astrobaja
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Solar pumps
Hi all,
Been contemplating using a solar pump setup to fill the tank for our domestic water use. Saw this one on Arizona wind and suns website:
http://store.solar-electric.com/cososl.html
Presently our 5000 litre rotoplas tank (which sits on a nearby hill 130 feet above the house) is filled via a 700 meter run of 3" layflat pipe. The
thing is all summer long we have been fixing blowouts due to the high static pressure that builds up when the tank is full. The irrigation company
that put in the system woefully underestimated the needs by only using 65 psi pipe. When the sun heats up the water in the pipe I'm sure that 65 psi
rating goes way down.
So now we do not want to throw good money after bad, we are looking for some sort of refund which we can put towards a system much closer to both the
house and the tank (will make for better upkeep). Anyone here had any experience with these solar pumps?
Mike
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BigWooo
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We have the Conergy flowlight booster pump. Ours is used to draw from an underground pila to pressurize a domestic and a drip system, whereas you are
filling a raised tank that pressurizes your system - different pumps.
I would assume the two pumps are of similar quality though. We are very happy with ours. It is very well built and has been running for 4 years
trouble free.
One thing I like about these Conergy pumps is the motor brushes are easily replaceable without dismounting or disassembling the pump. Someday this
will be very advantageous.
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Diver
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Trying to nderstand your set-up;
You have a tank on a hill such that 65psi static is developed to the house plumbing ?
The flatlay pipe is only used for filling the tank via a pump - not continuously ?
The piping problem is in the line that runs to the house, etc ?
If I have this right, consider a pressure reducing valve at the tank outlet for the domestic supply that will reduce the pressure to a maximum of 50
psi at the low point of the piping.
If your problem is with the flatlay pipe, you may have to replace it with schedule 40 and place it underground. A short, replaceable piece of flex
pipe can be connected to the pump from the sch 40.
I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish with a solar pump ?
Your pressure is coming from the elevation of your tank, no ?
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astrobaja
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Thanks Bigwooo-- good to hear 1st hand from somone who has had a positive experience with the Coenrgy pumps!
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Bob and Susan
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conenrgy used to be dankoff which was merican
i think now they are built out of the country
watch out
some require a filter before the pump or they will freeze
thats why they reccomend the install kit
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by astrobaja
Presently our 5000 litre rotoplas tank (which sits on a nearby hill 130 feet above the house) is filled via a 700 meter run of 3" layflat pipe.
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Build a water tower near to house?
You don't need 130 feet of head to supply water in a house, and if you don't have pressure reducer you may be stressing plumbing in house (i know, my
home valves/gaskest were failing early until I put in pres reducer). 700 feet of pipe from tank to house sounds like 700 feet of pipe at risk of
freezing in cold weather.
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David K
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From reading this and an earlier email exchange we had:
... the problem is the layflat tubing that brings the water from a creek 0.7 km away... It comes down a hill then up a rise to the tank. The low point
is where the layflat tube is blowing out... (?).
A one-way, swing check valve placed where the layflat hose connects with the storage tank will allow water to flow into the tank, but hold back the
static pressure build, up as the tank fills, from pushing back down into the hose.
This keep the full sorage tank's static pressure from entering the layflat hose... from what I understand of the problem described.
I am not sure if the tank can fill fully using layflat, because if the pressure to fill it before is still in the low point of the layflat... the
problem remains.
Is there anyway more layflat (or PVC) can be added to re-route the hose so it does not go lower than the tank... following natural topography or
building a flume?
[Edited on 9-9-2009 by David K]
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bajaecoliving
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hi. my name is steven i work with eco and eco in TJ. a solar company.
two very simple solutions.
1. use PEX-AL-PEX material instead of PVC or CPVC
it is a little more in the beginning but never breaks under pressure. We sell that stuff but you can find it in TJ in other places also. Not in the
states. Its from europe and not up to US code!!!
