p s20 0 , p s60 0 , p s120 0 , p s180 0 so lar w ater p u ... · figure 23 : stilling tube fo r hr...
TRANSCRIPT
1
P S20 0 , P S60 0 ,P S120 0 , P S180 0So lar W ater P u m p System s
So lar P u m ping P lanning Gu ide
BERNT L ORENTZ Gm b H & Co . KG
Kro egersko ppel 7
245 5 8 Hensted tjUlzburg
Germ any
Tel. + 49 (0 )4193 75 48 j 0
Fax + 49 (0 )4193 75 48 j 29
w w w .lo rentz.d e
PO Box 159, Carson NM 87517
Web: www.solartaos.comSales: www.solar-catalog.com [email protected] 575-751-0620
2
7 Operating the P u m p ........................................................................28
8 Tro u b le Sho o ting ..............................................................................3 0
8.1 If The Pum p D o es N o t Run ..........................................................................3 0
8.2 Inspect The System ......................................................................................3 1
8.3 Electrical Testing .........................................................................................3 2
8.4 If The Pum p Runs But Flo w Is L ess Than N o rm al ...........................................3 4
9 Electrical Testing Illu strated ............................................................3 4
9.1 Testing the So lar Array (D C) .........................................................................3 5
9.2 Testing the pum p circuit (m o to r circuit running current and resistance) .........3 6
9.3 Testing the lo w jw ater pro be circuit ..............................................................3 6
9.4 Testing the fulljtank flo at sw itch (o r pressure sw itch) circuit .........................3 7
10 M aintenance ....................................................................................3 8
10 .1 Co ntro ller and Pum p ...................................................................................3 8
10 .2 So lar Array ..................................................................................................3 8
10 .3 Electrical Wiring ..........................................................................................3 8
11 Standards, Enviro nm ental and Tem perat u re Specificatio ns ............3 8
12 Reference Sectio n ............................................................................3 9
12.1 Principles o f Operatio n ................................................................................3 9
12.2 Helical Ro to r M o d els ...................................................................................40
12.3 Water Pipe Sizing Chart ..............................................................................41
12.4 Wellhead Assem blies fo r D rilled Wells ..........................................................42
12.5 Water Sto rage fo r So lar Water Pum ps ..........................................................4 3
12.6 M o nito ring a So lar Pum p System .................................................................44
12.7 Freeze Pro tectio n fo r So lar Water Pum ps ......................................................44
12.8 Selecting and Using M eters fo r Electrical Testing ..........................................45
12.9 M easuring So lar Energy Intensity .................................................................45
12.10 Glo ssary o f So lar Electricity and Water Pum ping ...........................................46
12.11 Calculating Pum ping Efficiency and Po w er Requirem ent ..............................48
12.12 System Wiring D iagram fo r So larjd irect (N o njbattery) System s ......................49
12.13 System Wiring D iagram fo r Battery System s .................................................5 0
13 System Repo rt .................................................................................5 1
13 .1 System and Co m po nents .............................................................................5 1
13 .2 Installatio n .................................................................................................5 1
14 Recent Updates ................................................................................5 2
1 Intro du ctio n .......................................................................................4
2 W arnings ............................................................................................4
3 Installing the So lar Array ...................................................................6
3 .1 L o catio n o f the So lar Array ............................................................................6
3 .2 So lar Array Assem bly M etho d s .......................................................................6
3 .3 So lar Array M o unting Rack ............................................................................6
3 .4 Orienting the So lar Array to So lar So uth .........................................................6
3 .5 Setting the So lar Array Tilt Angle ....................................................................7
4 Electrical Installatio n .........................................................................8
4.1 Co ntro ller, Junctio n Bo x and Co nd uit .............................................................8
4.2 Gro und ing and L ightning Pro tectio n ............................................................11
4.3 So lar Array Wiring .......................................................................................12
So lar Array D isco nnect Sw itch in the Junctio n Bo x4.4 ........................................13
4.5 Junctio n Bo x (Co ntro ller Input) Wiring .........................................................13
4.6 M axim um RPM Setting ...............................................................................14
4.7 Subm ersible Pum p Cable and Splice ............................................................14
4.8 Wiring the Pum p .........................................................................................15
4.9 Wiring Ord er fo r Co rrect Ro tatio n ................................................................15
4.10 L o w jWater Pro be fo r D ryjRun Pro tectio n .....................................................16
4.11 Auto m atic Co ntro l Fo r FulljTank Shuto ff ......................................................17
4.12 BatteryjBased System s ................................................................................19
4.13 Pressurizing System s ...................................................................................20
5 P reparing t o Install the P u m p ..........................................................21
Warnings fo r Hand ling Helical Ro to r Pum ps5 .1 .................................................21
5 .2 Assem bling the Ro to r o n the M o to r Shaft ....................................................21
5 .3 D ro p Pipe ...................................................................................................22
5 .4 Safety Ro pe and Bind ing .............................................................................23
5 .5 Installatio n in a Surface Water So urce ..........................................................24
5 .6 D eep Well Setting — Ho w D eep? ................................................................24
5 .7 Co ping w ith D irty Water Co nd itio ns ............................................................25
5 .8 Utilizing a L o w jPro d uctio n Water So urce .....................................................25
Installing the Pum p Und er a Wind m ill o r Hand Pum p Cylind er5 .9 ......................26
6 In-w ell Assem b ly and Installatio n ....................................................26
6.1 Rubber Spacers ...........................................................................................26
6.2 M achine Installatio n ...................................................................................26
6.3 Hand Installatio n ........................................................................................27
6.4 Sanitizing the Well ......................................................................................27
Co ntents
3
Table 1: So lar Array Tilt Angles by L atitud e...........................................................7
Table 2: Pum p head s w ith and w itho ut rubber spacers.......................................26
Table 3 : Pum p speed ind icatio n .........................................................................28
Table 4: M o to r circuit running current PS20 0 and PS60 0 system s.......................3 3
Table 5 : M o to r circuit running current PS120 0 system s ......................................3 3
Table 6: M o to r circuit running current PS180 0 system s ......................................3 3
Table 7: Testing the So lar Array (D C)..................................................................3 5
Table 8: Testing the pum p circuit (m o to r circuit running current and resistance)..3 6
Table 9: Testing the lo w jw ater pro be circuit.......................................................3 6
Table 10 : Testing the fulljtank flo at sw itch (o r pressure sw itch) circuit..................3 7
Table 11: Frictio n L o ss in Plastic Pipe w ith Stand ard Insid e D iam eter (SID R)..........41
Table 12: M ax o penjcircuit v o ltage fo r PV m o d ules..............................................49
Table 13 : M ax o penjcircuit v o ltage fo r PV m o d ules..............................................5 0
Figure 1: SunCo m pass™ ......................................................................................6
Figure 2: Transpo rtatio n pro tectio n caps and bo o ts ..............................................8
Figure 3 : Po sitio n o f ho les fo r fix atio n fo r PS15 0 , PS20 0 .......................................9
Figure 5 : Steel co nd uit thread s fo r PS15 0 , PS20 0 .................................................9
Figure 4: Po sitio n o f ho les fo r fix atio n fo r PS60 0 , PS120 0 , PS180 0 .......................9
Figure 6: Steel co nd uit thread s fo r PS60 0 , PS120 0 , PS180 0 .................................9
Figure 8: Co nd uit ho les .....................................................................................10
Figure 7: Typical assem bly o f co ntro ller and junctio n bo x o n the so lar array m o untj
ing po le ..............................................................................................10
Figure 9: Tw o types o f PV m o d ule junctio n system s ............................................12
Figure 10 : Co ntro ller term inals ............................................................................13
Figure 11: Term inals insid e the PS co ntro ller ........................................................14
Figure 12: Cable splice ........................................................................................14
Figure 13 : L o w jw ater pro be installed in the stand ard po sitio n, fo r a pum p that is po j
sitio ned v ertically ................................................................................16
Figure 14: Flo at sw itch schem e ............................................................................17
Figure 15 : Wiring a “no rm ally o pen flo at sw itch” ................................................17
Figure 16: Wiring a “no rm ally clo sed /rev erse actio n flo at sw itch” .........................17
Figure 17: Wiring fo r pressure sw itch ...................................................................20
Figure 18: Typical assem bly fo r auto m atic w ater pressurising ...............................20
Figure 19: Assem bling the Ro to r o n the M o to r Shaft ............................................21
Figure 20 : Ho se clam p to reinfo rce a plastic red ucer bushing ................................22
Figure 21: Safety ro pe .........................................................................................23
Figure 22: M inim um angle w hen po sitio ning the pum p in an inclined po sitio n ......24
Figure 23 : Stilling tube fo r HR pum ps ...................................................................25
Figure 24: Bypass fo o t valv e assem bly w ith o ffset elbo w s to fit a d rilled w ell casing ..
26
Figure 25 : Pum p head w ith and w itho ut rubber spacers .......................................26
Figure 26: Test 1+ 2 .............................................................................................3 5
Figure 28: Test 2a ................................................................................................3 5
Figure 29: Test 4 .................................................................................................3 5
Figure 27: Test 4a ................................................................................................3 5
Figure 3 0 : Test 6 .................................................................................................3 6
Figure 3 1: Test 6a ................................................................................................3 6
Figure 3 2: Test 7 .................................................................................................3 6
Figure 3 3 : Helical Ro to r Pum p Head .....................................................................40
Figure 3 5 : M o to r w ith helical ro to r attached , stato r ho using rem o v ed ...................40
Figure 3 4: Clo sejup o f helical ro to r ......................................................................40
Figure 3 7: Pitless Ad apter System ........................................................................42
Figure 3 6: Well Seal System .................................................................................42
Figure 3 8: Water Sto rage System .........................................................................43
Figu res Tab les
4
1 Intro du ctio n 2 W arnings
General W arnings
The m anual co ntains basic instructio ns w hich bustÁ
be o bserv ed d uring m o unting, o peratio n and m ainj
tenance. Therefo re the m anual sho uld be carefully
read befo re installatio n and startjup by the perso n in
charge o f the installatio n as w ell as by all o ther techj
nical perso nnel/o perato rs and sho uld be av ailable at
the installatio n site at all tim es.
Á P erso nnel Qu alificatio n and Training – All
perso nnel fo r the o peratio n, m aintenance, inspectio n
and installatio n m ust be fully qualified to perfo rm
that type o f jo b. Respo nsibility, co m petence and
the supervisio n o f such perso nnel m ust be strictly
regulated by the user. Sho uld the av ailable perso nnel
be lacking the necessary qualificatio n, they m ust be
trained and instructed acco rd ingly. If necessary, the
o perato r m ay require the m anufacturer/supplier to
pro v id e such training. Furtherm o re the o perato r/user
m ust m ake sure that the perso nnel fully und erstand s
the co ntents o f the m anual.
Á D angers o f Igno ring the Safety Sym b o ls –
Igno ring the safety d irectio ns and sym bo ls m ay po se
a d anger to hum ans as w ell as to the enviro nm ent
and the m achine itself. N o njo bserv ance m ay v o id any
w arranties. N o njo bserv ance o f safety d irectio ns and
sym bo ls m ay fo r exam ple entail the fo llo w ing: Failure
o f im po rtant functio ns o f the m achine/plant; failure
o f prescribed m etho d s fo r m aintenance and repair;
end angerm ent o f perso ns thro ugh electrical, m echanj
ical and chem ical effects; d anger to the enviro nm ent
because o f leakage o f hazard o us m aterial; d anger o f
d am age to equipm ent and build ingsD o no t attem pt
to run the m o to r w itho ut co ntro ller.
Á Safety-o riented Operatio n – The safety d irecj
tio ns co ntained in the m anual, existing natio nal
regulatio ns fo r the prev entio n o f accid ents as w ell as
internal w o rkingj, o peratio nalj and safetyjregulatio ns
o f the o perato r/user m ust be o bserv ed at all tim es.
Á General Safety D irectio ns fo r the Operat o r/
User – If ho t o r co ld m achine parts po se a d anger,
such parts m ust be pro tected by the o perato r/user
against co ntact w ith perso nnel. Pro tectiv e co v ers fo r
m o v ing parts (e.g. co upling) m ust no t be rem o v ed
w hen the m achine is running. L eakages (e.g. at
the shaft seal) o f hazard o us pum ping m ed ia (e.g.
explo siv e, to xic, ho t liquid s) m ust be d ispo sed o f in
such a w ay that any d anger fo r perso nnel and the
env iro nm ent is rem o v ed . All go v ernm ent regulatio ns
m ust be o bserv ed at all tim es.
Any d anger to perso ns etc. by electrical energy m ust
be exclud ed . (Fo r d etails see e.g. regulatio ns o f VD E
and the lo cal utilities).
Safety D irectio ns fo r M aintenance, Inspectio nÁ
and Assem b ly W o rk – It is the user’s respo nsibility
to m ake sure that all m aintenance, inspectio n and
assem bly w o rk is perfo rm ed exclusiv ely by autho rized
and qualified experts sufficiently info rm ed thro ugh
careful perusal o f the Operating Instructio ns.The
accid ent prev entio n regulatio ns m ust be o bserv ed .
Basically, all w o rk o n the m achine is to be perfo rm ed
w hile the m achine is no t in o peratio n. The sequence
fo r shutting the m achine d o w n d escribed in the
m anual m ust be strictly o bserv ed . Pum ps o r pum p
units hand ling hazard o us liquid s m ust be d eco ntam ij
nated . Im m ed iately upo n co m pletio n o f the w o rk, all
safety and pro tectiv e equipm ent m ust be resto red
and activ ated . Befo re restarting the m achine, all
po ints co ntained in chapter “Initial Startjup” m ust
be o bserv ed .
Á Unau tho rized Changes and M anu factu ring o f
Spare P arts – Any co nv ersio n o r changes o f the
m achine m ay o nly be und ertaken after co nsulting the
m anufacturer. Original spare parts and accesso ries
autho rized by the m anufacturer guarantee o peraj
tio nal safety. Using no njautho rized parts m ay v o id
any liability o n the part o f the m anufacturer in case
o f co nsequential d am age.
Á Unau tho rized Operatio n – The o peratio nal safety
o f the m achine d eliv ered is o nly guaranteed if the
m achine is used in acco rd ance w ith the d irectio ns
co ntained in m anual. L im its stated in the d ata sheets
m ay no t be exceed ed und er any circum stances.
Á Cited Standards and o ther D o cu m entatio ns –
D IN 4844 Part 1 Safety m arking; Safety sym bo ls W
8, Supplem ent 13 ; D IN 4844 Part 1 Safety m arking;
Safety sym bo ls W 9, Supplem ent 14
Á Transpo rtatio n and Interm ediate Sto rage –
Pro lo nged interm ed iate sto rage in an env iro nm ent
o f high hum id ity and fluctuating tem peratures m ust
be av o id ed . M o isture co nd ensatio n m ay d am age
w ind ings and m etal parts. N o njco m pliance w ill v o id
any w arranty.
Thank yo u fo r purchasing a L ORENTZ pum p system . We
set a new stand ard fo r quality and eco no m y in so lar
pum ping. It inco rpo rates the best so lar pum p techno lo j
gies that w ere v ery expensiv e until the intro d uctio n o f
L ORENTZ PS pum p system s in 20 0 2.
Befo re yo u start check the m o d el num bers o f all theÁ
co m po nents o f yo ur system and v erify that they are
the item s that yo u o rd ered .
Check against the pum p specificatio ns and perjÁ
fo rm ance charts (end o f this m anual) to be sure the
system is appro priate fo r yo ur applicatio n.
If yo u expect to pum p w ater that is v ery co ld o rÁ
v ery w arm , check the tem perature range specificaj
tio ns (Sectio n 12).
If yo u think yo u m ay hav e the w ro ng pum p systemÁ
fo r yo ur applicatio n, call yo ur supplier im m ed iately.
Please fill in the system repo rt (Sectio n 1). This
co ntains the m o st essential info rm atio n so can easily
co m m unicate w ith o ur suppo rt if any pro blem s o ccur.
This m anual co v ers tw o types o f system s, battery and
so larjd irect. If yo u purchased the pum p system to co nj
nect to a battery system , yo u can skip the sectio ns abo ut
the so lar array and so larjd irect.
REFERENCE SECTION (Sectio n 13 )
M any installers are new to so lar pum ping, so w e pro v id e
helpful info rm atio n — principles o f o peratio n, instrucj
tio ns fo r w ellhead assem bly, w ater sto rage, co ntro l and
m o nito ring o f w ater supply, pipe sizing, freeze pro tecj
tio n, and a glo ssary o f technical term s.
5
Specific W arnings fo r Installatio n o f P S P u m ps
Open circu it (no -lo ad) vo ltage ab o ve 10 0 VÁ
fo r P S20 0 co ntro llers, ab o ve 15 0 V fo r P S60 0
co ntro llers and ab o ve 20 0 V fo r P S120 0 and
P S180 0 co ntro llers w ill destro y the co ntro l-
ler. This m ay o ccu r if the so lar array is w ired
inco rrectly. See So lar Array W iring, Sectio n
4.3
D o no t attem pt to ru n the m o to r w itho u tÁ
co ntro ller.
D o no t attem pt to u se the co ntro ller fo rÁ
any pu rpo se o ther than L ORENTZ P S pu m p
system s.
To b e installed, co nnected and serviced b yÁ
q u alified perso nnel o nly. Ensu re all po w er
so u rces are disco nnected w hen w o rk ing o n
the system . Fo llo w all appro priate electrical
co des. There are no u ser-serviceab le parts
inside the m o to r o r the co ntro ller.
So lar pu m ps ru n at lo w flo w rates, and haveÁ
clo ser to lerances than co nventio nal pu m ps.
Extrem e sand o r silt co ncentrat io n (greater
than 2% b y vo lu m e) m ay cau se the pu m p
t o sto p, o r the pipe to fill w ith sand. D o no t
u se the pu m ps to clean o u t a dirty w ell. See
Sectio n 5 .7 fo r advice ab o u t dirty w ater.
Helical ro to r pu m ps are sensitive to heat.Á
P ro tect the pu m p fro m su nshine o r o ther
so u rce o f heat, o r it m ay lo ck tem po rarily.
If the w ater so u rce is w arm er than 22°C
(72°F), b e it o nly tem po rarily, a special m o -
del m ay b e req u ired. See Sectio n 5 .5
Undersized w ire w ill cau se failu re to start.Á
See Sectio n 4.7
Install pro per system gro u nding fo r safetyÁ
and lightning pro tectio n. See Sectio n 4.2
D o no t to u ch the co ntro ller inpu t o r pu m pÁ
w ires to gether to test fo r a spark .
D o no t ru n the pu m p dry. Exceptio n: to testÁ
directio n o f ro tatio n, fo r m axim u m 15 sec-
o nds. See Sectio n 4.8
Test the directio n o f m o to r ro tatio n b efo reÁ
installing the pu m p (co u nterclo ck w ise lo o k ing
do w n). If directio n is reversed, exchange the
co nnectio n o f any tw o o f the three po w er
w ires to the pu m p. See Sectio n 5 .8
M o to r cab le strain relief: Su b m ersib le m o to rsÁ
m u st u se a safety ro pe o r cab le to act as a
strain relief fo r the m o to r cab le and to avo id
lo sing the pu m p in the w ell if the pipe b reak s.
See Sectio n 5 .4
W hen pu m p is sto pped b y a shado w o r b yÁ
actio n o f flo at sw itch, it w ill restart after a 120
seco nds.
The lo w w ater pro b e m u st b e su b m ersed, o rÁ
the pu m p w ill sto p fo r 20 m inu tes. If the pro b e
is no t to b e u sed, co nnect the pro b e term inals
in the ju nctio n b o x. (See sectio n 4.5 and 4.9)
Helical ro to r m o dels (w itho u t a “C” in theÁ
m o del nu m b er) are no t self-draining. If drain-
age is req u ired fo r freeze-pro tectio n, install
a w eep ho le o r draining device b elo w freeze
level. See Sectio n 12.6
D o no t rem o ve the check valve in attem pt toÁ
m ak e it self-drain.
P u m ps sho u ld no t b e sto red in w ater fo r aÁ
perio d lo nger then three m o nth. To o lo ng sto r-
age tim e m ight seize the pu m p u p. P u m ps w ill
no t b e dam aged, b u t m ight have to b e pu lled
to free them again. Therefo re it is stro ngly
advised that every tw o to three m o nths the
pu m ps sho u ld ru n fo r a few m inu tes.
6
89
1011 1
2
43
6
7 5
6
4 0 °
5 0 °
3 0 °
Installing the So lar Array3
3 .1 L o catio n o f the So lar Array
Sunlight is the “fuel” that d riv es a so lar pum p. Full so lar
expo sure o f the so lar array is critical fo r full perfo rm ance
o f a so larjd irect system . Cho o se a lo catio n fo r the so lar
array that has unrestricted sun expo sure thro ugho ut the
d ay all the year. The array can be placed sev eral hund red
feet (10 0 m ) o r m o re fro m the w ellhead . There w ill be
no lo ss o f perfo rm ance if the electrical w ire is sized
pro perly, but naturally, the co st o f w ire w ill increase
significantly.
The system sizing tab le specifies w ire size requirej
m ents fo r bo th no rm al and extend ed w ire lengths.
CAUTION Shading a sm all po rtio n
o f a P V array m ay cau se the pu m p
to sto p co m pletely.
Each PV m o d ule (panel) co ntains a series o f so lar cells
(typically 3 6 o r 72 cells). Ev ery cell that is shad ed acts
like a resisto r, red ucing the o utput o f the ENTIRE
ARRAY. Shad ing just a few cells w ill red uce the po w er
d ispro po rtio nately, and m ay sto p the pum p. Co nsid er
this w hen d ecid ing w here to install the array.
To d eterm ine w here shad o w s m ay be cast at any
tim e o f the year, yo u can surv ey the site w ith aSo lar
P athfinder® . This d ev ice is especially useful in fo rested
areas o r w herev er there are o bstructio ns nearby. It
is av ailable d irectly fro m So lar Pathfind er (USA), tel.
+ + 1 (3 17) 5 0 1j25 29, fax + + 1 (93 1) 5 90 j5 40 0 , w w w .
so larpathfind er.co m
Place the bo tto m ed ge o f the array at least 2 ft (0 .6m )
abo v e gro und to clear rain spatter, gro w ing v egetatio n
and sno w . Keep in m ind that trees and perennial plants
w ill gro w taller in the co m ing years.
3 .2 So lar Array Assem b ly M etho ds
There are tw o w ays to install the so lar array.
Assem ble the array o n the gro und , w iring and1.
all, then lift the entire assem bly o nto the po le o r
ro o f. A system o f 3 0 0 W o r m o re m ay require the
assistance o f a backho e, bo o m truck o r crane to
lift it o v er the po le.
Assem ble the array piecejbyjpiece o n the po le. If2.
the po le is higher than abo ut 6 ft (2 m ), it is best
to co nstruct a tem po rary platfo rm , like a scaffo ld
assem bly co m m o nly used in build ing co nstrucj
tio n. A scaffo ld system can be rented fro m a lo cal
supplier.
So lar Array M o u nting Rack3 .3
W ARNING Yo u r m o u nting stru ctu re
m u st b e engineered fo r w ind
resistance and safety.
Fo llo w the rack (o r tracker) m anufacturer’s instructio ns
that are packed w ith yo ur rack.
So lar track ing A so lar tracker is a special po lejm o unj
ted so lar array rack that tilts auto m atically to fo llo w the
d aily path o f the sun. In clear sum m er w eather, it can
increase yo ur d aily w ater yield by 40 j5 0 % . (It is m uch
less effectiv e in w inter and in clo ud y w eather.)
Su n Co m pass instru ctio ns
D raw an arro w fro m m o nth d o t to intersecj1.
tio n o f yo ur lo cal stand ard tim e and latitud e
N o rthern (5 0 ° N to 70 ° N ). The gray line is an
ex am ple: August, 2pm at 40 ° N lat.
Stand and face yo ur shad o w .2.
Ho ld this page ho rizo ntally.3 .
Po int the arro w that yo u d rew to center o f4.
yo ur shad o w .
Sun Co m pass™ no w po ints to the fo ur5 .
d irectio ns.
