220 Well pump...how many panels, batts?

[icarus]

Something still confuses me. If 19,000 gallons is 2 months supply, that translates to ~500 gallon per day. If you need to pump 300 gpd that translates, @ 5 gpm to only 60 minutes of pumping. That in turn, is only ~1.5 kwh/day, or ~45 kwh/month. How are you wracking up such large pumping bills?

Tony

[dwh]

Originally Posted by icarus

Something still confuses me. If 30,000 gallons is 2 months supply, that translates to ~500 gallon per day. If you need to pump 300 gpd that translates, @ 5 gpm to only 60 minutes of pumping. That in turn, is only ~1.5 kwh/day, or ~45 kwh/month. How are you wracking up such large pumping bills?

Tony

It's even worse than that...she said added 10,000 + the 9,000 she's already got is a 2 month supply. 19,000, not 30,000.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by dwh

It's even worse than that...she said added 10,000 + the 9,000 she's already got is a 2 month supply. 19,000, not 30,000.

Once again my math prowessness shows. Actually, the math was fine, just change the 30k to 19k.

T

Ps edit made

[Texas Wellman]

I think you need to have your pump/well checked for leakage. You should be pumping 20-30 gpm with a 1.5HP pump with a 75' level. Even at 1,000 gpd something doesn't add up.

[EllieThomas]

Well now I've done it and the confusion is from my lack of clarity. It is great that you ask so many questions... that means you don't assume and I get to learn!

I was using the 300 gallons per day from what the water tanks were pumping, not my full need. I'm sorry that I didn't explain that very well.

Now, the 9,000 gallons of water is lasting 4-6 weeks. I only water PART of my stuff with that.

The pump static water level is at 75'. The pump is somewhere between 120-130 feet. I think I mentioned that, but maybe not.

I water from 6am to 9am for the lawn and some berry stations. It is a BIG lawn front and back and also an area with my chickens that I have put into grass.

The weather here is like Tucson with summer temps above 100 degrees. However it is not desert. We have oak trees and grass and all of that. I'm in Zone 9.

Now, my bills were very high last summer BEFORE I got the water tanks (9,000 gallons). We shall see in a very few days what the bill was for June THIS summer using the tanks for the very first time.

I was prompted to research using alternate power for the well when I found that my tanks are nearly empty, having started using them for the first time on June 1. I had so hoped that they would last at least 2 months. They only water the trees, garden, raspberries, and blueberries and mist the greenhouse. For the rest I am using my well.

Gosh, I hope I have made it a little easier to understand.

Bottom line: By putting in the orchard, garden and berries and grass for my chickens my water bill went very high in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 I put in the water tanks so that they would fill in the winter to use this summer. Looks like I will get 1 or 1 1/2 months out of them. Not good enough.

I'm impressed with the caring and knowlege here and thank you for your advice and thoughts on the issue.

Ellie

[mike90045]

Are you on straight electric meter, or time of use ?

Both have increasing tiers

[icarus]

So, to avoid any further confusion, in your best guess, how much water do you have to pump per day/week/month in the summer season?

Tony

[BB.]

For us readers--It sounds like your 9,000 gallons of storage would only water your whole property for 1 day--And it would only reduce your power bill by 1/30th (1 day per month).

So, there does not seem to be much power savings involved with the rain storage system (storage may make sense for other reasons for you).

My concern is you have a 20 GPM pump running 10 hours per day and are onmlu using 5-10 GPM to water--That could be an energy waster (large pump, high pressure, low water flow). A different pump, large pressure tank for water storage, lower pressure irrigation heads, etc. to save money?

-Bill

[EllieThomas]

As near as I can figure, for June, July, August I need an average of 7 hours per day though some are watered three times a week, like new citrus and fruit trees so it is only an average.

The pump has to be strong to do two things: one, the lawns are impact sprinklers. The next thing is there is a large distance from the well to all of this... probably 4 acres.

I am on a straight electric meter. Tiers kill me though which is why, if I can water at least some of this from a rain tank using no electricity it will help.

[Cariboocoot]

A large enough above ground tank/reservoir could be filled during "off-peak" hours and used as needed. If you have space enough for it. The next step would be to change the pump to something like a direct-solar Grundfos unit that will pump as-possible for use as-needed.