestion that it may be the waterproofing
>> gland.  I see this as a very weak part of this pumps design and won't
>> ever use that pump again because of it.  The aquatec SWP-4000 is a
>> very similar pump.  Pump manufacturers should take responsibility for
>> the water-proofing into their unit.  Under water splices are super
>> easy compared to the gland/grease mess routine required with these pumps.
>>
>> As Kevin suggested, bypass the controller and put good ~ 24VDC down
>> there (using batteries off of your cordless tools works well for this)
>> These pumps will pump off 18-20V.
>>
>> Good luck
>>
>
>> On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 10:58 AM, Kevin Pegg
>> <KPegg at energyalternatives.ca 
>> <mailto:KPegg at energyalternatives.ca> <mailto:KPegg at energyalternatives.ca>> 
>> wrote:
>>
>>    Hi Drake,
>>
>>    We have a lot of these pumps in the field, operating without issue
>>    for many years, though they are generally operating on some sort
>>    of regular basis. But lots of customers with seasonal situations
>>    that may have the pump idle for 10 months a year.
>>
>>    I would suggest applying 12/24VDC battery power directly to the
>>    pump bypassing controller and see if you get any action, then can
>>    narrow down if it is a pump issue or a controller issue. Another
>>    issue is the waterproof gland if not done properly can result in
>>    connection issues. Have had a few of those.
>>
>>    Kevin
>>
>>
>
>>    *Sent:* May-31-16 8:27 AM from Drake Chamberlin
>>
>>    Hello Wrenches,
>>
>>    A couple years back we installed a Shurflo 9325-043-101 water
>>    pump. It runs array direct. After installation, it worked fine.
>>    Since then, it  has not been used. The client tried to operate it
>>    recently,and it didn't work. A red light is showing in the controller.
>>
>>    How well do these systems hold up if not used?
>>
>>    I haven't gone out to the site yet, but wanted to get some
>>    background from you water pumping guys about shelf life of idle
>>    systems.
>>
>>    Thanks,
>>
>>    Drake
>>
>>    Drake Chamberlin
>>    /Athens Electric LLC
>>    OH License 44810
>>    CO License 3773
>>    NABCEP Certified Solar PV
>>    740-448-7328 <tel:740-448-7328>
>>    /http://athens-electric.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
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