Sun Co m pass™ is av ailable fo r the fo llo w ing
latitud es:
U.S.A. (25 ° N to 5 5 ° N ) – sho w n here1.
N o rthern (5 0 ° N to 70 ° N )2.
Equato rial (20 ° N to 20 ° S)3 .
So uthern (10 ° S to 40 ° S)4.
To o btain repro d uctio n rights, co ntact: Jo hn Veltm an
PO Bo x 23 5 3 3 , Santa Fe, N M 875 0 2, USA
N o rth
So uth
June
JulyM ay
AugustApril
Septem ber
M archOcto ber
February
N o v em berJanuary
D ecem ber
pmam
EastWest
Orienting the So lar Array to So lar So u th3 .4
Fo r full perfo rm ance, yo ur so lar array m ust be o riented
w ithin 10 ° o f true (so lar) So uth. D epend ing o n yo ur
lo catio n, a co m pass read ing m ay sho w an erro r o f as
m uch as 20 °. To co rrect this d iscrepancy, apply the m agj
netic d eclinatio n fo r yo ur regio n. M any regio nal m aps
ind icate the m agnetic d eclinatio n. If yo u d o no t hav e a
co m pass but can see yo ur shad o w and kno w the tim e o f
d ay, use theSu n Co m pass™ .
Su nCo m passFigu re 1: ™
7
CAUTION P eo ple o ften fo rget to
m ak e seaso nal adju stm ents. Ideal
angles (fro m ho rizo ntal) are:
Su m m er o ptim u m = latit u de –15 °
W inter o ptim u m = latit u de +15 °
CAUTION: 0 -25 ° latit u des: Apply a
m inim u m tilt angle o f 10 °, o r du st and
deb ris w ill accu m u late.
3 .5 Setting the So lar Array Tilt Angle
M axim u m perfo rm ance is o btained fro m a so lar
pum p w hen its pho to v o ltaic array is tilted (elev ated )
to face the sun. The so lar array racks that are supplied
w ith the pum p system s are ad justable to the d esired tilt
angle. It is the respo nsibility o f the installer to perfo rm
this ad justm ent.
So m e system s includ e a so lar tracker, and o thers w ith
a fix ed (no njtracking) rack. Bo th types o f array hav e a
m anual tiltjangle ad justm ent. (The tracker fo llo w s the
d aily path o f the sun, but no t the seaso nal tilt v ariatio n.)
The o ptim u m tilt angle is d eterm ined by the lo catio n
(latitud e). It also v aries w ith the tim e o f the year. This
d ata is presented in the table belo w .
Sho uld the tilt angle be ad justed perio d ically
thro ugh the year? This d epend s o n the seaso nal
w aterjuse pattern, and also o n hum an facto rs.
There are three o ptio ns to cho se fro m .
Select o ne o f these o ptio ns fo r seaso nal m anagem ent:
Year-ro u nd co m pro m ise1. (no seaso nal ad justj
m ent) Set the angle equal to the latitud e o f the
lo catio n and “fo rget it”. This is practical because
peo ple o ften fo rget to ad just the array. The
perfo rm ance d isplayed in the System Sizing Table
is based o n this fixed co m pro m ise setting o f the
tiltjangle.
Seaso nal adju stm ent2. It is sufficient to perfo rm
the ad justm ent o nly tw ice per year, at the spring
and autum n equino x es, to the sum m er and w inter
angles ind icated belo w . Fo r central USA, this w ill
increase the d aily w ater pro d uctio n by abo ut 8 %
in sum m er, 5 % in w inter co m pared to o ptio n 1.
Seaso nal u se o nly3 . If the pum p is to be used
no m o re than half o f the year, set the array to the
appro priate seaso nal angle sho w n belo w , and
“fo rget it”.
If yo u use the pum p all year but d o no t w ant seaso nal ad justm ent to be required , set the angle to yearjro und
co m pro m ise (equal to latitud e).
So lar Array Tilt Angles b y L atitu deTab le 1:
L o catio n(ex am ple)
L atit u de Su m m er Tilt W inter Tilt Year-ro u ndCo m pro m ise Tilt
So uthern Canad a 5 0 ° 3 5 ° 65 ° 5 0 °
Upper Third USA 45 ° 3 0 ° 60 ° 45 °
M id d le Third USA 40 ° 25 ° 5 5 ° 40 °
L o w er Third USA 3 5 ° 20 ° 5 0 ° 3 5 °
Central M exico 20 ° 5 ° 3 5 ° 20 °
8
cleanliness and safety. Place the co ntro ller near the
batteries but NOT in the sam e enclo sure. They m ust
be safely iso lated fro m the battery term inals and fro m
co rro siv e gasses.
W ARNING To b e installed,
co nnected and serviced b y
q u alified perso nnel o nly. Ensu re all
po w er so u rces are disco nnected
w hen m ak ing co nnectio ns to the
co ntro ller. Fo llo w all appro priate
electrical co des. There are no u ser
serviceab le parts inside the m o to r
o r the co ntro ller.
CAUTION L o o se co nnectio ns are
the m o st co m m o n cau se o f system
failu res. P u ll o n each co nnectio n to
co nfirm that it is secu re.
W ARNING The b lack ru b b er caps
o n the Co ntro ller co ver are o nly
transpo rtat io n co vers and m u st b e
replaced b u y co de co m pliant
co ndu it fitt ings.
W ARNING Su b m ersib le m o to rs are
delivered w ith a ru b b er b o o t o n
the b o tto m o ft he m o to r. This is
o nly a transpo rtat io n m easu re and
m u st b e tak en o ff b efo re
installatio n.
Electrical Installatio n4
4.1 Co ntro ller, Ju nctio n Bo x and Co ndu it
P ro tectio n caps and b o o ts Befo re installatio n,
rem o v e all pro tectio n caps fro m the junctio n bo x and
replace them w ith co d ejco m pliant co nd uit fittings.
L ikew ise, rem o v e the pro tectio n bo o t fro m the bo tto m o f
subm ersible m o to rs.
L o catio n Place the co ntro ller clo se to the so lar array,
no t the pum p. This w ill red uce the risk o f lightning d am j
age. The co ntro ller’s input circuitry is m o re sensitiv e to
surges than its o utput. It is safest to m inim ize the length
o f the input w iring.
P ro tectio n fro m so lar heat Electro nic d ev ices are
m o st reliable w hen they are pro tected fro m heat. M o unt
the co ntro ller in the shad e o f the m id jd ay sun. An id eal
lo catio n is d irectly und er the so lar array, o n the no rth
sid e o f the m o unting po le. If shad e is no t av ailable, cut
a piece o f sheet m etal and bo lt it behind the to p o f the
co ntro ller. Bend it o v er the co ntro ller to pro v id e shad e.
This is especially im po rtant in extrem ely ho t lo catio ns.
Extrem e heat m ay trigger a therm al sw itch in the
co ntro ller and cause it to turn o ff.
L o catio n o f co ntro ller M o unt the co ntro ller v ertically
to keep o ut rainw ater. It is preferable to m o unt it ON
THE N ORTH SID E o f a po le o r o ther structure, to help
red uce so lar heating. This m ay also allo w easiest access
w itho ut hitting yo ur head o n the lo w er (So uth) ed ge o f
the array.
J u nctio n b o x (o ptio nal) A prejw ired junctio n bo x is
av ailable fo r yo ur system . The junctio n bo x term inals
w ill hand le pum p w ires as large as AWG #6 (13 m m 2). If
large w ires canno t be acco m m o d ated easily in the bo x ,
yo u can jo in them to sm aller w ires in the junctio n bo x .
AWG #12 (4 m m 2) o r larger is acceptable fo r this v ery
sho rt length. D o N OT rem o v e term inal screw s. If the key
to the junctio n bo x gets lo st, it can be o pened w ith a
screw d riv er.
M o u nting the co ntro ller and ju nctio n b o x to a
po le The co ntro ller can be m o unted o nto the so lar array
suppo rt po le using m aterials av ailable fro m yo ur lo cal
electric supply sto re. The best m o unting hard w are is
“slo tted strut” (Unistrut® o r equivalent) w ith m atching
co nd uit clam ps to fit aro und the m o unting po le. This
m akes a v ery stro ng assem bly that is easy to ad just. In
N o rth Am erica, these m aterials are co m m o nly av ailable
fro m electric suppliers.
Electrical co ndu it is reco m m endedWe urge yo u to
use electrical co nd uit (pipe) to pro tect o utd o o r w iring
fro m the w eather, fro m hum an activ ities, and fro m
chew ing anim als. If yo u d o no t use co nd uit, use stro ng,
highjquality o utd o o r cable. Where cables enter the juncj
tio n bo x , install sealed strainjrelief cable clam ps.
Keep the co ntro ller and ju nctio n b o x sealed Unj
used ho les m ust be sealed to keep o ut anim als, insects,
w ater and d irt. Each ho le is supplied w ith a rubber plug
that can be kept in place fo r this purpo se.
Battery system Batteries m ust be in a co o l lo catio n
fo r best lo ngevity, and in a pro tectiv e enclo sure fo r
Transpo rtatio n pro tectio n caps and b o o tsFigu re 2:
rubber caps
rubber bo o t
9
P o sitio n o f ho les fo r fixatio n fo r P S15 0 , P S20 0Figu re 3 :
Steel co ndu it threads fo r P S15 0 , P S20 0Figu re 5 :
P o sitio n o f ho les fo r fixatio n fo r P S60 0 , P S120 0 , P S180 0Figu re 4:
Steel co ndu it threads fo r P S60 0 , P S120 0 , P S180 0Figu re 6:
25 0 m m
3 95 m m
3 71 m m
3 5 m m
12m m
20 6 m m
146m m
M 4
M 4
M 4
M 4
190 m m
15 6 m m
116 m m
8× M 8
116 m m
15 6 m m
177 m m
Ø 47 m mM 5 0Pg 3 6
Ø 29 m mM 25 /M 3 2
Pg 21 Ø 23 m mM 20 /M 25
Pg 16Ø 19M 20Pg 11 Ø 29 m m
M 25 /M 3 2Pg 21
Ø 29 m mM 25 /M 3 2
Pg 21
10
Typical assem b ly o f co ntro l-Figu re 7:
ler and ju nctio n b o x o n the so lar array
m o u nting po le
Bo x es are secured using slo tted strut and
co nd uit clam ps. Bare gro und w ires bo nd the
PV m o d ules to the co ntro ller enclo sure, and
co ntinue d o w n to the gro und ro d . Flat braid is
flexible and elim inates the need fo r term inal
lugs.
M o unt the co ntro ller o n the no rth sid e o f the
po le to red uce so lar heating.
slo tted strut (Unistrut® o r equivalent),cut to the w id th o f the bo x
co nd uit clam p to fit slo tted strut
ho se clam p
Co ndu it ho lesFigu re 8:
3 ho les fo r 3 /4 in co nd uit (28 m m )
1 ho le fo r 1 1/4 in co nd uit (45 m m )
Ho les are in a rem o v able plate that can be rev ersed .
Rubber plugs are includ ed fo r unused ho les.
11
4.2 Gro u nding and L ightning P ro tectio n
Surges ind uced by lightning are o ne o f the m o st co m j
m o n causes o f electro nic co ntro ller failures in so lar
w ater pum ps. D am aging surges can be ind uced fro m
lightning that strikes a lo ng d istance fro m the system ,
o r ev en betw een clo ud s. The risk o f d am age is greatly
red uced if these instructio ns are fo llo w ed .
L o catio n o f the pu m p co ntro ller Place the
co ntro ller clo se to the so lar array, no t the pum p. This
w ill red uce the risk o f lightning d am age. Explanatio n:
The co ntro ller’s input circuitry is m o re sensitiv e to surges
than its o utput. It is safest to m inim ize the length o f the
input w iring.
Co nstru ct a discharge path to gro u nd A pro perly
m ad e d ischarge path to gro und (earth) w ill d ischarge
static electricity that accum ulates in the abo v ejgro und
structure. This helps prev ent the attractio n o f lightning.
If a lightning strike o ccurs at clo se pro xim ity, a w ellj
gro und ed co nd uctiv e structure can d iv ert the surge
AROUN D the electrical circuitry, greatly red ucing the
po tential fo r d am age. The co ntro ller has builtjin surge
pro tecto rs, but they help ON LY if the system is effectiv ely
gro und ed .
Earth co nnectio n – create an effective discharge
path It helps to picture this as a “d rain field ” fo r
electro ns. Here are suggestio ns fo r gro und ing, in o rd er
o f their efficacy:
The best po ssible gro und ro d is a steel w ell1.
casing lo cated near the array. D rill and tap a
ho le to m ake a stro ng bo lted co nnectio n to the
casing w ith go o d m etallic co ntact. Bo lt o n a brass
term inal lug. After the co nnectio n is m ad e, seal
the co nnectio n w ith silico ne sealant o r o ther w aj
terpro o f co m po und to prev ent co rro sio n. Pro tect
the gro und w ire(s) fro m physical d am age so they
aren’t stressed by being stepped o n, etc.
Install a co pper plate o r o ther specialized gro und j2.
ing d ev ices d esigned fo r the purpo se. So m e
system s use salts to im pro v e the co nd uctiv ity o f
the surro und ing so il.
Install o ne o r m o re co pperjplated gro und ro d s at3 .
least 8 ft (2.5 m ) lo ng, preferably in m o ist earth.
Where the gro und gets v ery d ry (po o rly co nd ucj
tiv e), install m o re than o ne ro d , spaced at least
10 ft (3 m ) apart.
If the so il is ro cky and d o es no t allo w gro und ro d s4.
to be d riv en, bury BARE co pper w ire in a trench
at least 10 0 ft (3 0 m ) lo ng. If a trench is to be
d ug fo r burial o f w ater pipes, gro und w ire can
be run alo ng the bo tto m o f the trench. The w ire
size m ust be m inim um #6 (16 m m 2) o r d o uble #8
and co ntro ller. Or, cut the gro und w ire sho rter and
spread it in m o re than o ne d irectio n.
D ry o r ro ck y lo catio ns To achiev e go o d gro und ing
at a d ry o r ro cky site, co nsult a lo cal co ntracto r w ho
specializes in lightning pro tectio n. It is best to plan the
pro ced ure in ad v ance, and to co o rd inate the effo rt w ith
o ther earthjexcav ating pro ced ures that need to be d o ne.
Reference: w w w .lightning.o rg
Bo nd (interco nnect) all the m etal stru ctu ral co m -
po nents and electrical enclo su res Interco nnect the
PV m o d ule (so lar panel) fram es, the m o unting rack, and
the gro und term inals o f the d isco nnect sw itch and the
co ntro ller, using w ire o f m inim um size #8 (6m m 2), and
run the w ire to an earth co nnectio n.
Gro u nd co nnectio ns at the co ntro ller The co ntro lj
ler and junctio n bo x hav e red und ant gro und term inals
insid e. They are all co nnected in co m m o n w ith the m etal
enclo sures o f bo th the co ntro ller and the junctio n bo x .
Gro und co nnectio ns can be m ad e to any o f these po ints.
Gro u nd co nnectio ns to alu m inu m This apj
plies to co nnectio ns at the so lar array fram ew o rk,
and at the co ntro ller’s enclo sure bo x . Co nnectio ns to
alum inum m ust be m ad e using term inal lugs that hav e
an alum inum jto co pper rating (labeled “AL /CU”) and
stainless steel fasteners. This w ill red uce the po tential
fo r co rro sio n.
W ARNING Failu re to install and
co nnect an effective gro u nding
system w ill greatly increase the
risk o f lightning dam age and w ill
vo id yo u r w arranty. W e su ggest
yo u w ire the gro u nding system
FIRST so it is no t o verlo o k ed. The
co ncrete fo o ter o f a gro u ndm o u nt-
ed array w ill NOT pro vide
adeq u ate electrical gro u nding.
D O NOT GROUN D the po sitive o r the negative
o f the po w er circu it. The best lightning pro tectio n
results fro m gro und ing the m etallic structure o nly, and
leav ing the po w er system ungro und ed . This is called a
“flo ating” system .
Explanatio n: With a flo ating system and a go o d strucj
tural gro und , lightning ind uced surges tend to reach
gro und thro ugh the structure, instead o f the po w er cirj
cuit. When high v o ltage is ind uced in the po w er circuit,
the v o ltage in negativ e and the po sitiv e sid es tend to be
nearly equal, thus the v o ltage BETWEEN the tw o is no t
so high, and no t usually d estructiv e. This m etho d has
been fav o red fo r m any d ecad es by m o st engineers in the
rem o te po w er and teleco m m unicatio ns field s.
Exceptio n fo r b attery system s: Yo u can co nnect the
pum p to a batteryjbased ho m e po w er system that has a
negativ e gro und . If the w iring d istance to the pum p ex j
ceed s 10 0 ft (3 0 m ), particularly in a high lightning area,
D Cjrated surge pro tectio n d ev ices are reco m m end ed .
L egal exceptio n: If the lo cal electrical autho rity
requires gro und ing o f the po w er circuit, gro und the PV
ARRAY N EGATIVE w ire. This m ay increase the risk o f
lightning d am age.
So lar array w iring Bind the array w ires clo se
to gether, o r use m ultijw ire cable. Av o id fo rm ing lo o ps.
This helps ind uced v o ltages in each sid e o f the circuit to
equalize and cancel each o ther o ut.
W ire tw isting fo r lo ng ru ns Tw isting w ires to gether
tend s to equalize the v o ltage ind uced by lightning. It
red uces the v o ltage d ifferential betw een the w ires.
This red uces the pro bability o f d am age. This m etho d
is em plo yed in telepho ne cable, and in m any o ther
applicatio ns. So m e po w er cables are m ad e w ith tw isted
co nd ucto rs. To tw ist w ires yo urself, yo u can alternate
the d irectio n o f the tw ist abo ut ev ery 3 0 ft (10 m ). This
m akes the jo b m uch easier.
Flo at sw itch cab le A lo ng run o f co ntro l cable to a
flo at sw itch in the sto rage tank can pick up d am aging
surges fro m nearby lightning. The best pro tectio n is to
use shield ed , tw isted jpair cable . Shield ed cable has a
m etallic fo il o r braid surro und ing the tw o w ires. Gro und
the cable shield as illustrated in sectio n 4.10
L o w w ater pro b e cab le A lo ng ho rizo ntal run o f
w ire to the lo w jw ater pro be at the pum p can pick up
d am aging surges fro m nearby lightning. Wire tw isting is
helpful. The best pro tectio n is to use shield ed , tw isted j
pair cable, sam e as reco m m end ed fo r a rem o te flo at
sw itch. This pro d uct is suitable fo r d irect burial, but no t
fo r subm ersio n in the w ell. At the w ellhead , m ake a
transitio n to subm ersible pro be w ires.
Additio nal lightning pro tectio n The co ntro ller has
builtjin surge pro tectio n d ev ices. Ho w ev er, ad d itio nal
gro und ing m easures o r surge pro tectio n d ev ices are
reco m m end ed und er any o f the fo llo w ing co nd itio ns:
Iso lated lo catio n o n high gro und in a sev ere1.
lightning area
D ry, ro cky, o r o therw ise po o rly co nd uctiv e so il2.
L o ng w ire run (m o re than 10 0 ft / 3 0 m ) fro m the3 .
co ntro ller to the w ellhead , o r to the flo at sw itch.
Ad d itio nal lightning pro tectio n d ev ices (surge arresto rs)
can be o btained fro m yo ur pum p supplier. The d ev ice(s)
fo r the co ntro ller’s PV input, flo at sw itch and pro be
co nnectio ns, m ust be rated fo r D C. The d ev ice(s) fo r the
12
4.3 So lar Array W iring
The so lar array can pro d uce hazard o us v o ltage ev en
und er lo w light expo sure. To prev ent sho ck hazard w hile
w iring the array, leav e o ne o r m o re w ires d isco nnected
o r co v er it w ith o paque m aterial.
So larjd irect (no njbattery) system s use a v ariety o f array
co nfiguratio ns. So m e use 12V (no m inal) m o d ules, and
so m e use 24 V m o d ules. M o d ules are co nnected in series
fo r 24 – 3 6 –48V and up to 96V (fo r PS120 0 System s),
and so m etim es also in parallel to increase the current.
Refer to the System W iring D iagram fo r yo ur
system , attached at the end o f this m anual. Be sure the
m o d ules (panels) m atch the d escriptio n o n yo ur System
Wiring D iagram .
So lar m o du le co nnectio ns The term inals in the
m o d ule junctio n bo x es can be co nfusing. Refer to the
m o d ule m anufacturer’s instructio ns that are packed w ith
the m o d ules. M ake stro ng co nnectio ns that w ill ho ld
fo r m any years. M o st array failures are caused by lo o se,
co rro d ed , o r sho rted co nnectio ns.
Type o f w ire Use either electrical co nd uit o r o utd o o r
UVjresistant w ire. The so lar array has a life expectancy
beyo nd tw enty years. D o n’t d egrad e it w ith inferio r
m aterials! Use m inim um w ire size #12 (4 m m 2) fo r the
co nnectio ns betw een m o d ules and fo r sho rt d istances to
the co ntro ller. So m e appro priate types o f w ire are: USE,
UF, SE and SOOW.
So lar track er w iring If yo u are installing a so lar
tracker, pay careful attentio n to the w ire sectio n that
lead s fro m the m o v ing rack d o w n to the statio nary
m o unting pipe. Use a highly flexible w iring assem bly.
Fo rm a d rip lo o p to shed w ater and to m inim ize stress.
SEE TRACKER PHOTO and captio n in the PHOTO GAL j
L ERY. Secure the assem bly m echanically at each end
so the insulatio n and the co nnectio ns are no t stressed
by the tracker’s m o tio n. Sw ing the tracker fully in each
d irectio n, at v ario us seaso nal tilt angles, to v erify that
the cable w ill no t rub o r restrict the tracking m o tio n.
M C co nnecto rs So m e PV m o d ules hav e these quick
co nnecto rs. If the co nnecto r is no t appro priate at so m e
junctio ns, yo u can cut the w ire and m ake a co nv entio nal
co nnectio n.
W ARNING The pho to vo ltaic array
generates hazardo u s vo ltages. A
48V (no m inal) array can generate
nearly 10 0 V w hen disco nnected
fro m lo ad. A sho rt circu it o r lo o se co nnectio n
w ill pro du ce an arc that can cau se serio u s b u rns.
All w iring m u st b e do ne b y q u alified perso nnel,
in co m pliance w ith lo cal, state, and natio nal
electrical co des.
co ntro ller’s electro nically co m m utated D C o utput to the
m o to r m ust be rated fo r 3 jphase AC. In each case, the
clam ping (bypass) v o ltage sho uld be 90 V o r higher, but
no t m uch higher.
In extrem e cases, it is best to em plo y the serv ice o f a
lo cal lightning pro tectio n co ntracto r.
Reference w w w .lightning.o rg
CAUTION Gro u nd the cab le shield
at the co ntro ller end o nly, no t at
the flo at sw itch.
W ARNING Iso late so lar pu m p
w iring fro m electric fence system s.
D o no t co nnect the pu m p system
to the sam e gro u nd ro d as an
electric fence. D o no t ru n po w er o r
flo at sw itch cab les clo se to an
electric fence.
Tw o types o f P V m o du le ju nctio nFigu re 9:
system s
Q uickjco nnect system using M C co nnecto rs (to p),
junctio n bo x w ith screw term inals and co nd uit ho les
(bo tto m )
13
CAUTION If yo u are no t u sing
a lo w -w ater pro b e, co nnect a
sm all w ire b etw een term inals
1 and 2.
CAUTION L o o se co nnectio ns are a
co m o n cau se o f failu re. P u ll each
co nnectio n to co nfirm .
4.4 So lar Array D isco nnect Sw itch in the Ju nctio n Bo x
Ju nctio n Bo x (Co ntro ller Inpu t) W iring4.5
W ARNING TEST THE VOLTAGE
b efo re co nnecting po w er to the
co ntro ller. Vo ltage (o pen circu it)
m u st no t exceed 10 0 V fo r P S20 0 ,
15 0 V fo r P S60 0 and 20 0 V fo r P S120 0 system s.
(Even in clo u dy w eather, the o pen circu it vo ltage
w ill b e near m axim u m .)
