[RE-wrenches] Retrofit variable speed drive to old well pump?

Sat Dec 10 14:43:38 PST 2016

Have you checked the condition of the batteries. Unless the L-16s are
Rolls or  East Penn, it might be about time for some cells to be
going bad. 

----- Original Message -----
From:
 "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>

To:
"RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Cc:

Sent:
Sat, 10 Dec 2016 10:39:30 -0700
Subject:
Re: [RE-wrenches] Retrofit variable speed drive to old well pump?

Michael; Battery bank voltage at 75% SOC is around 24.7v, so it's in
the ballpark and the battery bank has only about 3 years on it (8 x
L-16) and not much abuse.

Dan Fink
Adjunct Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Ecotech Institute
IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
Executive Director, Buckville Energy
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™
970.672.4342

On Sat, Dec 10, 2016 at 10:34 AM, Shasta Daiku
<mjmorningstar at gmail.com [1]>
 wrote:
What is the battery voltage when the client says that SOC is %75?

VFD driven pumps are three phase. There are single phase “soft
start” controllers for pumps and motors designed for that
application, but not for a two wire fed submersible pump. The pump,
for mechanical reasons, not just electrical,  may may be resisting
start up. 

Michael

On Dec 10, 2016, at 9:11 AM, Dan Fink <danbob88 at gmail.com [2]> wrote:

Hi Bob; I checked the connections for corrosion, and the wire size
looks like "the usual" for up here in this area, it's only about 100
feet and the usual well depth around here is 350 ft. Running stouter
wire might be an option to consider...but that's a lot of digging. I'm
just hoping VSD might be a quick and dirty solution.

Dan Fink
Adjunct Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Scotch Institute be
IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
Executive Director, Buckville Energy
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™
970.672.4342

On Sat, Dec 10, 2016 at 9:53 AM, RE Ellison <reellison at gmail.com [3]>
 wrote:

Don't know about the variable speed but are the wires feeding the pump
large enough for the distance?
Sounds like it might be voltage starved because of a high resistance /
bad connection or a long wire run and the need for a larger wire ?

Just a thought,
Bob Ellison

On Dec 10, 2016, at 11:39 AM, Dan Fink <danbob88 at gmail.com [4]> wrote:

Esteemed Wrenches;
I have a client in a very remote mountain location who is having
trouble with his inverter starting his well pump when battery state of
charge is below 75%. 24v system, Magnum inverter. 

It's a 2-wire pump, unknown age, model, horsepower, or well depth. It
has always given him trouble, that's why he upgraded to 24v, and the
situation is better, but not ideal yet. I don't think adding a hard
start capacitor would help as there should be one inside the pump
itself, though I suppose it could be blown.

Because of the distance and the rough road, it would be super
expensive for a well company to come up there, pull the old pump and
set a new, modern soft-start one.

Has anyone here had any experience with retrofitting variable speed
drive units to an unknown pump? If so, what models have you tried and
what do you prefer?

Thanks; 

Dan Fink
Adjunct Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Ecotech Institute
IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
Executive Director, Buckville Energy
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™
970.672.4342

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