# Well pump to solar?



## UpNorthWOLF (Sep 23, 2005)

Hello, 

Just a SHTF idea when Michigan begins its free-for-all riots and the power eventually goes...

Okay, no tin foil hats, but seriously, how hard is it as a Plan B (falling trees have already taken the line down twice in three years) to set up a solar power source to keep my deep (260 ft.) well giving me water? How much power would I need? Don't ask me what model I have, the paperwork is all up north. It was put in in 1999/2000.

Rick


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## Sling (Aug 2, 2005)

much better off with a generator !


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## UpNorthWOLF (Sep 23, 2005)

I have a generator, but in the worst case scenario fuel would be an issue.


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

It would take a pretty large battery bank to run your pump... Is it 110 or 220V?


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

UpNorthWOLF said:


> I have a generator, but in the worst case scenario fuel would be an issue.


If your this worried then you need to get a natural gas back up power unit. They sell for about 5,000 dollars at homedepot or lowes. You get professional installation too. My dad just did this. Now I have a 5500 watt generator. I can now power my freezer, refridgerator and tv when the power is out. How nice is that.


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## fishenrg (Jan 9, 2008)

I personally think its a very workable idea. You wouldn't need any batteries really, just a 12v pump. The flow rate would be pretty low but you could invest in some storage. That way the pump could work all day while the sun was out and work on filling up a tank.


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

12 volt pump isn't going to have much "head" especially 260 ft 

If your watertable isn't too low, drive a 2" by hand and hand pump it.


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## ralphbeagle (May 24, 2006)

I am in the process of doing exaclty what you're describing for a hunting cabin. What I have been told is...(1) Get a 120volt, AC Grundflos soft-start pump. They start slow and so do not need a 'surge' of electricity at start-up. (2) Use an 80 watt solar panel with one, 105 amp hour, 12 volt deep cycle battery. (The battery sizing assumes that except for deer season I will be using the cabin 2 to 3 days at a time.) (3) Buy a 1500-2500 Watt Dc to Ac inverter with a built in battery charger. The Grundflos pump should run fine on 1500 watts; the extra 1000 watts is for other, yet to be determined use. (4) Buy a portable generator for backup battery charging. I've been told that I can probably get enough juice out of solar panels to do the job except maybe in winter (around Kenton), but that a small generator will come in handy for a lot of things. I paud about $600 for a 3.5 KW one with a Honda engine. (4) By upgrading this system with another solar panel and battery I would have a system that would probably work for full time occupancy; if that is consideration, I need to make sure that the charger, etc. are all capable of handling that. 
Right now, with a 30% federal tax credit, for the solar electric system described above NOT including the Grundflos pump or the well itself, I'm looking at about $1500 before the credit and $1050 after the credit. 
If you talk to someone about sizing the system make sure to let them know where it's at; much of the UP gets relatively little sun, particularly in the winter.


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