W ARNING D o no t apply a direct
co nnectio n o r an am p m eter
b etw een + and – w hen the
co ntro ller is co nnected. A sho rt
circu it here w ill cau se a stro ng
discharge.
W ARNING SOL AR-D IRECT system s
o nly — D o no t co nnect any
electrical lo ad to the so lar array if
it is no t part o f the L ORENTZ P u m p
system . Co nnectio n o f a b attery charger, active
so lar track er co ntro ller, electric fence charger, o r
o ther lo ad sim u ltaneo u sly w ith L ORENTZ P S
system s m ay “co nfu se” the co ntro ller and
prevent pro per o peratio n.
The d isco nnect sw itch satisfies N atio nal Electrical Co d e
requirem ents fo r a safety d isco nnect betw een the so lar
array and the co ntro ller. D uring installatio n and m aintej
nance, sw itch o ff the d isco nnect sw itch to prev ent sho ck
and arc burn hazard .
N o te: Ov erlo ad pro tectio n (fuses o r circuit breaker) is
N OT required in the so lar array circuit.
Explanatio n:
1. Sho rt circuit current fro m the so lar array can nev er
reach the am pacity (m axim um safe am ps capacity)
o f the reco m m end ed w ire.
The PS co ntro ller has internal o v erlo ad pro tectio n.2.
d isco nnect sw itch
System D iagram Fo r so larjd irect system s, refer to the
System D iagram at the end o f this m anual.
Gro u nd co nnectio ns The tw o gro und term inals
in the junctio n bo x are bo nd ed to gether and are also
bo nd ed to the m etallic enclo sures o f bo th the junctio n
bo x and the co ntro ller. See sectio n 4.2
P OW ER IN Ensure that the so lar array D ISCON N ECT
SWITCH (o r battery fuse o r circuit breaker) is OFF.
Co nnect the po w er fro m the so lar array to the input
term inals in the junctio n bo x . Observ e po larity. If yo ur
w ires are no t clearly m arked + /–, test them using a D C
v o ltm eter o r m ultitester.
P UM P See sectio n 4.8.
L o w W ater P ro b e See sectio n 4.9
Flo at Sw itchSee sectio n 4.10 , Auto m atic Co ntro l fo r
FulljTank Shuto ff. A co nnectio n is m ad e at the facto ry
betw een term inals 4 and 5 . If yo u are N OT using a flo at
sw itch, leav e this co nnectio n in place.
Figu re 10 :
Co ntro ller term inals
CAUTION If yo u are no t u sing a
lo w -w ater pro b e, co nnect a sm all
w ire b etw een term inals 1 and 2.
14
4.6 M axim u m RP M Setting
All PS co ntro ller o ffer the o ptio n o f red ucing the m axij
m um speed o f the pum p.
This RPM co ntro l red uces the m axim um speed (RPM
lim it) to as lo w as abo ut 3 0 % . It w ill N OT red uce the
starting o r lo w jlight perfo rm ance. The pum p uses less
po w er w hen it pum ps less w ater.
Reaso ns to red uce the m axim um RPM :
To prev ent o v erjpum ping a lim ited w ater so urce.1.
See sectio n 5 .8, Utilizing a L o w jPro d uctio n Water
So urce
To im pro v e energy and w aterjso urce m anagej2.
m ent in a battery system w here slo w pum ping is
ad equate to m eet the d em and
To lim it the backjpressure (and prev ent po ssible3 .
pum p o v erlo ad ) w hen pum ping into a d irectj
pum ped irrigatio n system , a filtratio n system , o r
an und ersized pipeline.
Ho w to reset the M axim u m RP M sett ing:
Rem o v e the bo tto m end o f the PS co ntro ller1.
enclo sure (the end w ith the co nd uit o penings)
L o cate the ad justm ent kno b sho w n in the pho to2.
belo w (circled )
In m o st cases, the kno b w ill be at the stand ard3 .
facto ry setting full clo ckw ise as ind icated by
“setting #1” illustrated belo w . Turn it co unterj
clo ckw ise to the d esired setting. The exact po sij
tio ns m ay v ary fro m this illustratio n. Fo llo w the ink
m arks o n the co ntro ller.
CAUTION If yo u perfo rm this
adju stm ent, reco rd the setting o n
the System Repo rt Fo rm , see
sectio n 13 . If flo w testing is do ne
in the fu tu re, the resu lt m ay lead to a w ro ng
co nclu sio n if this adju stm ent is no t acco u nted
fo r.
Pow er In
Pum pM ax. RPMSetting
Low -w
ater sensor probe
conn
ect to bypass
For factory
testing on
ly
To reverse direction,reverse any tw o w ires
F actory setting:M axim umG
ROUND
Rem ote
F loat
Sw itch
NO
COM NC
Term inals inside the P S co ntro llerFigu re 11:
M axim um RPMSetting Kno b
4.7 Su b m ersib le P u m p Cab le and Splice
Selectio n o f cable Use o nly an appro v ed type o f
subm ersible w ell pum p cable, the sam e type that is used
fo r co nv entio nal AC pum ps. It is av ailable fro m yo ur
pum p supplier o r installer, o r a lo cal w ater w ell supply
d istributo r. Yo u need 4 jco nd ucto r cable. It is o ften called
“3 jw irejw ithjgro und ” because it has 3 po w er w ires plus
a gro und w ire. To d eterm ine the m inim um required w ire
size, refer to the System s Sizing Table.
Subm ersible Splice A splice kit includ es crim p co nnecto rs
to jo in the co pper w ires, ad hesiv e heatjshrink tubing,
and instructio ns. If the d ro p cable is to o large to fit in
the crim p co nnecto r, cut o ff so m e o f the w ire strand s.
Use a crim ping to o l, and o bserv e that the w ires are held
v ery securely.
m o to r lead er cablew ires spliced w ith
ad hesiv e heatjshrink tubingd ro p cable
Figu re 12: Cab lesplice
15
W iring the P u m p4.8
The po w er w ires o n the pum p are black w ith w hite
lettering to ind icate L 1, L 2 and L 3 . WRITE D OWN the
co lo rs that yo u splice to L 1/ L 2 / L 3 so yo u can m atch
them w ith the L 1/ L 2 / L 3 term inals in the pum p co ntro lj
ler.If yo u r pu m p cab le has the standard GREY,
BROW N, BL ACK and GREEN-YEL L OW co lo rs, u se
this seq u ence:
GREY BROW N BL ACKYEL L OW -GREEN
L 1 L 2 L 3 Gro u nd
The po w er w ires o n the pum p m ay also be bro w njblackj
grey fo r M o to rs d eliv ered befo re Q 2 20 0 5 . Then use
bro w n as L 1, black as L 2 and grey as L 3 .
No disconnect sw itches m ust be
installed in pow er w ires betw een
m otor pum p controller. Connecting
the m otor w ire to the sw itched-on
controller m ight irreparably dam age it. Such
dam ages are excluded from the w arranty.
4.9 W iring Order fo r Co rrect Ro tatio n
Testing the pu m p fo r directio n Helical ro to r pum ps
w ill pro d uce w ater flo w o nly if they are ro tating in
the right d irectio n. If yo u place it in a w ater tank o r a
bucket, yo u w ill o bserv e flo w if the ro tatio n is co rrect.
(Subm erge at least 75 % to o bserv e full flo w ).
Alternative, dry test If yo u d o no t hav e a w ater v esj
sel to test the pum p in, yo u can test it d ry by w atching
the pum p shaft and running it fo r o nly a few seco nd s.
The m etal label o n the pum p has an arro w to ind icate
the pro per d irectio n o f ro tatio n. If the pum p is new fro m
the facto ry, it is lubricated so it can run d ry fo r abo ut
90 seco nd s w itho ut risk. If the pum p is no t new , it can
be run d ry safely fo r abo ut 15 seco nd s. Either w ay, this
is m o re than eno ugh tim e to o bserv e the d irectio n o f
the shaft.
If yo u d id no t w rite d o w n the co lo r m atch (o r the w ind
blew yo ur no te aw ay) co nnect the three po w er w ires
to the co ntro ller in AN Y rand o m o rd er. Apply po w er.
Observ e the pum p shaft ro tatio n, then turn the po w er
o ff. If the d irectio n is w ro ng, exchange AN Y TWO o f the
po w er w ires at the co ntro ller. In any case, w hen yo u are
finished co nnecting the pum p to the co ntro ller, test it to
assure the pro per d irectio n.
D id yo u install the pu m p in the w ell w itho u t
check ing the w iring o rder o r the directio n?
OR – Is it ru nning b u t no t pu m ping?
HEL ICAL ROTOR pu m p (m o d el num ber d o es N OT
co ntain “C”) Turn the pum p o n. Observ e if air is rising
fro m the pipe. If it isn’t, rev erse any tw o m o to r w ires
and o bserv e again. If yo u canno t o bserv e air rise, cho se
w hichev er d irectio n is quieter (less vibratio n). There is
risk o f d ryjrun d am age if it runs to o lo ng in rev erse. If
the pum p is new fro m the facto ry, it is lubricated so it
can run d ry fo r abo ut 90 seco nd s w itho ut risk. If the
pum p has been used , it
W ARNING If the pu m p w ires are in
the w ro ng o rder, the m o to r w ill ru n
in reverse and the pu m p w ill no t
fu nctio n. D am age m ay resu lt.
Check the directio n BEFORE installing the pu m p.
The pro per directio n is COUNTERCL OCKW ISE
w hen view ed fro m ab o ve.
CENTRIFUGAL pu m p (m o d el w ith C in the nam e)
In rev erse, it w ill pro d uce no flo w (o r v ery little). This
w ill N OT d am age the pum p. If the flo w is no t no rm al,
rev erse any tw o m o to r w ires.
W ARNING W hen testing fo r
directio n, do no t ru n the pu m p dry
fo r m o re than 15 seco nds.
QUESTION The motor shaft
is hard to turn by hand, and
moves in a bumpy manner. Is
this normal? – ANSWER YES. This is
caused by permanent magnets in the motor.
It is especially hard to turn when it is
connected to the controller, or if the pump
wires are connected together.
16
P o tential pro b lem s w ith the lo w -w ater pro b e
in su rface w ater The pro be has a m o v ing flo at. It
is highly resistant to d epo sits and d ebris. Ho w ev er, it
m ay stick und er so m e extrem e co nd itio ns, especially
fro m algae o r w ater creatures (snails, etc.) that m ay be
present in surface w ater.
Po ssible so lutio ns are:
Hang the pro be ind epend ently o f the pum p and1.
pipe (clam ped to a w eight, but no t to the d ro p
pipe). This w ay, it can be pulled up fo r inspectio n
o r cleaning w itho ut the need to pull the pum p.
(This m ay no t be feasible if the w ell casing is
sm aller than 6 in.)
Pull the pro be o ut perio d ically (w ith the pum p if2.
necessary) fo r testing and inspectio n. The pum p
sho uld sto p at the m o m ent the pro be leav es the
w ater.
Wrap the pro be in a pro tectiv e screen (fiberglass3 .
w ind o w screen, fo r exam ple). Substitute a d ifferj
ent type o f flo at sw itch. Yo u can use any sw itch
that m akes co ntact o n rise (no rm ally o pen).
W ARNING Ru nning co m pletely dry
w ill dam age the pu m p and vo id
the w arranty. The pu rpo se o f the
pro b e system is to sense the lo ss
o f w ater and tu rn the pu m p o ff
b efo re it can ru n dry.
CAUTION The lo w -w ater pro b e
m u st b e po sitio ned vertically,
w ithin 10 °. If the pu m p is NOT to
b e installed vertically, find an
alternative w ay to m o u nt o r su spend the pro b e,
so that it is higher than the pu m p, and in a
vertical po sitio n.
CAUTION D o no t u se a pressu re
sw itch w ith a “lo w w ater cu to u t”
o r “lo ss o f prim e” featu re as a
m etho d o f dry-ru n pro tectio n. A
helical ro to r pu m p w ill m aintain pressu re as it
ru ns dry, so this m etho d w ill no t w o rk reliab ly.
Fo r pressu re sw itch info rm atio n, see sectio n
5 .12, P ressu rizing System s
L o w -w ater pro b e installed in theFigu re 13 :
standard po sitio n, fo r a pu m p that is po sitio ned
L o w -W ater P ro b e fo r D ry-Ru n P ro tectio n4.10
Installatio n The pro be is packed w ith tw o stainless
steel ho se clam ps. Fo r a pum p that is to be installed in
a v ertical po sitio n, clam p it to the pipe just abo v e the
pum p o utlet, as sho w n in the pho to . Splice the tw o
pro be w ires using the splice kit co m po nents that are
packed w ith the pro be. The assem bly pro ced ure is the
sam e as the m ain pum p splice.
If yo u are NOT u sing the w ell pro b e, it m u st b e
b ypassed. Co nnect a sho rt w ire betw een the pro be
term inals in the junctio n bo x (term inals 1 and 2). D o this
o nly if yo u feel certain abo ut the reliability o f the w ater
so urce. Wire size: #18 AWG (1m m 2) o r larger.
P rinciple o f o peratio n The pro be co ntains a m ej
chanical flo at w ith a m agnet insid e. When the pro be is
subm erged , the flo at rises, and the m agnet actuates a
sw itch. The sw itch clo ses (m akes co ntact) to ind icate the
presence o f w ater. The sw itch is sealed , so the co ntacts
nev er to uch the w ater.
If the w ater lev el d ro ps belo w the pro be, the flo at d ro ps,
and the sw itch o pens (breaks co ntact). The co ntro ller
w ill sto p the pum p and the “L o w jWater OFF” light
w ill ind icate. When the w ater lev el reco v ers and sw itch
clo ses again, the co ntro ller w ill d elay the restart fo r 20
m inutes. This giv es tim e fo r the w ater lev el to reco v er.
To fo rce a quick restart, turn the co ntro ller o ff, then o n
again.
NOTE P u m ps m ade b efo re Octo b er 20 0 3 m ay
have a different type o f pro b e, w ith w et
electro des. Either type can b e u sed w ith the P S
series co ntro llers.
The L o w W ater-OFF light flashes slo w ly fo r the
rem ainder o f the day, ev en if the w ater reco v ers and
the pum p restarts auto m atically. This tells yo u that the
w ater so urce ran lo w at least o nce since the po w er w as
d isrupted (o r sun w ent d o w n). To turn the light o ff, reset
the co ntro ller by turning it o ff/o n.
17
Au to m atic Co ntro l Fo r Fu ll-Tank Shu to ff4.11
We reco m m end the use o f a flo at sw itch o r o ther m eans
to prev ent o v erflo w o f yo ur tank. This w ill sto p the pum p
w hen the tank is full, then reset w hen the lev el d ro ps.
This co nserv es gro und w ater, prev ents o v erflo w , and
elim inates unnecessary pum p w ear. PS co ntro llers allo w
the use o f sm all signal cable to a rem o te flo at sw itch,
ev en if the tank is a lo ng d istance aw ay.
Flo at sw itch req u irem ents
A sw itch m ust be used , no t w et electro d es.1.
The preferred system requires a flo at sw itch to2.
M AKE co ntact o n rise to turn the pum p OFF. This
is called “no rm ally o pen” (N .O.). It m ay be co m j
m ercially labeled as a “pum p d o w n” sw itch, but
here it w o rks in rev erse, to allo w pum ping up.
Flo at sw itch cab le req u irem ents
Tw o w ires are need ed .1.
M inim um w ire size #18 AWG (1m m2. 2). This is go o d
fo r a d istance as far as 2,0 0 0 ft (60 0 m ).
The cable m ust be suitable fo r its enviro nm ent.3 .
If it m ust run a lo ng d istance, use tw isted jpair4.
shield ed cable to red uce the chance o f d am age
fro m lightningjind uced surge. See sectio n 5 .2,
Gro und ing and L ightning Pro tectio n
Gro u nding shielded flo at sw itch cab le If yo u use
shield ed cable, co nnect the shield to gro und AT THE
CONTROL L ER ON LY. D O N OT gro und the shield at the
flo at sw itch. This w ill red uce surges ind uced by nearby
lightning.
W iring to the co ntro ller (ju nctio n b o x)The co ntro lj
ler (and junctio n bo x) o ffers tw o o ptio ns fo r co nnectio n
o f a rem o te sw itch. These allo w the use o f either a “no rj
m ally o pen” (N .O.) o r a “no rm ally clo sed ” (N .C.) sw itch.
“N o rm al” refers to the status o f the co ntacts w hen the
sw itch is D OWN and calling fo r w ater.
QUESTION Why do we use
a reverseaction (N.O.) float
switch? (a pump-down
switch for a pump-up application) — AN-
SWER If the cable connection is broken,
the pump will continue to operate. The
water supply will not be disrupted (but of
course, the tank will overflow). This is the
general preference in the industry. If you
prefer the pump to stop if the connection is
broken, use a normally closed (N.C.) float
Flo at sw itch schem eFigu re 14:
W iring a “no rm ally clo sed/reverse actio n flo at sw itch”Figu re 16:
Co nnect the sw itch to term ins 4 and 5 . Clo sing (co nnecting) the sw itch turns the pum p ON
W iring a “no rm ally o pen flo at sw itch”Figu re 15 :
Co nnect the sw itch to term inals 3 and 4 (N O and co m m o n) and co nnect term inals 4 and 5 to gether, as illustrated .
Clo sing (co nnecting) the sw itch circuit turns the pum p OFF
sealedcable clam p
po sitio n pum p o ff
pum ping range
flo at sw itch
UP: clo sedD OWN : o penno rm al: o pen
UP: o penD OWN : clo sedno rm al: clo sed
if cable is shield ed ,gro und this end o nly
if cable is shield ed ,gro und this end o nly
po sitio n pum p o n
cable w eight
flo at sw itch
18
If yo u are no t u sing a flo at sw itch, term inals 4
and 5 m u st b e co nnected. Term inal 3 rem ains
disco nnected.
Operatio n o f the flo at sw itch system When the
w ater lev el is high, the flo at sw itch w ill sto p the pum p.
The FUL L jTAN K OFF ind icato r o n the co ntro ller w ill light
up. When the w ater lev el d ro ps, the flo at sw itch w ill
signal the co ntro ller. The ind icato r light w ill go o ut, and
the pum p w ill restart if sufficient po w er is av ailable.
Overriding the flo at sw itch Yo u m ay w ant to o v erj
rid e the flo at sw itch to allo w o v erflo w fo r irrigatio n
purpo ses o r to test o r o bserv e yo ur system . Fo r a N .O.
sw itch circuit, install a sw itch to D ISCON N ECT ON E o f
the flo at sw itch w ires. FOR A N .C. sw itch circuit, install a
sw itch to CON N ECT the tw o flo at sw itch w ires to gether.
M ANUAL REM OTE CONTROL SW ITCH The flo at
sw itch circuit can be used w ith a m anual sw itch to turn
the pum p o n and o ff fro m a d istance. Use any sim ple
o n/o ff sw itch av ailable fro m an electro nic supply, electrij
cal supply, o r hard w are sto re (it o nly carries 12 V, v ery
lo w current). Wire it acco rd ing to the illustratio n abo v e,
fo r a no rm ally clo sed flo at sw itch.
W IREL ESS ALTERNATIVE, using a flo at valv e and
pressure sw itch It m ay be feasible to use a FL OAT VALVE
in the w ater tank (instead o f a flo at sw itch) fo r rem o te
shuto ff. This elim inates the need fo r a cable to the tank
w hen the tank is a lo ng d istance fro m the pum p system .
When the tank fills, the v alv e shuts, causing pressure to
rise at the pum p. A pressure sw itch is installed at the
w ellhead (o r at anyw here alo ng the pipe). The pressure
sw itch is w ired to the pum p co ntro ller, and ad justed to
respo nd to the rise and fall o f pressure. The assem bly is
sim ilar to that o f a no rm al pressurizing system . Refer to
sectio n 5 .12
CAUTIONS
fo r the w ireless alternative
The pu m p system m u st b e capab le o f1.
pro du cing at least 25 P SI (60 ft, 18m ) m o re
than the fu ll lift pressu re. (A co nventio nal
pressu re sw itch m ay no t fu nctio n reliab ly
at a lo w er pressu re differential.)
If the lift fro m the pressu re sw itch u p to2.
the tank is to exceed 10 0 ft vertical (3 0 m ),
the o ff-pressu re m ay exceed the pressu re
ratings fo r no rm al co m po nents, w hich is
typically 15 0 P SI (10 b ar).
P ressu re sw itch adju stm ents are critical.3 .
Be su re to o b serve carefu lly to verify the
perfo rm ance.
Install a pressu re gau ge near the pressu re4.
sw itch, to help yo u m ak e adju stm ents.
Install a sm all pressu re tank near the5 .
pressu re sw itch. W itho u t it, rapid start/
sto p cycling is lik ely to o ccu r w hich is very
u ndesirab le. Any captive-air pressu re tank
o f 2US-Gal. (8l) o r larger is su fficient.
Adju st the pressu re tank pre-charge to a6.
pressu re slightly lo w er than the w o rk ing
pressu re in the pipe. On level gro u nd, the
w o rk ing pressu re m ay b e nearly zero . In
that case, o pen the w ater-end o f the pres-
su re tank to the atm o sphere and let o u t all
the precharge air. The air b ladder m u st no t
co llapse all the w ay.
Be su re the tank has a safe w ay to o ver-7.
flo w if the flo at valve leak s, w ire b reak s,
etc.
To prevent slo w actio n o f the flo at valve,8.
and lo ts o f o n/o ff cycling, w e reco m m end a
q u ick -acting flo at valve. So u rce: Tek Su pply,
w w w .tek su pply.co m (80 0 ) 83 5 -7877, Item
#W R-13 0 0 , o r search “Hu dso n Valve”.
W ARNING Install an appro priate
pressu re relief valve fo r safety, see
sectio n 5 .12
19
Battery-Based System s4.12
W ire Sizing fo r the D C circu it Wire m ust be sized fo r
no m o re than 5 % v o ltage d ro p at 20 A (starting). Refer
to a w ire sizing chart specifically fo r 24 V o r 48V, o r
fo llo w these exam ples:
24V SYSTEM
#10 w ire (6 m m 2) to m axim um d istance o f 3 0 ft (10 m )
48V SYSTEM
#12 w ire (4 m m 2) to m axim um d istance o f 22 ft (13 m )
Greater L engths Fo r each 15 0 % increase, use next
larger w ire size.
ON/OFF sw itching Yo u can sw itch either the prim ary
po w er to the co ntro ller, o r the rem o te (flo at sw itch)
co ntro l circuit. Fo r an explanatio n, see sectio n 5 .12,
Pressurizing System s, “Pressure sw itch co nnectio n”
L o w -vo ltage disco nnect fu nctio n L ead jacid batj
teries can be perm anently d am aged by o v erjd ischarge
w hen the v o ltage falls belo w a critical po int. To prev ent
this, the PS battery system co ntro ller w ill turn o ff at lo w
v o ltage, and turn back o n o nly after the battery has
reco v ered significantly. The set po ints are:
24V SYSTEM : OFF at 22V ON at 24 V
48V SYSTEM : OFF at 44 V ON at 48V
A co ntro ller in d isco nnect m o d e can be reset m anually
by turning o ff/o n, but it w ill quickly d isco nnect again if
the battery is no t gaining a substantial recharge.
P S pu m p system s can b e o perated fro m b atter-
ies.
Install a jum per w ire betw een term inals 6 and 7 to set
the co ntro ller to battery m o d e. This w ill d ejactivate the
M PPjTracking functio n and activ ate the L o w Vo ltage
D isco nnect.
W iring Co nnect the battery d irectly to the PS co ntro ller
and N OT to the lo ad term inals o f the charger. They m ay
no t be stro ng eno ugh to d eliv er the lo ad spike d uring
starting o f the pum p. The PS co ntro ller has a L o w
Vo ltage d isco nnect functio n to pro tect the battery fro m
beeing o v er d ischarged .