2. don't buy a solar pump. they are very expensive compared to another pump. The lifetime of your pump can be very short depending on your water and
work-load. so you will have this investment reoccurring.
instead get a solar panel and and a inverter or i would run a cable to the pump. and if you like go solar for your whole house. Which is what we sell
right here in san diego and Tijuana at as little as 5.00/watt for US made panels and inverters packaged. In TJ the price is a little more.
You can check it out here:
http://www.ecoyeco.com/residential-pv-solar-installations/
The pump you are showing uses about 500Watt.
and costs you over 500.00 . a similar pump that is AC is less than half the price. And while not using energy with this pump your panels can make
energy for other usage in the house.
Good luck. I don't check these forums much but man. there is some serious misinformation out there regarding solar.
These are not the 80's prices have dropped. Suppliers like us know what it takes. A inexpensive solar solution! If you don't need it we will not sell
it to you!
Thanks and happy living in Baja.
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astrobaja
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Diver: kinda hard to envision without seeing it but here goes: our water supply comes from a small stream that runs year round in a deeply cut arroyo
which is on our property. The inlet point of the 700 meter (not feet!) sits in elevation about 20 feet above the tank level so it gravity feeds the
tanks. The run of 3" layflat pipe follows the arroyo in a parallel fashion along very rocky terrain so it precludes burying pvc pipe (can't imagine
that herculean task). The run of pipe looks from a profile like a shallow U-shape. The trough of the U was where all the blowouts occured (maximum
pressure point). The holding tank has floats so that when the tank was full flow stopped, this caused a static pressure situation. Larson irrigation
did install a series of one way check valves to lessen the effect of a huge weight of the entire water column but it only helped marginally.
So we replaced the low U point with 200 psi Sunflow layflat, but the 65 psi pipe kept bursting lower and lower towards the inlet.
That roll of 200 psi was not cheap, almsost $1000 a 300 foot roll!!
So we told Larsons we were not willing to throw good money after bad and could not afford to replace the entire run! Besides even the inlet is a bad
example of Mexican Chicanada (quick fix) it a simple T-inlet with rocks and mud around it, which of course will get washed away 1st good storm!
It SHOULD have had a proper concrete wier and a proper coanada effect screen put in (like those used in microhydro systems)
http://www.hydroscreen.com/
Since the line can't be reasonably buried its also prone to freezing during the cold winter nights.
So our thoughts now are to scrap the whole 700 meter layflat idea get as big a refund as we can from Larsons and put a pump much closer to the house
like Jim from Eco and Eco suggested. It would have to push up the water around 140 feet to the holding tank. The tank supplies us with 65 psi at the
house with 2" pvc. I e-mailed Arizona Solar and Wind they do not suggest the Conergy pumps anymore as they have had many problems. Jims idea of a
normal pump run off an inverter + solar array sounds better to me for less $$.
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
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David K
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FYI: They do make UV resistant PVC (for above ground), it is pricey...
Other options: Use sch 40 (it will last a long time in sunlight... could even paint it with UV resistant paint) or use sch. 80 (heavier, gray pvc) for
many years in sunlight... available in Ensenada... This (sch. 80) is what Antonio got for the reclaimed water system at Baja Cactus...
So sorry you paid so much for the layflat...
Another question: Instead of the water shutting off when the tank is full (and creating the pressure surge on the low section), can you just divert
the flow into an arroyo (creekbed) that runs past your B&B, creating a full time stream?
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astrobaja
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David: thanks for the fyi on the UV resistent pvc, will have to look into that!
As to diverting the water, its a good idea but we want to impact the ecology along the arroyo as little as possible, besides Larsons is going to
refund us some $$ so it makes sense to have a more accesible/serviceable system much closer to the house. Also looking int othe possiblity of a
rampump setup.
http://www.gravi-chek.com:80/
\"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.There is another theory which states that this has already happened\"
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