So m e charge co ntro ller m o nito r the capacity o f the
battery and regulate the charging acco rd ingly. That d o es
no t w o rk w hen the battery is co nnected to the PS co nj
tro ller. In o rd er to pro v id e co rrect charging the charger
sho uld be set to v o ltage o rientated regulatio n. This m ay
require a jum per to be set in the charger. Check w ith the
m anuals o f the charger m anufacturer
Overlo ad pro tectio n Install a fuse o r circuit breaker
near the po w er so urce. Fo r either 24 o r 48V , use a
25 am p circuit breaker (PS20 0 o r PS60 0 System s) o r a
tim ejd elay (slo w blo w ) fuse. The purpo se o f this pro tecj
tio n is fo r safety in case o f a w iring fault, and to pro v id e
a m eans o f d isco nnect w hen installing o r m aintaining
the system . PS co ntro llers hav e electro nic o v erjcurrent
pro tectio n against m o to r o v erlo ad .
CAUTION The P S co ntro ller is NOT a
b attery charge co ntro ller. A charge
co ntro ller prevents b attery
o vercharge. It is a no rm al part o f
any renew ab le energy b attery charging system .
Be su re the charge co ntro ller is appro priate to
the type o f b atteries u sed. (Sealed b atteries u se
lo w er vo ltage sett ings than liq u id-filled
b atteries.)
20
P ressu rizing System s4.13
L ORENTZ P S pu m p system s are excellent fo r
au to m atic w ater pressu rizing w hen po w ered b y
a b attery system . If yo u are raising w ater v ertically
AN D pressurizing, the pum p m ust hand le to to tal head .
N o te the relatio nship: 2.3 1ft = 1PSI (1 bar = 10 m v ertij
cal) Exam ple: A pum p that lifts 10 0 ft (3 0 m ) v ertical and
pressurizes to 60 PSI (4 bar) m ust pum p the equivalent
o f 240 ft (70 m ). Be sure yo ur pum p w as cho sen co rrectly
fo r yo ur applicatio n. The installatio n is sim ilar to that o f
a co nv entio nal AC pum p.
A typical pressu rizing co ntro l assem b ly is ilj
lustrated in the fo llo w ing pho to . These are stand ard
co m po nents, sam e as used fo r co nv entio nal AC w ater
pressure system s. The parts (fro m left to right) are:
check v alv e (prev ents backjflo w )1.
pressure gauge 0 j10 0 PSI (0 j7 bar)2.
pressure relief v alv e 753 . PSI (5 .3 bar)
tank tee (a bro nze casting that ho ld s all the4.
co m po nents)
pressure sw itch (turns the pum p o n/o ff acco rd ing5 .
to pressure setjpo ints, ad justable)
ho se o utlet (to d rain the system o r to supply w ater6.
w hen o utlet is shut o ff)
ball valv e (to shut o ff the supply to the o utlets)7.
The co m po nents can be purchased fro m lo cal suppliers,
o r as a kit fro m yo ur pum p supplier.
P ressu re tank A pressure tank is required . We reco m j
m end a captiv ejair pressure tank o f 40 US Gal. (15 0 l)
OR M ORE, to assure a stead y supply o f w ater pressure
as the pum p cycles o n and o ff and the w ater d em and
v aries. A large tank is alw ays best. Size and co st are the
o nly practical lim itatio ns. M o re than o ne tank can be
used to increase the to tal capacity.
Ho w to pre-charge a captive-air pressu re tank
fo r P S pu m p system s Fo r the system to functio n
pro perly, the air blad d er in the tank m ust be prejcharged
w ith air acco rd ing to these instructio ns.
M ake no te o f the cutjin setting o f the pressure1.
sw itch (either by o bserv atio n o r kno w ing the
facto ry setting).
Turn o ff the pum p and exhaust the w ater fro m the2.
tank if necessary, so the w ater pressure is 0 .
Find the air fitting o n to p o f the tank. M easure the3 .
air pressure in the tank using a tire gauge.
Ad just the pressure to abo ut 3 PSI (0 .2 bar) L ESS4.
THAN THE CUTjIN PRESSURE.
Pressure sw itch PS pum ps system s can use an o rd inary
pressure sw itch so ld fo r co nv entio nal AC pum ps. D o no t
use a pressure sw itch w ith “lo w w ater cuto ut” o r “lo ss
o f prim e” feature (w ith a shuto ff lev er o n the sid e). It is
helical ro to r pum p types w ill m aintain pressure ev en
as it runs d ry, so this d ev ice w ill no t w o rk reliably. It
w ill also shuto ff if the pressure falls d ue to high w ater
d em and .
P ressu re sw itch co nnectio n There are tw o w ays to
co nnect the pressure sw itch:
prim ary po w er sw itching1. The sw itch is used to
d isco nnect the D C po w er so urce. Wire the sw itch
betw een the po w er so urce d istributio n po int and
the co ntro ller, as yo u w o uld w ith a co nv entio nal
pum p.
rem o te sw itching2. This m etho d uses the
“rem o te flo at sw itch” term inals. Sm all w ire (m inij
m um #18 AWG / 1 m m 2) can be run to the presj
sure sw itch fro m a lo ng d istance. See illustratio n
belo w . Ad v antage: the co ntro ller stays o n all the
tim e. If the w ater so urce runs lo w (ev en if it reco v j
ers) the “So urce L o w ” ind icato r light w ill stay o n
to no tify the user. Po w er d raw o f the co ntro ller in
OFF m o d e is o nly abo ut 1 w att.
W ARNING A P RESSURE REL IEF
VALVE IS REQUIRED . If the pressu re
sw itch fails, this w ill prevent
extrem e pressu re fro m b u rsting
the tank o r piping and cau sing a flo o d. Install
the valve near the pressu re tank , b efo re the
shu to ff valve. Use a 1/2 in (o r larger) valve set
ab o u t 25 – 75 % higher than the cu t-o u t pressu re.
Ru n a pipe o r ho se fro m its o u tlet to a drain o r
to the o u tdo o rs w here w ater discharge w ill no t
cau se dam age.
W iring fo r pressu re sw itchFigu re 17:
pressure sw itch
pressure gauge to pressuretank
WATER INfro m pum p
WATER OUTto d istributio n
system
check v alv e ho se o utlet tank tee
Typical assem b ly fo r au to m atic w ater pressu risingFigu re 18:
21
P reparing to Install the P u m p5
5 .1 W arnings fo r Handling Helical Ro to r P u m ps
W ARNING (helical ro to r m o dels)
D O NOT AP P LY M ACHINE GREASE
TO THE P UM P . Ordinary m achine
grease w ill dam age the stato r
(NBR ru b b er) and vo id the w arranty. Helical ro to r
pu m ps are lu b ricated at the facto ry w ith a clear,
no n-to xic grease. Its o nly pu rpo se is tem po rary,
to allo w the pu m p to b e ru n dry fo r a sho rt tim e
to test the directio n o f ro tatio n. There is no
no rm al reaso n to reapply lu b ricant b u t if yo u do ,
u se silico n flu id o r no n-to xic silico ne grease
appro ved fo r w ater valves and seals.
W ARNING FOR SIP HON AP P L ICA-
TIONS If a pu m p system has a
vertical lift L ESS THAN 3 3 ft (10 m )
u p fro m the su rface o f the w ater
so u rce, and then the w ater flo w s do w nhill to a
lo w er po int, a sipho n effect m ay cau se su ctio n
o n the pu m p. This w ill cau se an u pw ard thru st o n
the m o to r shaft, resu lting in dam age to the
m o to r. P revent this b y installing an air vent o r a
vacu u m b reak er at the high po int o n the pipe.
CAUTION (helical ro to r m o dels)
BEFORE INSTAL L ATION, KEEP THE
P UM P OUT OF THE SUN. If the
pu m p gets ho t, the ru b b er stato r
w ill expand and m ay lo ck the ro to r. N o dam age
w ill resu lt fro m this, b u t yo u m ay b e u nab le to
test the directio n o f ro tatio n. If the pu m p gets
ho t, allo w it to co o l in w ater fo r 20 m inu tes
b efo re testing.
P u m ps sho u ld no t b e sto red in
w ater fo r a perio d lo nger then
three m o nth. To o lo ng sto rage
tim e m ight seize the pu m p u p.
P u m ps w ill no t b e dam aged, b u t m ight have to
b e pu lled to free them again. Therefo re it is
stro ngly advised that every tw o to three m o nths
the pu m ps sho u ld ru n fo r a few m inu tes.
Assem b ling the Ro to r o n the M o to r Shaft5 .2
What yo u need :
glue L o ctite 222Á
aceto ne o r alco ho l, 5 0 m lÁ
w renches 13 m m , 22 m m ,Á
1m steel pipe to extend 22m m w rench.Á
a piece o f clo th o r a to w elÁ
Unthread 8 M 8 nuts to take the pum p ho using o ut(1)
Settle m o to r ho rizo ntally, use w rench 13 m m to(2)
fix m o to r shaft, 22 m m w rench w ith 1m extensio n
pipe fixed o n pum p ro to r shaft. Push d o w n the ex j
tensio n pipe anticlo ckw ise fro m m o to r flange v iew ,
w ith ~5 0 N m to rque, ro to r shaft w ill be unthread ed
fro m m o to r shaft.NO TORCH
(3 ) Clean m o to r screw shaft and inner thread o f ro to r
M 16 w ith a clo th d ipped in aceto ne o r alco ho l.
(4) D ro p appro x . 1m l L o ctite 222 glue into thread
cham ber M 16 o f ro to r, then thread ro to r shaft o n
to m o to r shaft.
(5 ) Take a 13 m m w rench to fix m o to r shaft, 22 m m
w rench to fix ro to r shaft, fasten them by hand s as
hard yo u can. 5 0 N m are need ed to fix pum p ro to r
w ith m o to r shaft. Clean the glue that go t squeezed
o ut.
(6) Clean m o to r flange and fo ur bo lts, m ake pum p
ho using assem bly and settle it o n m o to r flange, d rip
a d ro p o f L o ctite 222 glue o n each bo lt. One 8 m m
spring w asher and tw o pieces o f M 8 nuts are used
to fix pum p end o n each bo lt. 12 N m are need ed to
fix nuts. Clean the glue that go t squeezed o ut.
(7) An ho ur later the glue w ill be hav e d ried and be
sufficiently ad hesiv e. Then the pum p can be used o r
put d o w n to w ell.
Assem b ling the Ro to r o n the M o to rFigu re 19:
22
D ro p P ipe5 .3
P S pu m p system s can b e installed u sing the
sam e pipe co m po nents that are u sed fo r co nven-
tio nal su b m ersib le pu m ps. Use pipe w ith a sufficient
pressure rating, w ith co upling co m po nents that are
d esigned to hand le the w eight o f the entire assem bly.
To rq u e arresto r It is N OT REQ UIRED . (so ftstart m o to r
system .)
Size o f pipe A lo ng line o f und ersized pipe w ill red uce
the perfo rm ance o f the system . Pro per selectio n o f pipe
size is based o n the m axim um flo w rate and the to tal
length o f pipe fro m the pum p to the pipe o utlet o r
tank. Refer to the pum p specificatio ns at the end o f this
m anual to d eterm ine the peak flo w rate fo r the system
yo u are installing. Fo r sizing o f a lo ng pipe line, refer to
sectio n 13 .3
CAUTION D o no t assem b le iro n,
steel, o r galvanized pipe
co m po nents in m etallic co ntact
w ith b rass o r co pper. This w ill
cau se rapid electro -chem ical
co rro sio n.
CAUTION If po lyethylene (b lack
flexib le) pipe is to b e u sed, see
sectio n 7.3
CAUTION Screw ing a m etal pipe
co m po nent into a plastic redu cer
b u shing m ay cau se the b u shing to
crack , so o ner o r later. If yo u u se a
plastic redu cer b u shing, reinfo rce it w ith a ho se
clam p (all-stainless steel) as sho w n in the pho to .
Tighten the clam p first, then handtighten
W ARNING D o no t u se a ro pe w inch
to install o r rem o ve a pu m p in a
drilled w ell casing. D o no t u se a
vehicle to install o r rem o ve a
pu m p. See sectio n 7.3
Ho se clam p to reinfo rceFigu re 20 :
W ater P ipe Sizing Chart It is o ften w ise to m ake
buried pipelines extrajlarge, in case a larger pum p is
d esired in the future. Red uced d ro p pipe size sho uld be
co nsid ered in the fo llo w ing situatio ns:
sandy w ater co nditio ns1. – especially w ith a
so larjd irect system . The flo w w ill be v ery slo w
o n clo ud y d ays. This m ay cause sed im ent to
accum ulate in the d ro p pipe. Sm aller pipe w ill
increase the flo w v elo city and helps exhaust the
sed im ent. See sectio n 6.7, Co ping w ith D irty
Water Co nd itio ns
hand installatio n2. – to red uce the w eight,
especially fo r rem o v al w hen the pipe is filled w ith
w ater.
Balance these ad v antages against the increased frictio n
lo ss in sm aller pipe. Yo u can use a pipe size that is
sm aller than the pum p o utlet by using a red ucer bushj
ing. Ho rizo ntal pipes can be larger.
PS Pum p System s hav e a stainless steel o utlet fitting. It
is co m patible w ith iro n, steel, galv anized , bro nze, brass,
o r any plastic pipe co m po nents.
23
Safety Ro pe and Binding5 .4
Safety ro pe can prevent lo ss o f the pu m p If
the d ro p pipe breaks, the ro pe w ill prev ent strain o n
the electrical cable and can be used to pull the pum p
o ut. Use 1/4 in (6 m m ) w ater w ell safety ro pe. It can
be purchased fro m yo ur pum p supplier o r fro m a lo cal
pum p supplier. Po lypro pylene m arine ro pe is also go o d .
D O N OT use nylo n.
W ARNING M o to r cab le strain
relief: Su b m ersib le m o to rs m u st
u se a safety ro pe o r cab le to act as
a strain relief fo r the m o to r cab le
and to avo id lo sing the pu m p in
the w ell if the pipe b reak s.
Secu re the safety ro pe at the w ellhead Prepare to
tie the ro pe insid e the w ell casing. If yo ur w ell cap d o es
no t hav e a place to tie the ro pe, d rill a ho le in the casing
and install an eyejbo lt. Prepare this d etail BEFORE yo u
install the pum p. See sectio n 13 .4, Wellhead Assem bly
fo r D rilled Wells
Bind the dro p pipe/cab le/w ires/ro pe w ith tape
L ay o ut the pipe, subm ersible cable, pro be w ires and
ro pe o n the gro und . D o no t tw ist them to gether. Bind
ev erything to the pipe abo ut ev ery 10 ft (3 – 4 m ) using
vinyl tape. Use either stand ard (UL jlisted ) electrical tape
(abo ut 6 to 8 turns) o r “pipe w rap tape”, w hich is w id er
and requires few er turns. Pipe w rap tape is av ailable
fro m plum bing and electric supply sto res. Rem em ber
that the pipe w ill stretch, and the cable w ill no t. L eav e
a slight excess length o f cable betw een each w rap as
illustrated .
W ARNING D o no t u se nylo n cab le
ties in w ater. Nylo n ab so rb s w ater
and gets w eak after a few years.
To b ind the pu m p cab le to the
dro p pipe, u se vinyl electrical tape
o r pipe-w rap tape.
W ARNING w hen u sing flexib le
P OLYETHYL EN E (P E) pipe, allo w fo r
pipe stretch. M ak e the cab le,
pro b e w ires and ro pe lo nger than
the pipe, to prevent tensio n w hen
the pipe stretches.
>> cab le & w ires – 1.5 % lo nger
than pipe
>> ro pe – 1 % lo nger than pipe
D istribute the excess length alo ng the length o f the
pipe (as illustrated ) and leav e a little m o re excess length
aro und the splice. If the w ater is highly m ineralized o r
has high bio lo gical activ ity, yo u m ay cho o se to hang the
lo w jw ater pro be separately fro m the pipe, cable and
ro pe, so it can be pulled up separately fo r inspectio n o r
serv ice. See sectio n 5 .9, L o w Water Pro be
W ARNING Safety ro pe fo r w ell
pu m p installatio n is fo r em ergency
pu m p rem o val. It m u st no t b e a
prim ary m eans o f su ppo rt. M ak e it
slightly lo nger than the dro p pipe
so it do es no t b ear any w eight.
W ARNING D o no t u se nylo n ro pe in
w ater. Nylo n ab so rb s w ater and
w eak ens after a few years. Failu re
can cau se dam age o r lo ss o f yo u r
eq u ipm ent. Use po lypro pylene
ro pe m ade fo r w ater w ell o r
m arine applicatio ns
W ARNING P lastic ro pe w ill w eak en
fro m lo ng expo su re to su nlight.
Secu re it INSID E the w ell casing to
avo id expo su re. If su n expo su re
canno t b e avo ided, u se stainless
steel w ire ro pe.
bind the subm ersible cable,lo w jw ater pro be w ires and
safety ro pe to the pipe.
pipe w rap tape o r electrical tapelo cated at abo ut ev ery 10 ft (3 m )
o v er the length o f the pipe
subm ersible cable splice
lo w w ater pro be(no t sho w n)
tie safety ro pe here
Safety ro peFigu re 21:
24
Installatio n in a Su rface W ater So u rce5 .5
This refers to a su rface w ell, spring, po nd, lak e,
river o r tank .
P o sitio ning the pu m pThe pum p m ay be placed in an
inclined po sitio n w ith a m in. angle o f 3 0 ° if d esired .
head o f w ater starting at the SURFACE o f the w ater in
the so urce. Increasing the subm ergence o f the pum p
(placing it lo w er in the so urce) w ill N OT cause it to w o rk
hard er o r to pum p less w ater. Av o id placing the pum p
clo se to the bo tto m w here it w ill pick up sed im ent.
Filtrat io n at the pu m p intak e PS pum ps w ill to lerate
sm all am o unts o f sand , but yo u m ay need to filter o ut
larger d ebris that is no rm ally fo und in a po nd o r stream .
Yo u can co nstruct a sim ple co arse screen to pro tect
the pum p and to red uce the nuisance o f d ebris in yo ur
w ater system . One m etho d is to w rap the pum p w ith
abo ut 6j8 layers o f lo o selyjw o v en fabric o r screen, o f
a m aterial that w ill no t d ecay o r rust. So m e suggesj
tio ns are fiberglass w ind o w screen, agricultural shad e
clo th, o r w eed jbarrier fabric (av ailable fro m nursery and
land scaping suppliers). Bind the fabric o r screen w ith
alljstainless ho se clam ps, rubber, o r po lypro pylene ro pe.
D o no t use nylo n; it so ftens w ith subm ersio n in w ater.
An im pro v ed m etho d is to co nstruct a sealed pum p
enclo sure fro m 4 j6in plastic pipe, w ith m any ho les o r
slo ts to let w ater in. Then, w rap the screen aro und that
enclo sure. This w ill d istribute the flo w thro ugh a m uch
larger area o f screen. After cutting ho les o r slo ts in the
plastic pipe, w ipe the insid e carefully to rem o v e plastic
shav ings and d ust.
W ARNING fo r SIP HON AP P L ICA-
TIONS If a pu m p system has a
vertical lift o f less than 3 3 ft (10 m )
u p fro m the su rface o f the w ater
so u rce, and then the w ater flo w s do w nhill to a
lo w er po int, a sipho n effect m ay cau se su ctio n
at the pu m p o u tlet. This w ill cau se an u pw ard
thru st o n the m o to r shaft, resu lting in dam age
to the m o to r. P revent this b y installing an air
vent o r a vacu u m b reak er at the high po int o n
the pipe.
CAUTION The pu m p m u st b e fu lly
su b m erged. A helical ro to r pu m p
m ay o verheat and sto p (tem po rar-
ily) if the pu m p end is no t fu lly
su b m erged.
CAUTION High w ater tem peratu re
can cau se failu re to start. L o w
tem perat u re can redu ce lift and
flo w capacity. This can o ccu r in
su rface w ater du ring w eather extrem es, du e to
tem po rary expansio n o r co ntractio n o f the
ru b b er stat o r. The pro du ct specificatio ns say:
Optim u m w ater tem p. is 46°F to 72°F (8°C to
22°C). Other ranges are availab le b y special
o rder. These perfo rm ance pro b lem s are
tem po rary and w ill NOT dam age the pu m p. If
yo u are u ncertain ab o u t u sing the pu m p yo u
D eep W ell Sett ing — Ho w D eep?5 .6
PS pum ps m ay be subm ersed as d eep as necessary to
ensure reliable w ater supply. The lift lo ad o n the pum p
is d eterm ined by the v ertical head o f w ater starting at
the SURFACE o f the w ater in the so urce. Increasing the
subm ergence o f the pum p (placing it lo w er in the w ell)
w ill N OT cause it to w o rk hard er o r to pum p less w ater,
no r w ill it increase the stress o r w ear o n the pum p.
There are reaso ns N OT to set the pum p near the bo tto m
o f the w ell, if it is no t necessary:
A d eep setting w ill increase the size requirem ents,1.
co sts and w eight o f pipe and cable.
A d eep setting m ay increase the chance o f sand o r2.
sed im ent being d raw n into the pum p.
To m ake an info rm ed d ecisio n, it is helpful to hav e acj
curate d ata fo r yo ur w ater so urce. In m o st places, d rillers
are required to repo rt the d etails and the perfo rm ance
o f w ells that they d rill. If yo u d o no t hav e the d riller’s
w ell reco rd , yo u m ay be able to o btain a co py fro m yo ur
regio nal go v ernm ent o ffice that o v ersees gro und w ater
reso urces and issues d rilling perm its. In USA, it is a state
o ffice, typically called D epartm ent o f N atural Reso urces
o r State Engineer’s Office. Ho w ev er, the d ata m ay be
m issing o r inaccurate, and co nd itio ns can change o v er
the years. In critical cases, it is w ise to hav e the w ell
rejtested by a w ater w ell co ntracto r.
M o d els 0 3 , 0 3 H, 0 4 and 0 4H hav e a sm all “v ent ho le”
near the to p o f the pum p (pho to ). If the ho le is no t
subm ersed , it w ill suck air and prev ent the pum p fro m
perfo rm ing fully. The purpo se o f this ho le is to allo w
w ater to fill an internal gap, to co nd uct heat aw ay fro m
the rubber stato r.
River o r stream To red uce the intake o f sed im ent,
d o no t place the intake v ery clo se to the bo tto m o f the
stream o r po nd . Secure the pum p fro m lo gs and d ebris
that m ay flo at d o w nstream . Use stainless steel w ire ro pe
o r chain instead o f plastic safety ro pe (plastic ro pe w ill
w eaken in sunlight). Co nsid er d igging a shallo w w ell
near the stream . This w ill allo w filtratio n o f the w ater
thro ugh the earth, and w ill pro tect the pum p fro m flo atj
ing d ebris o r hum an tam pering.
CAUTION The lo w -w ater pro b e
m u st b e po sitio ned vertically,
w ithin 10 °. N o rm ally, it is to b e
installed o n the pipe ab o ve the
pu m p o u tlet, as sho w n in sectio n 5 .9. This w ill
o nly w o rk if the pu m p is installed vertically. If
the pu m p is w ill NOT b e vertical, find an
alternative w ay to m o u nt o r su spend the pro b e,
so that it is higher than the pu m p, and in a
vertical po sitio n.
Is a flo w sleeve req u ired? N O, no t w ithin the no rm al
tem perature range. The PS pum ps highjefficiency m o to r
generates v ery little heat. A co nv entio nal subm ersible
pum p requires a flo w sleev e to assist m o to r co o ling
w hen installed in o pen w ater (no t co nfined by a narro w
casing). It is a piece o f 4 j6in pipe that surro und s the
pum p to increase flo w aro und the m o to r.
D epth o f su b m ersio n PS pum ps m ay be subm ersed
as d eep as necessary to ensure reliable w ater supply.
m in. 3 0 °
M inim u m angle w hen po sit io ning theFigu re 22:
pu m p in an inclined po sitio n
25
Co ping w ith D irty W ater Co nditio ns5 .7
PS pum ps hav e go o d resistance to quantities o f sand
and fine sed im ent that can no rm ally o ccur in a w ell.
Ho w ev er, any am o unt o f abrasiv e m aterial w ill red uce
the life o f this pum p, like any o ther pum p. Extrem e
sed im ent can cause the pum p to stick. Sed im ent can
also settle insid e the d ro p pipe each tim e the pum p
sto ps, and blo ck the flo w . Fo r w ater so urces that co ntain
high am o unts o f sand , clay, o r o ther so lid s, co nsid er the
fo llo w ing suggestio ns.
To avo id pu m ping dirty w ater
Hav e yo ur w ell purged , d ev elo ped , o r o therw ise1.
im pro v ed by a w ater w ell co ntracto r befo re installj
ing the pum p.
Tem po rarily install a m o re po w erful pum p to d raw2.
at a high flo w rate until the w ater lo o ks clean.
Set the pum p as high as po ssible in the w ell. If the3 .
pum p can be placed higher than the perfo ratio ns
in the w ell casing, it w ill pro bably av o id all but the
finest suspend ed silt.
After lo w ering the pum p in a w ell, w ait at least4.
15 m inutes fo r sed im ent o r d ebris to settle d o w n.
If the w ater so urce is at the surface, d ig a shallo w5 .
w ell next to the w ater so urce to o btain clean
w ater.
If the w ater so urce is at the surface, use a fabric6.
screen to pro tect the pum p. See sectio n 6.5
If dirty w ater canno t b e avo ided
Use a red uced size o f d ro p pipe. This w ill m axim ize1.
the v elo city o f w ater flo w in o rd er to exhaust sand
particles. Refer to sectio n 13 .3 , Water Pipe Sizing
Chart. Select the sm allest size pipe that d o es
no t im po se excessiv e frictio n lo ss. Use a red ucer
bushing o n the pum p if necessary, to ad apt it to
a sm aller pipe size. See the cautio n abo ut plastic
bushings in sectio n 6.3
M o nito r the situatio n regularly by o bserv ing the2.
v o lum e o f w ater pum ped and /o r the current d raw
o f the pum p. Fo r AC am ps, see sectio ns 9.3 and
13 .8 As a pum p w ears, its flo w rate (and current
d raw ) w ill d ecrease grad ually. Replace the pum p
end w hen red uced perfo rm ance is o bserv ed , o r
befo re yo ur seaso n o f greatest w ater d em and .
Increased current d raw m ay ind icate d ebris stuck
in the pum p and /o r pipe.
Befo re o pening a pum p that is clo gged w ith d irt, see the
CAUTION abo ut rem o v ing check v alv e, see sectio n 9.1
QUESTION What effect
does hard, mineralized,
alkaline or salty water have?
— ANSWER Generally, none. Dissolved
minerals and salts are not abrasive.
QUESTION How is a pump
damaged from “dry run”? —
ANSWER If the pump runs
completely dry, parts will overheat and be
damaged. However, if water is only trickling
into the pump, it will usually provide enough
lubrication and cooling to prevent damage.
Utilizing a L o w -P ro du ctio n W ater So u rce5 .8
PS pum ps can m ake the best o f a lim ited w ater so urce,
ev en if the pum ping rate can exceed the reco v ery rate.
Yo u w ant to d raw the m o st w ater po ssible, w itho ut runj
ning d ry. PSjPum ps can hand le this in tw o w ays.
The lo w -w ater pro b eThe lo w jw ater pro be allo w s
the pum p to w o rk to its full po tential until the w ater
lev el d ro ps, see sectio n 5 .9. This is a go o d strategy
because yo u get all the w ater yo u can w hile the sun
shines. Place the pum p near the bo tto m o f the w ell to
utilize the sto rage o f w ater in the w ell. When the pum p
is sto pped by the lo w jw ater pro be, it rejstarts after a 20
m inute d elay. The L o w Water OFF light w ill slo w ly flash
ev en after the w ater reco v ers and the pum p restarts,
to ind icate that the lev el go t lo w at so m e tim e d uring
the d ay. See sectio n 5 .9, L o w Water Pro be. It m ay be
feasible to hang the pro be ind epend ently and use it to
lo cate the w ater lev el at any m o m ent. See sectio n 6.4,
Safety Ro pe and Bind ing
Redu ce the M axim u m RP M setting If the w ell has
little sto rage capacity, the supply m ay reco v er befo re the
20 jm inute restart d elay. In this case, red uce the “M axij
m um RPM ” setting in the co ntro ller. See sectio n 5 .6
W ARNING D o no t u se a valve as a
m eans o f redu cing the flo w . W ith a
helical ro to r pu m p, excessive
pressu re m ay resu lt. Use the
M axim u m RP M sett ing instead.
115
80096
Add a stilling tu b e if o peratio n in dirty w ater
co nditio ns canno t b e avo ided Use a stilling tube
to pro tect the pum p fro m d irt. This d esign prev ents d irt
to enter fro m to p o r fro m the sid es o f the bo reho le into
pum p. The large inner d iam etre o f abo ut 115 m m allo w s
the w ater to rise o nly v ery slo w ly, so that sand o r o ther
heav y particles canno t be sucked into the pum p.
Figu re 23 : Stilling tu b e fo r HR pu m ps
26
In-w ell Assem b ly and Installatio n6
6.1 Ru b b er Spacers
This applies ON LY to m o d els HRj0 7, 10 , 14 and 20 (HRj
0 7, 14 and 20 pum p end s).
Helical ro to r pum ps vibrate d ue to the eccentric ro tatio n
o f the helical ro to r. This is no rm al. Rubber spacers red uce
the vibratio n that m ay be transferred to the w ell casing.
M o d elsj0 3 and j0 4 v ibrate v ery slightly so they are no t
supplied w ith rubber spacers.
P u m p heads w ith and w itho u t ru b b erTab le 2:
spacers
Pum p head w itho utrubber spacer
w ithrubber spacer
HRj0 3 �
HRj0 3 H �
HRj0 4 �
HRj0 4H �
HRj0 5 HL �
HRj0 5 HH �
HRj0 7 �
HRj0 7H �
HRj10 �
HRj14 �
HRj14H �
HRj23 �
Clearance fo r drilled w ell casingsRubber spacers
fit a 6in (15 0 m m ) insid ejd iam eter o r larger w ell casing.
Cu t the ru b b er spacer legs to fit sm aller casing
If yo u are installing the pum p in a w ell casing sm aller
than 6 in (15 0 m m ), cut the spacer legs. Gro o v es ind icate
w here to cut fo r a 4 in (10 0 m m ) casing. Use a finejto o th
saw to cut the rubber.
P u m p head w ithFigu re 25 :
and w itho u t ru b b er spacers
M achine Installatio n6.2
If yo u are pro fessio nally equipped to install co nv entio nal
AC subm ersible pum ps, yo u can use the sam e equipj
m ent and m etho d s fo r o ur pum ps. PS pum ps hav e no
special pipe requirem ents. Yo u can use any suitable rigid
o r flexible pipe. The o nly exceptio n is to co nsid er red ucj
ing the pipe size in cases o f high sand co ncentratio n (to
increase flo w v elo city). See sectio ns 6.3 , D ro p Pipe, and
13 .3 , Water Pipe Sizing Chart
Installing the P u m p Under a W indm ill o r5 .9
Hand P u m p Cylinder
PS pum ps can be co m bined w ith a classic w aterjpum pj
ing w ind m ill o r hand pum p, to utilize bo th energy so urcj
es auto m atically. The fo llo w ing system is o ften used w ith
a co nv entio nal AC pum p, so a generato r can be used fo r
backup. The AC pum p is placed im m ed iately belo w the
cylind er, and co nnected to the cylind er’s thread ed intake.
When po w er is applied to the AC pum p, it pushes w ater
up thro ugh the cylind er, pushing its valv es o pen. When
the w ind m ill d raw s w ater, it sucks it up thro ugh the AC
pum p w ith little resistance. (The centrifugal pum p end
o f the stand ard AC pum p allo w s w ater to flo w thro ugh
it w hen it is sto pped .) When bo th pum ps o perate, each
o ne is reliev ed o f its lo ad , m o re o r less.
This system can be em plo yed w ith PS pum ps. A cenj
trifugal m o d el (o ne w ith a “C” in the m o d el num ber)
w ill allo w w ater to flo w freely thro ugh it and d o es N OT
require any special precautio ns. Fo r helical ro to r m o d els,
the fo llo w ing w arning applies.
To use a helical ro to r pum p und er a cylind er, yo u m ust
build a bypass assem bly w ith a T fitting and a fo o t valv e
(a check v alv e w ith intake screen). When the cylind er’s
flo w exceed s that o f the so lar pum p, w ater is sucked
in thro ugh the fo o t valv e. When the so lar pum p’s flo w
exceed s that o f the cylind er, the fo o t valv e clo ses and
allo w s the so lar pum p to w o rk no rm ally and push up
thro ugh the cylind er.
To m ake this system fo r a casing 6 in (15 0 m m ) o r
sm aller, an o ffset using 45 ° elbo w s m ust be carefully
co nstructed , as illustrated . Co pper fittings m ust be used
fo r the bypass assem bly d ue to the lim ited space in the
w ell casing. D o no t use any iro n fittings in this assem bly.
Bypass fo o t valve assem -Figu re 24:
b ly w ith o ffset elb o w s to fit a drilled
w ell casing
w ind m ill o r hand pum p cylind er
fo o t valv e
CAUTION The threads in the check
valve req u ire an adhesive sealant.
They are no t tapered pipe thread.
N o rm ally, there is no reaso n to
rem o ve the check valve. If yo u do rem o ve it, u se a
hardening adhesive sealant o r epo xy glu e w hen
yo u replace it. See CAUTION in sectio n 9.1
27
CAUTIONS
fo r po lyethylene pipe
(P E, ro lled pipe)
D o no t exceed the pressu re rating o f the1.
pipe. The m o st co m m o n P E pipe is type
SID R-15 . It has a pressu re rating o f 10 0 P SI
(7 b ar). This is eq u al to 23 0 ft (70 m ) o f to tal
vertical lift. Types SD R-9 and SID R-7 have
a pressu re rating o f 20 0 P SI (14 b ar), eq u al
to 460 ft (140 m ). They is availab le fro m
lo cal su ppliers in so m e areas, o r fro m yo u r
So lar pu m p su pplier. Special co m pressio n
co nnecto rs are m ade fo r this pipe.
Use o nly pipe co nnecto rs that are designed2.
fo r the pipe yo u cho o se. D o no t u se galva-
nized steel adapters. They w ill ru st thro u gh.
D o no t u se any sealing co m po u nd in P E3 .
pipe co nnectio ns.
If yo u u se insert co nnecto rs w ith ho se4.
clam ps, u se TW O clam ps at each adapter.
Tighten them w ith a w rench. Use “all stain-
less” ho se clam ps. Au to m o tive clam ps have
carb o n steel screw s that w ill ru st and fail.
Have extra ho se clam ps o n hand in case5 .
yo u dam age o r lo se o ne.
Have an extra co u pling o n hand in case6.
yo u b end the pipe to o sharply (k ink it) and
m ak e a w eak spo t.
P E pipe w ill stretch ab o u t 1 % . M ak e the7.
electrical cab le and safety ro pe ab o u t
1.5 % lo nger than the pipe so w hen the
pipe stretches, the cab le and splice w ill no t
b e stressed.
If yo u plan t o b u ry P E pipe in the gro u nd,8.
co ntact the pipe m anu factu rer fo r addi-
tio nal instru ctio ns.
Sanitizing a w ell w ill kill bacteria that m ay hav e been inj
tro d uced d uring the pum p installatio n. This can be d o ne
w ith chlo rine bleach o r chlo rine pellets po ured d o w n the
w ell just befo re o r just after a pum p is installed . Once
yo u intro d uce these chem icals m ake sure that the pum p
is w o rking to prev ent that it sits fo r a lo nger tim e in the
aggressiv e env iro nm ent.
Co nsult a lo cal supplier o r env iro nm ental health
autho rity fo r a reco m m end ed pro ced ure. D o no t use an
excessiv e co ncentratio n.
W ARNING P S pu m ps m ay b e
dam aged b y so ak ing in a high
co ncentratio n o f chlo rine so lu tio n.
Avo id pro lo nged co ntact.
Sanitizing the W ell6.4
SEE REFERENCE SECTION At the end o f this m anual
(sectio n 13 ) yo u w ill find instructio ns fo r w ellhead asj
sem bly, w ater sto rage, co ntro l and m o nito ring o f w ater
supply, pipe sizing, freeze pro tectio n, and m o re.
Water w ell pum ps can be installed by hand in shallo w
w ater so urces and in rem o te areas that are no t acj
cessible to a pum p service truck. Hand installatio n is
generally perfo rm ed using ro lled flexible POLYETHYL EN E
(PE) d ro p pipe rather than rigid pipe. In N o rth Am erica,
m o st pro fessio nal pum p co ntracto rs d o N OT hav e the
equipm ent to pull flexible pipe. Their equipm ent is
d esigned fo r rigid pipe in 21 ft (7 m ) pieces. D o no t use
flexible pipe unless yo u are co m m itted to safely hand ling
its to tal w eight (full o f w ater) IN THE FUTURE w hen the
pum p m ust be rem o v ed . Fo r installatio ns that are d eeper
than abo ut 5 0 ft (15 m ), please co nsid er the fo llo w ing
w arnings and cautio ns.
W ARNING Hand installatio n and
rem o val is po tentially hazardo u s.
W e do no t enco u rage hand
installatio n except in shallo w -
w ater situ atio ns. Installat io n and rem o val sho u ld
never b e perfo rm ed b y hand w itho u t an
adeq u ate nu m b er o f w o rk ers. If yo u have any
do u b ts ab o u t the feasib ility, safety and eco no m y
o f installatio n AN D fu tu re rem o val, hire a
pro fessio nal pu m p service co ntracto r.
Befo re co nsid ering installatio n o r rem o v al by hand , estij
m ate the w eight o f the system and co nsid er the num ber
o f peo ple necessary to install the pum p AN D to rem o v e
it in the future (w ith w ater in the pipe). To estim ate the
to tal w eight, ad d the fo llo w ing:
Cable w eight — #10 subm ersible cable (3 jw ire1.
+ gro und ) w eighs appro xim ately 25 lbs per
10 0 ft (40 kg per 10 0 m ). Each larger size (sm aller
AWG#) w eighs appro xim ately 3 0 % m o re.
Water in the pipe (lbs) = pipe insid e d iam eter2.
(inches)2 × 0 .3 4 × length (ft). Ex am ple: Water in
10 0 ft o f 1 in pipe w eighs abo ut 3 4 lbs.
The pum p w eighs appro xim ately 25 lbs (11.5 kg).3 .
W ARNING D O NOT USE A VEHICL E
to install o r rem o ve a pu m p.
D u ring rem o val, the pu m p can
catch o n jo ints o r edges in the w ell
casing. D am age o r lo ss o f the pu m p can o ccu r
b efo re the vehicle o perat o r can react.
W ARNING D O NOT USE A ROP E
W INCH to install o r rem o ve a
pu m p in a drilled w ell casing
(b o reho le). If yo u u se a w inch to
pu ll the pu m p b y pu lling the safety ro pe, the
electrical cab le can slip do w n the pipe and/o r
the pipe can co llapse. If the pipe o r cab le jam s
and gets w edged in the casing, yo u can lo se yo u r
eq u ipm ent and even perm anently b lo ck the
w ell! So m e installers u se a w inch w ith a reel o f
Hand Installatio n6.3
28
Operating the P u m p7
Starting the pu m p Be sure there is no t a clo sed v alv e
o r o ther o bstructio n in the w ater line. Sw itch o n the
array d isco nnect sw itch in the junctio n bo x , and to ggle
the po w er sw itch o n the co ntro ller. It is no rm al to leav e
the sw itches o n at all tim es, unless yo u d esire to hav e
the system o ff.
A so larjd irect pum p sho uld start und er the fo llo w ing
co nd itio ns
clear sunshine at an angle o f abo ut 20 ° o r m o re1.
fro m the surface o f the so lar array
clo ud y co nd itio ns, if the sunshine is bright eno ugh2.
to cast so m e shad o w
lo w jw ater pro be subm ersed in the w ater so urce3 .
(o r bypassed in the co ntro ller) – WaterjL o w light
OFF
fulljtank flo at sw itch is no t respo nd ing to a full4.
tank – TankjFull light OFF
battery system o nly – v o ltage is higher than the5 .
lo w jv o ltage d isco nnect po int (22V o r 44 V)
W hen su nshine is insu fficient When sunshine o n
the array is present, but to o w eak fo r the pum p to run,
it w ill attem pt to start abo ut ev ery 90 seco nd s. D uring
each attem pt, yo u w ill see the PUM P ON light co m e o n.
When pum p runs slo w ly (PUM P ON ) und er w eak sun
co nd itio ns
PS pum p m o d els that hav e “C” in the m o d el1.
num ber – These use a centrifugal pum p end . In
w eak sun, the pum p m ay spin w itho ut lifting
w ater all the w ay to the o utlet. This is no rm al.
PS pum p m o d els that d o N OT hav e “C” in the2.
m o d el num ber – These use a helical ro to r (po sitiv e
d isplacem ent) pum p end . If the pum p is turning,
ev en slo w ly, w ater w ill be d eliv ered at a slo w rate.
When pum p sto ps fro m a sud d en shad o w o n the so lar
array
If a shad o w sud d enly passes o v er the array, like if yo u
w alk in fro nt if it, the co ntro ller w ill lo se track o f the
input v o ltage. It m ay m ake rapid o n/o ff no ises and a
highjpitched no ise, then sto p. This d o es no t ind icate
a pro blem . The pum p w ill attem pt to restart after the
no rm al d elay.
This explains the functio n o f the sw itch and the ind icato r
lights o n the pum p co ntro ller.
Sw itch
P OW ER ON/OFF When sw itched o ff/o n d uring o peraj
tio n, it resets all system lo gic.
Indicato r lights
SYSTEM (green)The co ntro ller is sw itched o n and the
po w er so urce is present. In lo w jpo w er co nd itio ns, the
light m ay sho w ev en if there is no t eno ugh po w er to run
the pum p.
P UM P ON (green) M o to r is turning. Sequence o f
flashing ind icates pum p speed . See belo w sequence.
P UM P OVERL OAD (green changes to red)
SOURCE L OW (red) The w ater so urce d ro pped belo w
the lev el o f the lo w jw ater pro be. After the w ater lev el
reco v ers, the pum p w ill restart, but this light w ill slo w ly
flash until the sun go es d o w n, po w er is interrupted , o r
the POWER sw itch is reset. This ind icates that the w ater
so urce ran lo w at least o nce since the prev io us o ff/o n
cycle.
TANK FUL L (red)Pum p is turned o ff by actio n o f
the rem o te flo at sw itch (o r pressure sw itch o r m anual
sw itch, w hichev er is w ired to the “rem o te flo at sw itch”
term inals.
BATTERY L OW (tank light flashes) Battery system s
o nly – battery v o ltage fell to 44/22V, and has no t yet
reco v ered to 48/24V.
RP M indicatio n Pum p speed can be read o ff by the
flashing sequence o f the Pum p ON L ED .
Tab le 3 : P u m p speed indicatio n
Flash seq u ence Ro tatio ns P er M inu te(RP M )
L ED o n > 90 0
o ne flash > 1,20 0
tw o flashes > 1,60 0
three flashes > 2,0 0 0
fo ur flashes > 2,40 0
fiv e flashes > 2,80 0
29
Tim e delays
After pum p sto ps d ue to insufficient sunshine –1.
120 seco nd s
After fulljtank flo at sw itch resets – 2 to 3 seco nd s2.
After lo w jw ater pro be regains co ntact w ith w ater3 .
in the so urce – 20 m inutes but the ind icato r light
w ill slo w ly falsh fo r the rest o f the so lar d ay, o r
until po w er is d isrupted o r the co ntro ller is turned
o ff/o n.
Battery system s – after lo w v o ltage d isco nnect4.
po int is reached , d elay to sto p pum p – a few SECj
ON D S. After v o ltage reco v ers, d elay to rejco nnect
– a few SECON D S
To fo rce a q u ick start To test o r o bserv e the system ,
yo u can bypass the no rm al tim e d elays. Sw itch the
POWER sw itch o ff then o n again. The pum p sho uld start
im m ed iately if sufficient po w er is present.
P u m p vib ratio n M o st PS pum p m o d els use a helical
ro to r pum p end (tho se that d o N OT hav e a “C” in the
m o d el num ber. A slight vibratio n is no rm al w ith these
pum ps. If no ise is d isturbing, try changing the po sitio n
o f the pum p. PSjPum p m o d els that hav e a “C” in the
m o d el num ber use a CENTRIFUGAL pum p end sim ilar to
co nv entio nal pum ps. They sho uld pro d uce no significant
v ibratio n.
P UM P OVERL OAD (P UM P ON light sho w s red
instead o f green) The system has shut o ff d ue to
an o v erlo ad . This can happen if the m o to r o r pum p is
blo cked o r v ery d ifficult to turn and is d raw ing excessiv e
current (hard to turn). Ov erlo ad d etectio n requires at
least 25 0 W o utput o f the so lar array. This can be caused
by a high co ncentratio n o f so lid s in the pum p, high w aj
ter tem perature, excessiv e pressure d ue to high lift o r a
restrictio n in the pipe, o r a co m binatio n o f these facto rs.
The co ntro ller w ill m ake 3 start attem pts befo re shutting
d o w n the system . The System ON L ED w ill be OFF and
the red OVERL OAD L ED ON . The system w ill no t reset
until the ON / OFF sw itch is turned OFF and ON again.
See sectio n 9.3 , Tro ublesho o ting: Higher Current
30
Tro u b le Sho o ting8
P lease read this sectio n b efo re calling fo r help.
If yo u call fo r help, please refer to the m o d el and serial
num bers. See sectio n 1, System Repo rt
IF THE CONTROL L ER M UST BE
REM OVED FOR REP AIR OR
REP L ACEM ENT Rem o ve the w ires
and flexib le co ndu it fro m the
co ntro ller and rem o ve the CONTROL L ER ON LY.
L EAVE THE JUNCTION BOX IN P L ACE.
CAUTION D O NOT REM OVE THE
CHECK VALVE fro m the pu m p. If
yo u w ant to lo o k fo r dirt stu ck
inside the pu m p, it is preferab le to
u nb o lt the pu m p b o dy and pu ll it fro m the pu m p.
IF YOU M UST REM OVE THE CHECK VALVE, u se a
hardening adhesive sealant o n the screw threads
w hen yo u replace it. Epo xy glu e is go o d. The
threads are no t tapered. They w ill leak if a
hardening sealant is no t u sed. Teflo n tape w ill
m ak e a go o d seal, b u t it m ay no t prevent the
jo int fro m u nscrew ing.
If The P u m p D o es N o t Ru n8.1
M o st pro blem s are caused by w ro ng co nnectio ns (in a
new installatio n) o r failed co nnectio ns, especially w here
a w ire is no t secure and falls o ut o f a term inal. The
System ON light w ill ind icate that system is sw itched
o n and co nnected to the co ntro ller. It ind icates that
VOLTAGE is present but (in a so larjd irect system ) there
m ay no t be sufficient po w er to start the pum p. It sho uld
attem pt to start at interv als o f 120 seco nd s.
P u m p attem pts to start every 120 seco nds b u t
do es no t ru n The co ntro ller m akes a slight no ise as
it tries to start the pum p. The pum p w ill start to turn o r
just vibrate a little.
There m ay be insufficient po w er reaching the1.
co ntro ller. A so larjd irect (no njbattery) system
sho uld start if there is eno ugh sun to cast a slight
shad o w . A battery system sho uld start if the supj
ply v o ltage is greater than 22V (24 V system ) o r
44 V (48V system ).
If the pum p w as recently co nnected (o r reco nj2.
nected ) to the co ntro ller, it m ay be running in
rev erse d irectio n d ue to w iring erro r. See sectio n
5 .8, Wiring Ord er fo r Co rrect Ro tatio n
If the m o to r shaft o nly v ibrates and w ill no t turn,3 .
it m ay be getting po w er o n o nly tw o o f the three
m o to r w ires. This w ill happen if there is a bro ken
co nnectio n o r if yo u accid entally exchanged o ne
o f the po w er w ires w ith the gro und w ire. See
sectio n 9.3 , Electrical Testing
The pum p o r pipe m ay be packed w ith m ud , clay,4.
sand o r d ebris.
Was the pum p sto red in w ater fo r m o re than three5 .
m o nths? This m ight cause the pum p to seize.
Pum ps w ill no t be d am aged , but m ight hav e to be
pulled to free them again. L et sto red pum ps run
ev ery 2– 3 m o nths in o rd er to av o id seizure.
Helical ro to r m o d els: The rubber stato r m ay be6.
expand ed fro m heat, d ue to sun expo sure o r
pum ping w ater that is w arm er than 72°F (22°C).
This m ay sto p the pum p tem po rarily, but w ill
no t cause d am age. See sectio n 12, Tem perature
Specificatio ns
Helical ro to r m o d els: The pum p m ay hav e run7.
d ry. Rem o v e the pum p stato r (o uter bo d y) fro m
the m o to r, to rev eal the ro to r. If there is so m e
rubber stuck to the ro to r, the pum p end m ust be
replaced .
Helical ro to r m o d els: The check v alv e o n the pum p8.
m ay be faulty o r stuck, allo w ing d o w nw ard leakj
age w hen the pum p is o ff. This can prev ent the
pum p fro m starting.
Is the pum p installed in a negativ e suctio n head9.
applicatio n? This is an abno rm al situatio n and
w ill pull the ro to r o ut o f the pum p stato r causing
po ssible d am age insid e the m o to r as this is an
abno rm al w o rking d irectio n fo r all pum ps. N egaj
pum p at all since the d eliv ery po int is belo w the
w ater so urce lev el in the so urce (w ells, po nd s
etc.) See also sectio n 6.1, Warnings fo r Hand ling
Helical Ro to r Pum ps, WARN IN G abo ut sipho n
applicatio ns
P UM P OVERL OAD (P UM P ON light sho w s red
instead o f green) The system has shut o ff d ue to
an o v erlo ad . This can happen if the m o to r o r pum p is
blo cked o r v ery d ifficult to turn and is d raw ing excessiv e
current (hard to turn). Ov erlo ad d etectio n requires at
least 25 0 W o utput o f the so lar array. This can be caused
by a high co ncentratio n o f so lid s in the pum p, high
w ater tem perature, excessiv e pressure d ue to high lift
o r a restrictio n in the pipe, o r a co m binatio n o f these
facto rs. The co ntro ller w ill m ake 3 start attem pts befo re
shutting d o w n the system . The System ON L ED w ill be
OFF and the red OVERL OAD L ED ON . The system w ill
no t reset until the ON / OFF sw itch is turned OFF and
ON again. See Tro ublesho o ting, sectio n 9.3 , Electrical
Testing: Higher Current
M any pro blem s can be lo cated by sim ple inspectio n. N o
electrical experience is required .
31
Inspect the so lar array
Is it facing the sun? See so lar array o rientatio n,1.
sectio ns 4.4 and 4.5
Is there a partial shad o w o n the array? If o nly2.
10 % o f the array is shad o w ed , it can sto p the
pum p!
Inspect all w ires and co nnectio ns
L o o k carefully fo r im pro per w iring (especially in a1.
new installatio n).
M ake a v isual inspectio n o f the co nd itio n o f the2.
w ires and co nnectio ns. Wires are o ften chew ed by
anim als if they are no t enclo sed in co nd uit (pipe).
Pull w ires w ith yo ur hand s to check fo r failed3 .
co nnectio ns.
Inspect the co ntro ller and ju nctio n b o x
Rem o v e the screw s fro m the bo tto m plate o f1.
the co ntro ller. M o v e the plate d o w nw ard (o r the
co ntro ller upw ard ) to rev eal the term inal blo ck
w here the w ires co nnect. See sectio n 5 .5
First, check fo r a burnt sm ell. This w ill ind icate a2.
failure o f the electro nics. L o o k fo r burnt w ires, bits
o f black d ebris, and any o ther signs o f lightning
d am age.
Open the junctio n bo x . Is the Po w er IN sw itch3 .
turned ON ? Pull o n the w ires to see if any o f them
hav e co m e lo o se.
Inspect the gro und ing w ires and co nnectio ns!4.
M o st co ntro ller failures are caused by an ind uced
surge fro m nearby lightning w here the system is
N OT effectiv ely gro und ed . Gro und co nnectio ns
m ust be pro perly m ad e and free o f co rro sio n. See
sectio n 5 .2
Check the lo w -w ater pro b e system See sectio n
5 .9. If the co ntro ller ind icates “SOURCE L OW” w hen
the pum p is in the w ater, inspect the lo w jw ater pro be
system . The pro be is m o unted o n, o r near the pum p. If
inspectio n is no t feasible, yo u can bypass the pro be o r
test it electrically. See Sectio n 9.3 , Electrical Testing
If the pro be is N OT being used , there m ust be a1.
w ire betw een term inals 1 and 2.
The pro be is a cylind rical plastic d evice m o unted2.
o n o r near the pum p. It co ntains a sm all flo at o n
a v ertical shaft. The flo at m ust be able to m o v e
up to ind icate that it is subm erged , and d o w n to
ind icate that it is d ry.
The pro be m ust be po sitio ned v ertically (w ithin3 .
abo ut 10 °).
The pro be o r a pro be w ire m ay be bro ken. Inspect4.
the w ires fo r d am age.
D o es the pum p run w hen the pro be is OUT o f the5 .
w ater? This can happen if the flo at in the pro be
is stuck. In surface w ater, this can happen fro m
algae, a snail, o r o ther d ebris (see sectio n 5 .9).
If the pum p w as purchased befo re August 20 0 3 ,6.
it m ay hav e a w etjelectro d e pro be. In case o f
tro uble, it can be replaced w ith a new (m echanij
cal flo at) pro be, w ith no changes to w iring o r
co ntro ller.
Check the fu ll-tank flo at sw itch See sectio n 5 .10 . If
the co ntro ller ind icates “TAN K FUL L” w hen the sto rage
tank is no t full, inspect the flo at sw itch system . If yo ur
system has a flo at sw itch, it w ill be m o unted in the tank.
If inspectio n is no t feasible, yo u can bypass the sw itch o r
test it electrically. See sectio n 9.3
If a flo at sw itch is N OT being used , there m ust be1.
a w ire betw een term inals 4 and 5 .
Inspect the flo at sw itch. Is it stuck in the UP2.
po sitio n?
There are tw o types o f flo at sw itch, no rm allyjo pen3 .
and no rm allyjclo sed . Check to see that the w iring
is co rrect fo r the type that is used . See sectio n
5 .10
Fo rce a q u ick start If yo u resto re a co nnectio n o r byj
pass the pro be o r flo at sw itch, there is no need to w ait
fo r the no rm al tim e d elay. Sw itch the o n/o ff sw itch (o r
the po w er so urce) o ff then o n again. The pum p sho uld
start im m ed iately if sufficient po w er is present.
Inspect The System8.2
32
A “m u ltim eter” is req u ired and a clam pjo n am m ej
ter is helpful. Fo r ad v ice, see sectio n 13 .8, Selecting and
Using M eters fo r Electrical Testing
The u niq u e design o f L ORENTZ P S
pu m p system s m eans that the
o u tpu t fro m the co ntro ller to the
pu m p is electro nically co m m u tated
D C. P lease pay clo se attentio n to the m u ltim eter
settings in the fo llo w ing sectio ns. Yo u w ill see
“AC am ps” referred to , this is to give an
indicative and pro po rtio nal m easu rem ent o f the
cu rrent draw n b y the m o to r. The m o to r is a
co m m u tated b ru shless D C m o to r and no t AC
po w ered.
Reco rd yo u r test resu lts o n the P ro b lem Repo rt
Fo rm , “Test #” REFERS TO TABL ES AN D PHOTOS IN
SECTION 10
If yo u see a false reading o f the SOURCE L OW o r
TANK FUL L light, go to tests # 9/10 /11
Test the so lar array circu it
Open-circu it vo ltage, cf. Test #11. This is “id le”
v o ltage. It is no rm ally high because no current is
being d raw n (it’s d o ing no w o rk).
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT, cf. Test #22. o r
spark test — This is helpful if the pum p is trying
to start o r d o es no t seem to get full po w er.
d isco nnect THE ARRAY fro m the co ntro ller befo re
m aking this test. (A sho rt circuit at the array w ill
o nly cause current slightly higher than no rm al.) If
yo u d o n’t hav e a D C am p m eter, a spark that can
jum p 1/4 in (6 m m ) ind icates a go o d pro bability
that the array is w o rking pro perly.
Vo ltage u nder lo ad (w ith pu m p ru nning),3 .
cf. Test #3
Cu rrent u nder lo ad, cf. Test #44.
Was po w er w as co nnected to the co ntro ller w ith rev erse
po larity?
N o lights w ill sho w o n the co ntro ller. This w ill
no t cau se dam age, cf. Test #1
Test the m o to r circu it (resistance test w ith P OW -
ER OFF), cf. Test #7 M ake this test if there is pro per
v o ltage at the co ntro ller input but the m o to r d o es no t
run. It w ill co nfirm the co nd itio n o f the entire m o to r
circuit, includ ing the m o to r, pum p cable and splice.
Test the ru nning cu rrent o f the m o to r circu it
(m o to r circu it am ps), cf. Test #6/6A This is o ne o f
the m o st useful tro uble sho o ting techniques because it
ind icates the fo rce (to rque) that the m o to r is applying to
av ailable fro m lo cal electrical equipm ent suppliers. It
allo w s yo u to m easure current w itho ut breaking co nnecj
tio ns (cf. Test #6A).
Tab le o f M OTOR CIRCUIT RUNNING CURRENT Fo r
helical ro to r pum ps, no rm al running current ind icated o n
this table. The current stays nearly co nstant as v o ltage
and speed v ary. Yo ur m easurem ents m ay v ary by as
m uch as 10 % , and m o re if tem perature is o ut o f the
no rm al range. Co m paring yo ur read ing w ith this table.
This w ill ind icate w hether the w o rk lo ad o n the m o to r
is no rm al fo r the lift it is pro d ucing. M ake no te o f yo ur
m easurem ent. Future changes m ay ind icate pum p w ear,
o r change in the lev el o f the w ater so urce.
HIGHER CURRENT (especially P UM P OVERL OAD
light) m ay indicate:
The pum p m ay be hand ling excessiv e sed im ent1.
(sand , clay).
The to tal d ynam ic head (v ertical lift plus pipe fricj2.
tio n) m ay be higher than yo u think it is.
There m ay be an o bstructio n to the w ater flo w3 .
— sed im ent in the pipe, ice in the pipe, a crushed
pipe o r a partially clo sed v alv e. (Is there a flo at
v alv e at the tank?)
Helical ro to r m o d els: Water m ay be w arm er than4.
72 °F (22°C). This causes the rubber stato r to
expand and tighten against the ro to r (tem po rarily,
no njd am aging). See sectio n 12 fo r tem perature
lim its.
Helical ro to r m o d els: Pum p m ay hav e run d ry.5 .
Rem o v e the pum p stato r (o uter bo d y) fro m
the m o to r, to rev eal the ro to r. If there is so m e
rubber stuck to the ro to r, the pum p end m ust be
replaced .
To reset the OVERL OAD shuto ff (red light), sw itch the
pum p co ntro ller OFF and ON .
L OW ER CURRENT m ay indicate:
In a d eep w ell, the lev el o f w ater in the so urce1.
m ay be far abo v e the pum p intake, so the actual
lift is less than yo u think. This is no t a pro blem .
The pum p head m ay be w o rn, thus easier to2.
turn than no rm al (especially if there is abrasiv e
sed im ent).
There m ay be a leak in the pipe system , red ucing3 .
the pressure lo ad .
Helical ro to r m o d els: Water m ay be co ld er than4.
46°F (8°C). This causes the rubber stato r to co nj
tract, aw ay fro m the ro to r. The pum p spins easier
and pro d uces less flo w und er pressure.
Electrical Testing8.3
Test the lo w -w ater pro b e circu it If the co ntro ller
ind icates “SOURCE L OW” w hen the pum p is in the
w ater, the lo w jw ater pro be system m ay be at fault. (See
sectio n 5 .9.) The co ntro ller applies 5 VD C to the pro be
term inals. When the w ater lev el is abo v e the pro be,
the sw itch in the pro be m akes co ntact. That causes the
applied v o ltage to d ro p to w ard zero . The system s “sees
w ater” and allo w s the pum p to run. If the v o ltage is
greater than 3 V, d ry shuto ff is triggered , cf.Test #9
The lo w jw ater pro be has an internal 1kΩ resisto r in sej
ries w ith the sw itch. When clo sed (in w ater), the no rm al
resistance is aro und 1kΩ.
To bypass the lo w jw ater pro be (and activate the pum p),
co nnect a sm all w ire betw een the pro be term inals (tests
#1 and #2) in the junctio n bo x . Restart the co ntro ller.
If the pum p runs, there is a fault at the pro be o r in the
pro be w iring. The w ires m ay be sho rted (to uching each
o ther) o r o pen (bro ken) o r the m o v ing part o n the pro be
m ay be stuck w ith d ebris, o r the pro be m ay be o ut o f its
no rm al, v ertical po sitio n.
Test the fu ll-tank flo at sw itch If the co ntro ller
ind icates “TAN K FUL L” w hen the tank is no t full, the
flo at sw itch o r pressure sw itch system m ay be at fault.
See sectio ns 5 .10 o r 5 .12
If the rem o te sw itch circuit is N OT being used ,1.
there m ust be a w ire betw een term inals 4 and 5 .
There are tw o types o f flo at sw itch, “no rm ally2.
o pen” and “no rm ally clo sed ”. Check to see that
the w iring is co rrect fo r the type that is used .
M o st flo at sw itches are “no rm ally o pen”. D isco nj3 .
nect a w ire fro m term inal 3 o r 4, and the pum p
sho uld run. Co nnect a w ire betw een term inal 3
and 4, and the pum p sho uld sto p. See also Test
#10
M o st pressure sw itches (and so m e flo at sw itches)4.
are “no rm ally clo sed ”. Co nnect a w ire betw een
term inals 4 and 5 , and the pum p sho uld run. See
also Test #11
If the pum p respo nd s to the bypass tests abo v e but no t
to the flo at sw itch, the w ires m ay be sho rted (to uching
each o ther) o r o pen (bro ken), o r the sw itch m ay be stuck
w ith d ebris, o r o ut o f its co rrect po sitio n.
33
M o to r circu it ru nning cu rrent P S20 0 and P S60 0 system sTab le 4:
liftpum p
825
155 0
2375
3 010 0
3 8125
4615 0
5 3175
6120 0
7625 0
913 0 0
10 73 5 0
12240 0
13 745 0
15 25 0 0
1675 5 0
18060 0
19565 0
21070 0
[m ][ft]
HR0 3 H 1.9 2 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.9 3 3 .3 3 .6 4 4.3 4.6 4.9 5 .2 5 .5 5 .8 6.1
[A]
HR0 4H 2.1 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.9 3 .2 3 .4 3 .8 4.2 4.7 5 .2 5 .7 6.2 6.7 7.2
HR0 3 1.7 1.8 2 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 .1 3 .4 3 .7 4
HR0 4 1.5 1.7 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.7 3 3 .2 3 .7 4.2 4.7
HR0 7 2.5 2.9 3 .3 3 .7 4.1 4.6 5 5 .6 6.5 7.4 8.2 9.2 10 .3
HR10 2.7 3 .3 4.1 4.7 5 .5 6.3 7 8 9.3 10 .3
HR14 3 .6 4.3 5 .4 6.4 7 7.9 8.7 10 .1
HR20 4.4 5 .4 6.7 7.7 8.8 10
C-SJ5 -8 10 .9 10 .7 10 .7 10 .8 10 .7
C-SJ8-7 9.9 9.8 9.9
M o to r circu it ru nning cu rrent P S120 0 system sTab le 5 :
liftpum p
516
103 3
1549
2065
3 010 0
4013 3
5 0166
6020 0
7023 3
80266
903 0 0
10 03 3 0
12040 0
140466
1605 3 3
1805 95
20 065 0
23 075 0
[m ][ft]
HR0 3 H 1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.9 2 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.8 3 3 .2 3 .6
[A]
HR0 4H 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 3 .1 3 .5
HR0 3 0 .9 1 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8 2 2.1 2.4
HR0 4 0 .7 0 .8 0 .9 1 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.9
HR0 7 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.7 3 .1 3 .5 3 .9 4.2 4.6 5 .3
HR10 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.1 2.7 3 .2 3 .8 4.4 4.9 5 .6
HR14 1.8 2.2 2.5 2.8 3 .5 4.1 4.8 5 .6 6.2
HR20 2.1 2.6 3 .1 3 .5 4.4 5 .3
C-SJ5 -8 8.8 8.8 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.8
C-SJ8-7 8.9 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.8
C-SJ12-4 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.9
M o to r circu it ru nning cu rrent P S180 0 system sTab le 6:
liftpum p
516
103 3
1549
2065
3 010 0
4013 3
5 0166
6020 0
7023 3
80266
903 0 0
[m ][ft]
C-SJ1-25 12.6 12.6 12.6 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.4 12.5 12.5 12.5 12.5
[A]
C-SJ5 -12 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.3 12.2 12.2 12.2 12.3 12
C-SJ5 -8 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.7 10 9.9 8.7
C-SJ8-7 12.4 12.7 12.8 12.6 12.6 12
C-SJ12-4 12.1 12.2 12.2 12.2 10 .7
34
Electrical Testing Illu strated9
These tests are extrem ely helpful w hen trying to assess
the perfo rm ance o f a system , o r lo cate a fault. These
pro ced ures w ill help yo u to fill o ut the Pro blem Repo rt.
Ob taining and u sing a m u ltim eter Refer to sectio n
13 .7, and to yo ur m eter’s instructio n m anual. M easuring
current (am ps) is easiest if yo u hav e a clam pjo n am j
m eter, as sho w n in pho to s 2A, 4 A and 6A.
P ro b e inpu t So m e m eters giv e a cho ice o f pro be
so ckets. The negativ e (black) pro be ALWAYS go es in the
“COM ” (co m m o n) so cket. The + (red ) pro be input varies,
and is specified belo w .
Range If yo ur m eter is “auto jranging”, this d o es no t
apply. Otherw ise, use the range than the read ing yo u
expect. Fo r exam ple, in Test #1, “no rm al” v o ltage is
aro und 80 . The pro per range m ay be 10 0 V o r 20 0 V,
d epend ing o n yo ur m eter d esign.
Access Open the junctio n bo x fo r access to the term ij
nals. The appearance o f yo ur w iring m ay v ary.
W ARNING These tests po se
po tential sho ck and b u rn hazards.
Fo llo w appro priate safety
precau tio ns.
W ARNING To m easu re vo ltage,
pu t the + pro b e in the VOLTS
so ck et o n the m eter. If it is in an
AM P S so ck et, attem pting a
vo ltage reading w ill cau se a sho rt
circu it and po tential dam age.
Is the so lar array receiv ing shad o w jfree light? (It1.
o nly takes a sm all shad o w to sto p it.) Is it o riented
pro perly to w ard the so uth, and tilted at the pro per
angle? See sectio ns 3 .4 and 3 .5
Be sure yo u hav e the right pum p fo r the to tal lift2.
that is required , o ut o f the w ell + up the hill. In
the case o f a pressurizing system , the pressure
head is equiv alent to ad d itio nal lift (1PSI =
2.3 1 feet, 1bar = 10 m ).
Be sure all w ire and pipe runs are sized ad j3 .
equately fo r the d istance. Refer to w ire sizing in
the pum p sizing table, and to the pipe sizing chart
in this m anual, see sectio n 13 .3
Inspect and test the so lar array circuit and the4.
co ntro ller o utput, as abo v e. Write d o w n yo ur
m easurem ents.
There m ay be a leak in the pipe fro m the pum p.5 .
Open a pipe co nnectio n and o bserv e the w ater
lev el. L o o k again later to see if it has leaked
d o w n. There sho uld be little o r no leakage o v er a
perio d o f ho urs.
M easure the pum p current and co m pare it w ith6.
the table in the previo us sectio n, cf.Test #6
There is a “m ax . RPM ” ad justm ent in the co ntro lj7.
ler. It m ay hav e been set to red uce the flo w as lo w
as 5 0 % . See sectio n 5 .6
Has the flo w decreased o ver tim e?
Is the m o to r circuit running current lo w er than1.
no rm al? The pum p end (pum ping m echanism )
m ay be w o rn fro m to o m uch abrasiv e particles
(sand o r clay) in the w ater.
Is the m o to r circuit running current higher than2.
no rm al? D o esn’t start easily in lo w light? This is
likely to be related to d irt in the pum p and /o r pipe.
L o o k in the w ater tank o r pipes to see if sed im ent3 .
has been accum ulating.
Run the pum p in a bucket to o bserv e.4.
Rem o v e the pipe fro m the pum p o utlet (check5 .
v alv e) and see if sand o r silt is blo cking the flo w .
If the check v alv e itself is clo gged w ith d irt, see6.
CAUTION , sectio n 9.1
To help prev ent d irt pro blem s, see sectio n 6.7,7.
Co ping With D irty Water Co nd itio ns.
After years o f use, it m ay be necessary to replace8.
the pum p end . Call yo ur pum ps supplier fo r
ad v ice.
If The P u m p Ru ns Bu t Flo w Is L ess Than N o rm al8.4
35
Testing the So lar Array (D C)Tab le 7:
Test Test D escriptio n N o tes M eterSetting
+ P ro b eInpu t
N o rm al Resu lt Interpretatio n
1 PV arrayo penjcircuit v o ltage
POWER IN sw itch m ust be OFFCheck +/j po larity
V D C V ... 75 j85 Vlo w est in ho t w eather
half o r tw ice the no rm al ind icatesthat the array is w ired w ro ng
2 PV arraysho rtjcircuit v o ltage
POWER IN sw itch m ust be OFF
W ARNING D o no t co nnectsho rt-circu it fo r m o re than 1/2m inu te. A spark is no rm al.
AD C 10 Ao r higher
m axim um equal toPV array Watts d iv id ed by 65v aries w ith sun intensity
ind icates that the so lar array ispro d ucing the expected am o unt o fcurrent, ind epend ent o f the pum psystem
2A sam e, but using aclam pjo n am m eter
W ARNING D o no t co nnectsho rt-circu it fo r m o re than 1/2m inu te. A spark is no rm al.
AD Ccheck zero jad just
no pro bes m axim um equal toPV array Watts d iv id ed by 65v aries w ith sun intensity
ind icates that the so lar array ispro d ucing the expected am o unt o fcurrent, ind epend ent o f the pum psystem
3 D C input v o ltaged uring pum ping
j V D C V ... aro und 60 Vlo w est in ho t w eather
ind icates pro per co ntro ller inputfunctio n
4* D C input currentd uring pum ping
j AD C 10 Ao r higher
m axim um equal toPV array Watts d iv id ed by 70v aries w ith sun intensity andw ater lift
ind icates w hether the PV array isd eliv ering the expected current tothe pum p
4A* sam e, but using aclam pjo n am m eter
This type o f m eter is easiest to use;no need to break circuit.
AD C no pro bes m axim um equal toPV array Watts d iv id ed by 70v aries w ith sun intensity andw ater lift
ind icates w hether the PV array isd eliv ering the expected current tothe pum p
Testing the So lar Array (D C)9.1
This test refers to a 48V so lar array w ith a P S60 0
pu m p set. Yo ur system v o ltage m ay v ary.
BATTERY SYSTEM S P erfo rm tests # 1, 3 and 4 (4A),
as ab o ve N o rm al result fo r #1 sho uld equal the battery
v o ltage, typically 44 j5 8V N o rm al result fo r #3 is slightly
lo w er, no t m o re than 2V lo w er.
Figu re 26: Test 1+2 F igu re 28: Test 2a Figu re 29: Test 4
Test 3 : sam e as 1 + 2,
but d isco nnect sw itch ON
Rem o v e o ne array w ire and rejm ake
the co nnectio n THROUGH yo ur m eter.
Pro be co nnectio ns m ust be secure. A
clam ping d evice is helpful (split bo lt is
sho w n as an exam ple).
D C clam pjo n m eter m ust be zero jsetfirst
Test 4aFigu re 27:
PV d isco nnect sw itch OFF PV d isco nnect sw itchON PV d isco nnect sw itchON and pum p running
PV d isco nnect sw itch ONand pum p running
*) Test 4 and 4A: The current is d eterm ined by bo th the
array AN D the lo ad (current d raw o f the pum p system ).
If the pum p is no t und er full lo ad (like in a bucket), the
current m ay be as little as 1 am p.
36
Test 6aFigu re 3 1: Figu re 3 2: Test 7Test 6Figu re 3 0 :
Rem o v e any o ne pum p w ire and rem ake the co nnecj
tio n THROUGH yo ur m eter. Pro be co nnectio ns m ust be
secure. A clam ping d evice is helpful (split bo lt is sho w n
as an exam ple).
Testing the pu m p circu it (m o to r circu it ru nning cu rrent and resistance)Tab le 8:
Test Test D escriptio n N o tes M eterSetting
+ P ro b eInpu t
N o rm al Resu lt Interpretatio n
5 pum ping speedd uring pum ping
co unt num ber o f flasheso n PUM P ON L ED
j j 1 to 5 flashesv aries w ith the sun intensity
num ber o f flashes ind icates m o to rspeed (RPM ) and ensures that them o to r is spinning
6 m o to r circuit runningcurrent d raw
m easure any o f the threem o to r w ires
AAC 10 Ao r higher
1–9 Asee table in sectio n 9.3
current is pro po rtio nal tothe to rque lo ad o n the m o to r
6A sam e, using clam pjo n am m eter
This type o f m eter iseasiest to use.
AAC j 1–9 Asee table in sectio n 9.3
current is pro po rtio nal tothe to rque lo ad o n the m o to r
7 pum p circuitresistance
Po w er OFF, m easure all:L 1 – L 2, L 1– L 3 , L 2– L 3 *
Ω Ω 0 .1–1.5 Ωall three m ust be equal
no rm al and equal m eans that m o to r,cable and splices are fine
8 pum p circuitresistance to gro und
M easure fro m any pum p w ire togro und
Ω Ω m o re than 10 0 kΩ lo w er read ing ind icatesan insulatio n fault
Testing the pu m p circu it (m o to r circu it ru nning cu rrent and resistance)9.2
*) Resistance: Ho ld the pro bes tightly to the w ire and
scratch them to ensure go o d co ntact. Ho ld them still
until the m eter d isplay sho w s the L OWEST read ing that
yo u can get. Ho ld ing the pro bes w ith yo ur fingers w ill
no t alter the read ing.
Analo g (m echanical) m eter requires zero jad justm ent.
Fo r this test, yo u can to uch pro bes w ith yo ur fingers.
Testing the lo w -w ater pro b e circu itTab le 9:
Test Test D escriptio n N o tes M eter Sett ing + P ro b e Inpu t N o rm al Resu lt Interpretatio n
9 POWER ONv o ltage at term inals1 and 2
cho se o ne o fthese tw o tests
VD C V ... a) 0 –2Vb) 5 V
if a) pum p in w ater o r bypassed– pum p o n
if b) pro be abo v e w ater o r circuitbro ken – pum p o ff
9 resistance betw eenpro be w ires, d isco njnect fro m co ntro ller
Ω Ω ... a) < 10 0 Ωb) > 10 kΩ
if a) pro be in w ater – OKbypassed – pum p o n
if b) pro be abo v e w ater o r circuitbro ken – pum p o ff
Testing the lo w -w ater pro b e circu it9.3
37
Testing the fu ll-tank flo at sw itch (o r pressu re sw itch) circu itTab le 10 :
Test Test D escriptio n N o tes M eter Sett ing + P ro b e Inpu t N o rm al Resu lt Interpretatio n
IF SW ITCH IS NORM AL LY OP EN (N.O.), cf. figu re 26
10 POWER ONv o ltage at term inals3 and 4
cho se o ne o fthese tw o tests
VD C V ... a) 0 –2Vb) 5 V
if a) sw itch clo sed (o r circuit sho rted )j pum p o ff
if b) sw itch o pen (o r circuit bro ken)j pum p o n
10 resistance betw eensw itch w ires,d isco nnected fro mco ntro ller
Ω Ω ... a) < 10 0 Ωb) > 10 kΩ
if a) sw itch clo sed (o r circuit sho rted )j pum p o ff
if b) sw itch o pen (o r circuit bro ken)j pum p o n
IF SW ITCH IS NORM AL LY CL OSED (N.C.), cf. figu re 26
11 POWER ONv o ltage at term inals4 and 5
cho se o ne o fthese tw o tests
V D C V ... a) 0 –2Vb) 5 V
if a) sw itch clo sed (o r circuit sho rted )j pum p o n
if b) sw itch o pen (o r circuit bro ken)j pum p o ff
11 resistance betw eensw itch w ires,d isco nnected fro mco ntro ller
Ω Ω ... a) < 10 0 Ωb) > 10 kΩ
if a) sw itch clo sed (o r circuit sho rted )j pum p o n
if b) sw itch o pen (o r circuit bro ken)j pum p o ff
See schem es o n prev io us page fo r illustratio n o f testing
Testing the fu ll-tank flo at sw itch (o r pressu re sw itch) circu it9.4
38
M aintenance10
10 .1 Co ntro ller and P u m p
So lar Array10 .2
Electrical W iring10 .3
Co ntro ller and ju nctio n b o x The co ntro ller is elecj
tro nic w ith no m o v ing o r w earing parts. It requires no
m aintenance. There are rubber gasket seals at the to p
and bo tto m , and rubber plugs to seal unused co nd uit
ho les. Inspect them to insure that the co ntro ller is sealed
fro m m o isture, insects, etc. Check that m o unting and
co nd uit hard w are is tight.
M o to r The m o to r is w aterjlubricated and requires
no m aintenance. It is perm anently sealed and has no
brushes o r o ther frequently w earing parts.
P u m p end The pum p m echanism (pum p end ) is lubrij
cated o nly by w ater and requires no m aintenance. It m ay
w ear after so m e years, especially if there are abrasiv e
so lid s in the w ater. If sand accum ulates in the sto rage
tank o r pipes as a result o f no rm al pum ping, it is best to
take perio d ic m easurem ent o f the pum p’s perfo rm ance.
If the flo w rate is less than no rm al, see sectio n 9.4. A
w o rn pum p end can be replaced in the field , after the
pum p is pulled fro m the w ater so urce.
P o w er w iring Inspect w ires and co nnectio ns carefully.
Any w ires that are hanging lo o se sho uld be secured
to prev ent them fro m sw inging in the w ind . Expo sed
w iring m ust be sunlight resistant and in go o d co nd ij
tio n. In the case o f a tracking array, lo o k carefully fo r
any w ire d am age d ue to rubbing, bend ing, o r pulling
as the tracker sw ings. If w iring w as no t perfo rm ed to
pro fessio nal stand ard s, im pro v e it to prev ent faults in
the future.
Gro u nding Inspect the gro und ing system carefully. All
co nnectio ns m ust be tight and free o f co rro sio n. Po o r
gro und ing can lead to d am age fro m lightningjind uced
surges. See sectio n 5 .2
So lar array m o u nting b o lts Bo lts tend to lo o sen
as the array structure flexes in high w ind s. Check
tightness. All bo lts sho uld all hav e lo ck w ashers to keep
them tight.
Su n expo su re Cut aw ay any v egetatio n that w ill gro w
eno ugh to blo ck so lar illum inatio n. Shad ing ev en a
sm all co rner o f the so lar array m ay sto p the pum p, o r
greatly red uce its flo w .
So lar array cleaning If there is d irt, m ineral d epo sits,
bird d ro ppings o r o ther d ebris stuck to the so lar array
surface, clean it w ith w ater, v inegar o r glass cleaner.
So lar array tilt Inspect the tilt o f the array. The
o ptim um tilt angle varies w ith the seaso n. So m e peo ple
ad just the tilt tw ice per year. Other peo ple set it at a
single setting as a perm anent co m pro m ise. See sectio n
3 .5 fo r d etails.
So lar Track er If the system uses a so lar tracker, lubrij
cate the bearings, check m o unting bo lts and m echaj
nism . Refer to tracker m anufacturer’s instructio ns.
Standards, Enviro nm ental and11Tem peratu re Specificatio ns
In all cases, it shall be the respo nsibility o f the custo m er
to ensure a safe installatio n in co m pliance w ith lo cal,
state and natio nal electrical co d es.
P S co ntro llers are built to D IN jVD E regulatio ns and
carry the CE stam p ind icating that the Euro pean Unio n
electro m agnetic interference stand ard s (D t. EM V) hav e
been fulfilled . Printed circuit bo ard s are co nfo rm alj
co ated against m o isture. The enclo sure is thick ano d ized
alum inum , gasketjsealed and raintight fo r any o utd o o r
env iro nm ent (enclo sure class IP5 5 ). The co ntro ller is
suited to tro pical co nd itio ns acco rd ing to IEC 68j2j3 0 .
The co ntro ller is no t subm ersible.
Tem peratu re Ranges
P u m ps Helical ro to r pum ps (all w itho ut C in the m o d el
num ber): Fo r pum ps in the stand ard tem perature class,
the o ptim um range o f w ater tem perature is 46°F to
72 °F (8°C to 22°C).
Co ntro ller Am bient air tem perature –22°F to 113 °F
(–3 0 °C to 45 °C). The co ntro ller has o v erjtem perature
pro tectio n.
Sto rage Tem peratu re Pum p and co ntro ller can be
sto red (no t used ) in the range o f 0 °F to 120 °F (–20 °C
to 5 0 °C).
39
The flo at sw itch circuit o perates at 12VD C, carrying
m axim um current o f 4.7 m A. The co ntro ller has term inals
fo r either no rm ally o pen (N .O.) o r no rm ally clo sed (N .C.)
sw itching.
The lo w jw ater pro be circuit applies 5 VD C to a pro be.
The w ater co nd ucts a sm all am o unt o f current betw een
the tw o electro d es o f the pro be. If the pro be is o ut o f
the w ater, the co ntro ller sto ps the pum p. When the
w ater lev el reco v ers, there is a 20 m inute d elay befo re
restart.
P u m p end – centrifu gal m o dels Pum ps w ith a
M OD EL N UM BER CONTAIN IN G “C” use a m ultijstage
centrifugal pum p end , sim ilar to that o f co nv entio nal
w ell pum ps – this is fo r high v o lum e at 75 ft (23 m ) o r
less.
P u m p end – helical ro to r m o dels Pum ps w ith a
M OD EL N UM BER THAT D OES N OT CONTAIN “C” hav e a
helical ro to r pum p end (also called “pro gressiv e cav ity”
pum p). The ro to r fits clo sely into a rubber stato r that
has a helical gro o v e o f a d ifferent pitch. The m ism atch
betw een the ro to r and stato r fo rm s sealed cav ities that
trap w ater. As the ro to r turns, the cav ities pro gress
to w ard the o utlet.
Reference Sectio n12
So lar array Pho to v o ltaic (PV) cells pro d uce electricity
d irectly fro m sunlight (no t fro m heat). L ight causes elecj
tro ns to jum p fro m the to p layer o f the cell, into “ho les”
in the layer und erneath. When a circuit is m ad e betw een
to p and bo tto m layers, electric current flo w s. Each cell
pro d uces abo ut ½ V. As sunlight v aries, the current
(am ps) varies w hile the v o ltage stays nearly co nstant.
PV cells are co nnected in series fo r the d esired v o ltage,
and sealed und er glass to m ake a “PV m o d ule”.The
assem bly o f m o d ules is called a “PV array”. There are no
m o v ing o r w earing parts in PV m o d ules. The glass used
in high quality PV m o d ules is tem pered , and is extrem ely
stro ng. It is tested to fed eral stand ard s that includ e
resistance to a 1in ice ball trav eling at 10 0 m i per ho ur.
So m e P S pu m p system s use a “passiv e” o r activ e so lar
tracker, w hich tilts the array to fo llo w the sun thro ugh
the d ay. D aily o utput can be increased by that feature
up to 5 0 % .
Bru shless m o to r system PS pum ps use a “brushless
D C m o to r system ”. This co nsists o f a special m o to r
(synchro no us, perm anent m agnet, w ater filled ), and a
co ntro ller that changes the so lar D C po w er to a d igitj
ally created co m m utated D C signal. This electro nically
co m m utated D C signal creates a ro tating m agnetic
field that causes the shaft to spin. The m o to r’s speed is
d eterm ined by the frequency o f the signal. The co ntro ller
v aries the frequency (and the v o ltage) to bring the m o j
to r up to speed slo w ly. It then ad justs the m o to r speed
acco rd ing to the po w er av ailable fro m the sun.
P rinciples o f Operatio n12.1
Old erjtechno lo gy so lar pum ps hav e a trad itio nal D C
m o to r that uses “brushes” (sm all blo cks o f carbo n
graphite) to co nd uct current to the spinning part o f the
m o to r. N o t o nly d o the brushes w ear o ut in a few years,
but it is necessary to hav e air in the m o to r and a perfect
seal to keep w ater o ut. The D C brushless m o to r is filled
w ith, and lubricated by w ater.
Co ntro ller The PSjco ntro ller starts the pum p slo w ly
and ad justs its speed acco rd ing to the pum ping lo ad
and the po w er av ailable fro m the so lar array. Po w er
o utput fro m the array is o ptim ally m atched to the lo ad
bym axim u m po w er po int track er (M PPT) and
linear cu rrent b o o ster (L CB) functio ns, to pro d uce
m axim um po w er transfer thro ugho ut all co nd itio ns. The
L CB functio n is analo go us to an auto m atic transm isj
sio n in an auto m o bile. It starts the pum p in “lo w gear”
(it lo w ers the array v o ltage and bo o sts the current).
Und er lo w sun co nd itio ns, it stays in “lo w gear” to resist
stalling. As sunlight increases, it ad v ances co ntinuo usly
to w ard “high gear” (higher v o ltage). The M PPT system
refines the L CB functio n by tracking changes in the array
v o ltage. Array v o ltage varies prim arily w ith tem perature
(it is higher at lo w tem peratures). When the pum p stalls
in lo w sunlight, the co ntro ller sw itches the pum p o ff.
The co ntro ller co nv erts the D C po w er fro m the so lar
array to d igitally created D C signal to run the m o to r.
D ue to the special nature o f this PWM signal it canno t
be m easured w ith a m ultim eter. M o to r speed (RPM )
is pro po rtio nal to the signal frequency. The frequency
starts lo w (abo ut 20 Hz), and increases grad ually to a
m axim um o f 3 ,40 0 RPM (70 Hz).
40
Helical Ro to r M o dels12.2
P o sitive displacem ent actio n The helical ro to r pum p
d iffers fro m centrifugal pum ps in that it m aintains high
efficiency and lift capacity ev en at lo w ro tatio nal speed s
and lo w flo w rates. This allo w sthe pu m p to w o rk w ith
a sm all, inexpensiv e so lar array, and to functio n in lo w
sunlight co nd itio ns.
The helical ro to r pu m p has o nly o ne m o ving
part. It pro d uces a sm o o th flo w and requires no v alv es
to functio n. It is far m o re reliable than d iaphragm and
pisto njtype so lar pum ps.
Helical Ro to r P u m p HeadFigu re 3 3 :
co upling flex shaft helical ro to r rubber stato r no njreturn v alv e
Sealed cav ities trap w ater and pro gress to w ard the o utlet
Clo se-u pFigu re 3 4:
o f helical ro to r
Clo sejup o f the sam e
ro to r. This is a test
specim en that pum ped
extrem ely sand y w ater
fo r 5 0 0 ho urs in the
test lab. The surface is
alm o st like new , and the
pum p perfo rm s to full
specificatio ns.
M o to rFigu re 3 5 :
w ith helical ro to r at-
tached, stato r ho u sing
rem o ved
Self-cleaning actio n The ro to r sw eeps the full surj
face o f the rubber stato r w ith ev ery turn. It is im po ssible
fo r d epo sits to accum ulate. So lid particles tend to ro ll
aw ay fro m the co ntact area, m aking the pum p extrem ely
resistant to abrasio n. Particles that are trapped against
the rubber are to lerated by the flexibility o f rubber.
So m e histo ry Helical ro to r pum ps hav e been used in
the o il ind ustry fo r o v er 60 years. They are used to pum p
co ncrete! They hav e been used fo r so lar pum ping since
the 1980 s, but w ere v ery expensiv e untilthe L ORENTZ
helical ro to r pum p w as intro d uced .
41
W ater P ipe Sizing Chart12.3
D o n’t cheat yo u rself w ith u ndersized pipe! Use
this chart to d eterm ine the ad d itio nal head im po sed o n
yo ur pum p d ue to pipe frictio n, based o n flo w rate, pipe
size and pipe length. Co nsid er the TOTAL pipe length
fro m the pum p to the pipe o utlet to the tank.
Frictio n L o ss in P lastic P ipe w ith Standard Inside D iam eter (SID R)Tab le 11:
Head lo ss fro m frictio n in v ertical m /ft per 10 0 m /ft o f pipe.
P ipe fittings im po se ad d itio nal frictio n lo ss. A sharp
90 ° pipe elbo w ad d s frictio n appro xim ately equal to 6 ft
(2 m ) o f pipe o f the sam e size.
This chart applies o nly to P VC
pipes, schedu le 40 (160 P SI), and
to po lyethylene (P E) pipes w ith
SID R designatio n (m o st co m m o n
10 0 P SI b lack flexib le pipe).
Shaded valu es are velo cities o ver
5 ft per seco nd and sho u ld b e
avo ided. Cho o se a larger pipe
diam eter.
*) 1/2 in d ata applies to po lyethylene pipes o nly. PVC pipes hav e a sm aller ID o f 0 .612 in.
Flo w RateVo lu m enstro m
P ipe D iam eter L eitu ngsdu rchm esser
½ * ¾ 1 1¼ 1½ 2 2½ 3 4 5 6 in no m inal
[USjGal./m in] [l/m in] 0 .66 0 .82 1.0 5 1.3 8 1.61 2.0 7 2.47 3 .0 7 4.0 3 5 .0 5 6.0 6 in actual
1 3 .8 1.0 0 .40 0 .10 0 .0 2
2 7.6 3 .0 1.2 0 .40 0 .10 0 .0 5
3 11 6 2.3 0 .7 0 .20 0 .10
4 15 10 4.0 1.2 0 .3 2 0 .15 0 .0 5
5 19 16 6 1.8 0 .48 0 .23 0 .0 7
6 23 22 8 2.5 0 .7 0 .3 2 0 .10 0 .0 4
7 27 11 3 .2 0 .9 0 .43 0 .13 0 .0 6
8 3 0 13 3 .9 1.1 0 .5 0 .16 0 .0 7
9 3 4 16 4.9 1.3 0 .6 0 .19 0 .0 8
10 3 8 19 6 1.6 0 .8 0 .24 0 .10 0 .0 4
11 42 23 7 1.9 0 .9 0 .28 0 .12 0 .0 4
12 45 26 8 2.2 1.0 0 .3 0 0 .14 0 .0 5
14 5 3 11 2.9 1.4 0 .40 0 .18 0 .0 6
16 61 14 3 .7 1.8 0 .5 0 .23 0 .0 8
18 68 16 4.5 2.2 0 .7 0 .28 0 .10
20 76 20 5 .4 2.6 0 .8 0 .3 4 0 .12 0 .0 3
22 83 23 6 3 .1 0 .9 0 .40 0 .14 0 .0 4
24 91 28 8 3 .6 1.1 0 .47 0 .17 0 .0 5
26 99 9 4.2 1.3 0 .5 0 .19 0 .0 5
28 10 6 10 4.7 1.4 0 .6 0 .22 0 .0 6
3 0 114 11 5 1.6 0 .7 0 .25 0 .0 7
3 5 13 3 15 7 2.1 0 .9 0 .3 0 0 .0 9
40 15 2 19 9 2.7 1.2 0 .40 0 .11 0 .0 4
45 171 23 11 3 .3 1.4 0 .5 0 .14 0 .0 5
5 0 190 28 13 4.0 1.7 0 .6 0 .17 0 .0 6
5 5 20 8 16 4.7 2.0 0 .7 0 .19 0 .0 7
60 227 18 5 .5 2.4 0 .8 0 .23 0 .0 8 0 .0 3
65 246 21 6 2.7 1.0 0 .26 0 .0 9 0 .0 4
70 265 24 7 3 .1 1.1 0 .3 0 0 .10 0 .0 4
75 284 8 3 .5 1.2 0 .3 4 0 .12 0 .0 5
80 3 0 3 9 3 .9 1.4 0 .3 8 0 .13 0 .0 5
85 3 22 10 4.4 1.6 0 .42 0 .14 0 .0 6
90 3 41 11 4.8 1.7 0 .47 0 .16 0 .0 7
95 3 60 12 5 1.9 0 .5 0 .18 0 .0 7
10 0 3 79 14 6 2.1 0 .6 0 .19 0 .0 8
15 0 5 69 28 12 4.3 1.2 0 .3 9 0 .17
42
W ellhead Assem b lies fo r D rilled W ells12.4
To suppo rt the d ro p pipe and seal the w ellhead , cho o se
o ne o f these m etho d s
W ell Seal System
These m etho d s are N OT specific to so lar pum ps. The
co m po nents are av ailable fro m co nv entio nal w ater w ell
suppliers.
The w ell seal is a plate that fits o n to p o f the w ell
casing. It pro v id es a seal against co ntam inatio n, and it
suppo rts the w eight o f the injw ell assem bly. In a freezj
ing clim ate, the w ellhead m ust be lo cated in a heated
build ing o r in a co v ered w ell pit, o r the pipe m ust be
m ad e to d rain w hen the pum p sto ps. See sectio n 13 .7,
Freeze Pro tectio n
Use m etal pipes abo v e gro und , fo r strength. A tee and
a plug is used instead o f an elbo w , because the plug
allo w s d irect o bserv atio n o f w ater lev el and flo w . It also
pro v id es a place to attach a lifting d evice.
P itless Adapter System
The pitless ad apter is a fitting that allo w s yo ur buried
pipe to pass thro ugh the w ell casing und ergro und ,
w itho ut the need to build a co v ered pit. It pro v id es pro j
tectio n against freezing, flo o d ing, anim als and hum an
activ ities that can d am age expo sed piping.
After the pitless ad apter is installed , the pum p can be
installed and rem o v ed fro m abo v e, w ith no further need
to d ig. The insid e half slid es apart v ertically by m eans
o f a d o v etail jo int and an Ojring. A piece o f thread ed
pipe is used as a tem po rary to o l fo r installatio n o r
rem o v al. Thread it into the so cket o n the insid e half o f
the ad apter.
If the w ell casing is 4 in (insid e d iam eter) the pitless
ad apter m ust be d esigned no t to red uce the clearance
insid e the casing (it clam ps aro und the o utsid e o f the
casing).
Tw o pum ps in o ne w ell If yo u hav e a w ell casing o f 6in
o r larger, yo u m ay be able to install tw o pum ps in the
w ell, by using tw o pitless ad apters.
Check Valve
A check v alv e (no njreturn valv e) prev ents sto red w ater
fro m escaping d o w n the w ell in case o f a leak in yo ur
d ro p pipe. It m ay also help the pum p to start easier if it
feed s into a v ery lo ng pipeline. If yo u use a w eep ho le
fo r freeze pro tectio n, o m it this check v alv e to allo w the
pipe to d rain.
m etal pipe sectio n
electric cable
electric cable
electrical co nd uit
w ell casing
w ell casing
w ell cap
w ell seal
electric cable
tem po rary puller pipe
eye bo lt
safety ro pe
eye bo lt
check v alv e (o ptio nal)
check v alv e
plug
pitless ad apter
d ro p pipe
W ell Seal SystemFigu re 3 6:
43
W ater Sto rage fo r So lar W ater P u m ps12.5
Sto rage Tank Capacity Generally, sto rage capacity
sho uld equal 3 to 10 d ays o f av erage w ater co nsum pj
tio n, o r m o re. This d epend s o n the clim ate and usage
patterns. Fo r d o m estic use in a clo ud y clim ate, 10 d ays
is m inim al. In a sunny clim ate, this allo w s fo r a genero us
safety m argin. Fo r d eep irrigatio n o f trees (w here the so il
ho ld s m o isture fo r a w eek) 3 d ays’ sto rage m ay be ad j
equate. Fo r irrigating a gard en, 5 d ays m ay be ad equate.
Yo u canno t sto re to o m uch w ater!
Sto rage Tank P lu m b ing This illustratio n sho w s m any
o ptio ns. They are no t all required , but are illustrated fo r
purpo ses o f d iscussio n.
We suggest that yo u place yo ur no rm al po int o f
d ischarge higher than the bo tto m o f yo ur w ater tank,
in o rd er to ho ld a reserv e so that the tank d o es no t run
co m pletely d ry.
Yo u can lo se yo ur w ater supply und er any o f these
co nd itio ns:
a perio d o f lo w sunshine and /o r excessiv e w ater1.
d em and
an electrical o r m echanical failure in the system2.
a leak in the tank o r piping3 .
an accid ental d ischarge o f sto red w ater4.
Place a seco nd o utlet valv e at the bo tto m lev el o f
yo ur sto rage tank, to use the reserv e supply in case o f
em ergency.
P ipe sizing The pipe fro m the pum p to the tank m ay
need to be larger than the pum p o utlet, d epend ing o n
the flo w and the length o f pipe. A single pipe m ay be
used fo r bo th fill and d ischarge. In that case, size the
pipe fo r the m axim um d ischarge that yo u w ant to acj
co m plish. Yo u m ay o v ersize the pipe if there is a chance
that yo u m ay install a seco nd pum p, o r larger pum p in
the future. Sizing the pipe larger than necessary w ill
N OT influence the perfo rm ance o f the system . See secj
tio n 13 .3 , Water Pipe Sizing Chart
Air VentRequired if to p o f tank is sealed ,particularly if the tank is buried Inlet P ipe (o ptio nal)
Feed w ell w ater in at this lev el if yo u w ant the pipefro m the w ell to d rain after the pum p sto ps (see“Freeze Pro tectio n”). Yo ur cho ice o f inlet here at to p o ftank w ill no t significantly effect pum p perfo rm ance.
Overflo w Ou tlet
If flo at sw itch is used : this d rains ex cess w ater safelyaw ay in case the flo at co ntro l system fails. If flo atsw itch is no t used : this can send w ater to ad d itio nalsto rage o r irrigatio n.
Refresher Valve (o ptio nal)A slo w leakage o f w ater at this lev el w ill cause thepum p to refresh the w ater perio d ically d uring tim eso f lo w d em and .
M ain Shu to ff Valve (no rm ally o pen)
Reserv e Shuto ff Valv e
D rain / Cleano ut Valv e
To Water D istributio n System
In-/Ou tlet P ipeA single pipe can hand le w ater go ing bo th into ando ut o f the tank. N o te the relativ ely large size o f them ain d ischarge pipe This facilitates grav ity flo w w ithm inim al pressure lo ss.
M o nito ring Valv e
Water Well
Water M eter(o ptio nal)
Check Valve(springjlo ad ed type)
Pressure Senso r fo r
Flo at Sw itch
o n
o ff
cable topum p co ntro ller
If yo u plan to use grav ityjflo w to supply w ater fro m the
sto rage tank, be sure the d ischarge pipe is large eno ugh
to allo w sufficient flo w to m eet the m axim um w ater
d em and w itho ut excessiv e frictio n lo ss.
P ressu re o f delivery Ev ery 2.3 ft (0 .7 m ) v ertical feet
o f d ro p pro d uces 1PSI o f pressure, m inus any frictio n
lo ss (10 m pro d uces 1bar). The v o lum e o f w ater sto red
in the tank d o es no t effect the pressure d eliv ered .
W ater P u rificatio n Check lo cal health autho rities
and /o r plum bing co d es to ensure yo u w ill co m ply w ith
requirem ents fo r using a sto rage tank that is o pen to the
atm o sphere, fo r po table w ater. Sanitatio n by m eans o f
chlo rinatio n, o zo ne o r infrared system m ay be required
o r reco m m end ed .
W ireless L evel Co ntro l fo r Fu ll-Tank Shu to ff (o p-
tio nal) This elim inates flo at sw itch and cable. It uses a
pressure senso r o n the pipe. See Auto m atic Co ntro l fo r
FulljTank Shuto ff.
W ater Sto rage SystemFigu re 3 8:
44
M o nit o ring a So lar P u m p System12.6
M o nit o ring the pu m p Will yo u be able to o bserv e
the o utput o f yo ur pum p at the po int o f d ischarge? If
no t, yo u m ay no t kno w if it m alfunctio ns. Co nsid er
installing a w ater m eter, o r ad d itio nal v alv es so that the
flo w can be d irectly o bserv ed . See illustratio n in sectio n
13 .4
M o nito ring the w ater level in yo u r sto rage tank
Will yo u be able to o bserv e the lev el o f w ater in yo ur
tank? If yo u canno t easily see into yo ur sto rage tank,
here are so m e m etho d s o f tank m o nito ring.
d ipstick in the air v ent1.
flo at w ith a v isible ro d that pro trud es thro ugh the2.
to p o f the tank
clear sightjtube alo ngsid e the tank3 .
precisio n pressure gauge (no te: 1PSI = 2.3 ft)4.
Freeze P ro tectio n fo r So lar W ater P u m ps12.7
In a co ld clim ate, w ater can freeze in a pipe and blo ck
the w ater flo w . This w ill cause an electrical o v erlo ad that
w ill cause the pum p to sto p.
P ressu re relief If there is any po ssibility o f a pipe
freezing, install a pressure relief v alv e to prev ent excess
pressure in the pum p line. Install it belo w fro st line.
Ad just the valv e to o pen if the pressure exceed s no rm al.
This is especially im po rtant fo r helical ro to r pum ps
(m o d el num ber no t co ntaining “C”) w hich can d ev elo p
v ery high pressure.
Bu rial o f pipe The best w ay to prev ent freezing is to
bury all piping belo w fro st line. The m o d ern m etho d o f
burial at the w ellhead is to install a pitless ad apter. See
sectio n 13 .4, Wellhead Assem blies fo r D rilled Wells
W eep ho le If yo u hav e abo v ejgro und piping that m ust
be d rained fo r freeze pro tectio n, m ake a tiny “w eep
ho le” in the d ro p pipe, belo w fro st line. This w ill cause
a co nstant (but v ery sm all) leakage o f w ater back into
the w ell. When the pum p sto ps, the pipe w ill d rain back
slo w ly. The pipe m ust be slo ped w itho ut lo w spo ts, so
it d rains co m pletely. In plastic pipe, a w eep ho le can be
m ad e w ith a ho t need le o r an extrem ely sm all d rill bit, o r
a need le v alv e can be installed and ad justed .
W eep ho le – “high tech” versio n The m o st reliable
w ay to co ntro l d ripping is to use a “d rip em itter” m ad e
fo r d rip irrigatio n system s. It w ill resist accum ulatio n o f
d ebris and m ineral d epo sits far better than a sim ple ho le
o r a need le v alv e. Em itters are av ailable fro m irrigatio n
suppliers, nurseries, and m any hard w are sto res. They are
rated in gallo ns (liters) per ho ur. The m o st co m m o n o nes
are in the range o f 1– 2 US gal. (4 –8 l) per ho ur. Use
a relativ ely fast o ne fo r best reliability, especially if yo u
get m ineral d epo sits. D rill a ho le in the pipe to fit the
em itter, and push the em itter into the ho le.
D rip em itters are m ad e fo r a pressure lim it o f abo ut
40 PSI (2.8 bar). This lim its the v ertical lift abo v e the
em itter to abo ut 90 ft (28m ). In cases o f relativ ely high
lift, use a “pressure co m pensated ” em itter. It w ill m ainj
tain a relativ ely co nstant d rip rate as the pressure v aries.
This w ill red uce w ater lo ss w hen the pum p is running.
P o lyethylene pipe Flexible “po ly pipe” (PE) has
pro v en to to lerate repeated freezing. Co nnectio ns m ay
lo o sen fro m ice expansio n, but the pipe is no t d am j
aged . Po ly pipe is o ften used in places w here pipe m ay
freeze accid entally o r o ccasio nally. See sectio n 7.3 fo r
precautio ns regard ing PE pipe. If yo u plan to bury PE
pipe, o bserv e further precautio ns supplied by the pipe
m anufacturer.
W ARNING D o no t install the
pu m p w ith its check valve
rem o ved.
QUESTION Will the pump
drain back when it stops? —
ANSWER NO! The pump has
a check valve that stops water from draining
back down when it stops. A helical rotor
pump will not drain back even if the check
valve is removed.
45
Selecting and Using M eters fo r Electrical Testing12.8
M o st o njsite tro uble sho o ting requires a test instrum ent
called a m ultim eter w hich can be o btained fro m an elecj
tric supply, electro nic supply, auto m o tiv e o r hard w are
sto re. It w ill m easure D C and AC v o lts, current (am ps)
and resistance (Ohm s, sym bo lized by “Ω“). Here are
so m e criteria fo r selecting a m eter fo r testing.
D igital o r analo g m eter? A d igital m eter is best.
An au to ranging digital m eter is easiest to use,
especially fo r a beginner. An analo g (m echanical) m eter
is go o d if it is o f high quality and at least 3 in (75 m m )
w id e.
Resistance ranges The m eter m ust read in the
0 –10 Ω range to o ne d ecim al place. This includ es all
but the sm allest and cheapest d igital m eters, and analo g
m eters that hav e at least three resistance ranges.
Am m eter ranges These are the o ptio ns, w ith no tes
abo ut co st and benefits. $ co sts are US$, typical in USA.
M ultim eter w ith m illiam p range but no Am p range1.
(und er $3 5 ) – This w ill be useful fo r v o ltage and
resistance m easurem ent, but no t fo r current. It is
useful, but no t ad equate fo r all tro ublesho o ting.
M ultim eter w ith am p range to 10 A o r m o re,2.
w itho ut clam pjo n capability ($25 –$15 0 ) – This
w ill m easure PV array current and pum p running
current. A w ire m ust be d isco nnected in o rd er to
m easure current (current m ust flo w thro ugh the
m eter). Inexpensiv e m eters are d elicate and no t
suited to pro fessio nal use.
D C/AC clam pjo n am m eter ($5 0 –$3 0 0 ) – a3 .
clam pjo n m eter allo w s m easurem ent o f current
w itho ut d isco nnecting w ires. We stro ngly reco m j
m end this type o f m eter fo r so lar pum ps and o ther
electrical equipm ent. It m akes the jo b m uch safer
and easier. Fluke M o d el 3 3 o r 3 6 are the pro fesj
sio nal fav o rites. Cheaper o nes are less reliable and
sho uld be checked perio d ically fo r accuracy.
Use tw o m eters and clips fo r easier testing It is
o ften helpful to m easure v o ltage and current sim ultanej
o usly. An inexpensiv e m eter is ad equate fo r v o ltage,
because precisio n is no t necessary. Clipjw ires o r clipjo n
pro bes are v ery helpful if yo u d o n’t hav e three hand s.
Resistance readings are alw ays taken w ith N O
POWER applied to the circuit. Alw ays use the L OWEST
range that pro d uces a read ing (RX1 is the lo w est
range). An “auto jranging” m eter w ill ad just its range
auto m atically.
M easu ring So lar Energy Intensity12.9
To accurately evaluate a so larjd irect so lar pum p, it is
necessary to m easure sun intensity. Fo r exam ple, if the
so lar pum p is pro d ucing aro und 60 % o f the specified
m axim um flo w , and yo u m easure the sun intensity (in
the sam e plane as the array) as 60 % o f full sun, yo u
kno w the system is w o rking pro perly.
The D aystar M eter is a hand jheld instrum ent that
m easures sun intensity using a so lar (PV) cell sim ilar to
tho se used to po w er yo ur so lar pum p. It d isplays the
so lar po tential in w atts per square m eter (W/m 2). The
ind ustryjstand ard fo r full sun intensity is 1,0 0 0 W/m 2, so
a read ing o f 60 0 ind icates 60 % intensity.
The m eter co sts less than $15 0 (in USA). Ord er d irectly
fro m the m anufacturer: D aystar, Inc., 3 240 M ajestic
Rid ge, L as Cruces, N M 880 11 USA, tel. (5 0 5 ) 5 22j4943
d aystarpv @ m ac.co m w w w .rayd ec.co m /d aystar
Zero adju stm ent So m e m eters hav e a zero j
ad justm ent to insure accuracy. This applies to analo g
m eters w hen m easuring resistance, and to clam pjo n D C
am m eters. Be sure to set the zero if necessary!
W ARNING Read the instru ctio ns
that co m e w ith yo u r m eter, and
fo llo w the safety w arnings.
W ARNING Attem pting to read
cu rrent (am ps) b etw een the tw o
po les o f a po w er circu it cau ses a
po tentially dangero u s sho rt circu it.
Co nnect the pro b es in series w ith the circu it
– see yo u r m eter’s instru ctio n m anu al. To read
vo ltage, the red pro b e m u st NOT b e in the Am ps
so ck et. This w ill cau se a sho rt circu it.
46
Glo ssary o f So lar Electricity and W ater P u m ping12.10
Basic Electricity
AC j Alternating Current, the stand ard fo rm o f electrij
cal current supplied by the utility grid and by m o st
fueljpo w ered generato rs. The po larity (and therefo re
the d irectio n o f current) alternates. In U.S.A., stand ard
v o ltages fo r sm all w ater pum ps are 115 V and 23 0 V.
Stand ard s v ary in d ifferent co untries. See inv erter.
D C j D irect Current, the type o f po w er pro d uced by
pho to v o ltaic panels and by sto rage batteries. The curj
rent flo w s in o ne d irectio n and po larity is fixed , d efined
as po sitiv e (+ ) and negativ e (–). N o m inal system v o ltage
m ay be anyw here fro m 12 to 180 V. See v o ltage,
no m inal.
Cu rrent j The rate at w hich electricity flo w s thro ugh a
circuit, to transfer energy. M easured in Am peres, co m j
m o nly called Am ps. Analo gy: flo w rate in a w ater pipe.
Efficiency j The percentage o f po w er that gets co nj
v erted to useful w o rk. Ex am ple: An electric pum p that
is 60 % efficient co nv erts 60 % o f the input energy into
w o rk j pum ping w ater. The rem aining 40 % beco m es
w aste heat.
Energy j The pro d uct o f po w er and tim e, m easured in
WattjHo urs. 1,0 0 0 Wh = 1 kWh. Variatio n: the pro d uct
o f current and tim e is Am perejHo urs, also called Am pj
Ho urs (abbrev iatio n: AH). 1,0 0 0 W co nsum ed fo r 1h =
1 kWh. See po w er.
Co nverter j An electro nic d ev ice fo r D C po w er that
steps up v o ltage and steps d o w n current pro po rtio nally
(o r v icejv ersa). Electrical analo gy applied to AC: See
transfo rm er. M echanical analo gy: gears o r belt d riv e.
Inverter j An electro nic d ev ice that co nv erts lo w
v o ltage D C to high v o ltage AC po w er. In so larjelectric
system s, an inv erter m ay take the 12, 24, o r 48VD C and
co nv ert it to 115 o r 23 0 VAC, co nv entio nal ho useho ld
po w er.
P o w er j The rate at w hich w o rk is d o ne. It is the
pro d uct o f Vo ltage tim es Current, m easured in Watts.
1,0 0 0 W = 1kW. An electric m o to r requires appro xij
m ately 1kW per Ho rsepo w er (after typical efficiency
lo sses). 1kW fo r 1h = 1 kWh
Three-P hase AC j Three phase po w er is AC that is
carried by three w ires. Po w er w av es are applied in a
sequence. Threejphase is used fo r large ind ustrial m o to rs
and v ariablejspeed m o to rs. Sim ilar principles are inco rj
po rated in ad v anced D C brushless so lar w ater pum p
m o to rs w here a co ntro ller is used to d igitally create a
D C co m m utated signal to d riv e a brushless m o to r.
Transfo rm er j An electrical d evice that steps up
v o ltage and steps d o w n current pro po rtio nally (o r v icej
v ersa). Transfo rm ers w o rk w ith AC o nly. Fo r D C, see
co nv erter. M echanical analo gy: gears o r belt d riv e.
Utility Grid j Co m m ercial electric po w er d istributio n
system . Syno nym : m ains.
Vo ltage j The m easurem ent o f electrical po tential.
Analo gy: Pressure in a w ater pipe.
Vo ltage D ro p j L o ss o f v o ltage (electrical pressure)
caused by the resistance in w ire and electrical d evices.
Pro per w ire sizing w ill m inim ize v o ltage d ro p, particuj
larly o v er lo ng d istances. Vo ltage d ro p is d eterm ined by
4 facto rs: w ire size, current (am ps), v o ltage, and length
o f w ire. It is d eterm ined by co nsulting a w ire sizing
chart o r fo rm ula av ailable in v ario us reference tests. It
is expressed as a percentage. Water analo gy: Frictio n
L o ss in pipe.
Vo ltage, N o m inal j A w ay o f nam ing a range o f v o ltj
age to a stand ard . Ex am ple: A “12V N o m inal” system
m ay o perate in the range o f 11 –15 V. We call it “12V”
fo r sim plicity.
So lar Electricity
Charge Co ntro ller j A d evice that regulates the
charge current to a battery in o rd er to prev ent o v erj
charge. It prev ents excessiv e v o ltage and m axim izes the
lo ngev ity o f a battery. It m ay also co ntain o ther co ntro l
functio ns (see L o w Vo ltage D isco nnect).
D eep Cycle Battery j Batteries that are d esigned to
d ischarge as m uch as 80 % o f their capacity, hund red s
o f tim es. They d iffer fro m enginejstarting batteries by
hav ing thicker plates and d ifferent m etal allo ys.
L o w Vo ltage D isco nnect j A co ntro l functio n in a batj
teryjbased po w er system in w hich the lo ad o r lo ad s are
d isco nnected befo re the battery gets o v erjd ischarged .
Ov erjd ischarge w ill d am age a lead jacid battery. Typical
settings fo r a 12V system are 10 .5 o r 11V d isco nnect
and 12.5 o r 13 V reco nnect.
P ho to vo ltaic j The pheno m eno n o f co nv erting light
to electric po w er. Pho to = light, Vo lt = electricity. Abj
brev iatio n: PV.
P V j The co m m o n abbrev iatio n fo r pho to v o ltaic.
P V Array j A gro up o f PV (pho to v o ltaic) m o d ules (also
called panels) arranged to pro d uce the v o ltage and
po w er d esired .
P V Array-D irect j The use o f electric po w er d irectly
fro m a pho to v o ltaic array, w itho ut sto rage batteries to
sto re o r stabilize it. M o st so lar w ater pum ps w o rk this
w ay, utilizing a tank to sto re w ater.
P V Cellj The ind iv id ual pho to v o ltaic d ev ice. M o st PV
m o d ules are m ad e w ith aro und 3 6 o r 72 silico n cells,
each pro d ucing abo ut ½ v o lt.
P V M o du le j An assem bly o f PV cells fram ed into a
w eatherpro o f unit. Co m m o nly called a “PV panel”. See
PV array.
So lar Track er j A m o unting rack fo r a PV array that
auto m atically tilts to fo llo w the d aily path o f the sun
thro ugh the sky. A “tracking array” w ill pro d uce m o re
energy thro ugh the co urse o f the d ay, than a “fixed
array” (no njtracking) particularly d uring the lo ng d ays
o f sum m er.
Vo ltage, Open Circu it j The v o ltage o f a PV m o d ule
o r array w ith no lo ad (w hen it is d isco nnected ). A “12V
N o m inal” PV m o d ule w ill pro d uce abo ut 20 V o pen
circuit. Abbrev iatio n: Vo c.
Vo ltage, P eak P o w er P o int j The v o ltage at w hich
a pho to v o ltaic m o d ule o r array transfers the greatest
am o unt o f po w er (w atts). A “12V N o m inal” PV m o d ule
w ill typically hav e a peak po w er v o ltage o f aro und
15 –17V. The so lar array fo r a PV arrayjd irect so lar
pum p sho uld reach this v o ltage in full sun co nd itio ns, o r
a m ultiple o f this v o ltage. Abbrev iatio n: Vpp.
P u m ps & Related Co m po nents
Bo o ster P u m p j A surface pum p used to increase
pressure in a w ater line, o r to pull fro m a sto rage tank
and pressurize a w ater system . See surface pum p.
Centrifu gal P u m p j A pum ping m echanism that
spins w ater in o rd er to push it o ut by m eans o f centrifuj
gal fo rce. See also m ultijstage.
Check Valve j A valv e that allo w s w ater to flo w o ne
w ay but no t the o ther.
D iaphragm P u m p j A type o f pum p in w hich w ater is
d raw n in and fo rced o ut o f o ne o r m o re cham bers, by a
flexible d iaphragm . Check v alv es let w ater into and o ut
o f each cham ber.
Flo at Sw itch j An electrical sw itch that respo nd s
to changes in w ater lev el. It m ay be used to prev ent
o v erflo w o f a tank by turning a pum p o ff, o r to prev ent a
pum p fro m running d ry w hen the so urce lev el is lo w .
47
Flo at Valve j A valv e that respo nd s to changes in
w ater lev el. It is used to prev ent o v erflo w o f a tank by
blo cking the flo w o f w ater.
Fo o t Valve j A check v alv e placed in the w ater so urce
belo w a surface pum p. It prev ents w ater fro m flo w ing
back d o w n the pipe and “lo sing prim e”. See check
v alv e and prim ing.
Helical Ro to r P u m p j A pum p w ith a helix jshaped
ro to r that fits clo sely into a rubber stato r that has a
helical gro o v e. It fo rm s sealed cav ities that trap w ater.
As the ro to r turns, the cav ities m o v e to w ard the o utlet.
See po sitiv e d isplacem ent pum p. Syno nym s: pro gressiv e
cav ity pum p, screw pum p.
Im peller j The d ev ice that spins insid e o f a centrifugal
pum p, in o rd er to d ev elo p centrifugal fo rce.
Jet P u m p j A surfacejm o unted centrifugal pum p that
uses an “ejecto r” (v enturi) d ev ice to augm ent its suctio n
capacity. In a “d eep w ell jet pum p”, the ejecto r is d o w n
in the w ell, to assist the pum p in o v erco m ing the lim itaj
tio ns o f suctio n. (So m e w ater is d iv erted back d o w n the
w ell, causing an increase in energy use.)
M u lti-Stage Centrifu gal j A centrifugal pum p w ith
m o re than o ne im peller and cham ber, stacked in a
sequence to pro d uce higher pressure. Co nv entio nal AC
d eep w ell subm ersible pum ps and so m e so lar subm ersij
bles w o rk this w ay.
P o sit ive D isplacem ent P u m p j Any m echanism
that seals w ater in a cham ber, then fo rces it o ut by
red ucing the v o lum e o f the cham ber. Exam ples: pisto n,
d iaphragm , helical ro to r, v ane. Used fo r lo w v o lum e
and high lift. Co ntrast w ith centrifugal. Syno nym s:
v o lum etric pum p, fo rce pum p.
P rim ing j The pro cess o f hand jfilling the suctio n pipe
and intake o f a surface pum p. Prim ing is generally
necessary w hen a pum p m ust be lo cated abo v e the
w ater so urce. A selfjprim ing pum p is able to d raw so m e
air suctio n in o rd er to prim e itself, at least in theo ry. See
fo o t valv e.
P u lsatio n D am per j A d evice that abso rbs and
releases pulsatio ns in flo w pro d uced by a pisto n o r d iaj
phragm pum p. Co nsists o f a cham ber w ith air trapped
w ithin it o r a length o f flexible tube.
P u m p Jack j A d eep w ell pisto n pum p. The pisto n
and cylind er is subm erged in the w ell w ater and actuj
ated by a ro d insid e the d ro p pipe, po w ered by a m o to r
at the surface. This is an o ld jfashio ned system that is
still used fo r extrem ely d eep w ells, includ ing so lar pum ps
as d eep as 10 0 0 feet.
Self-P rim ing P u m p j See prim ing.
Su b m ersib le P u m p j A m o to r/pum p co m binatio n
d esigned to be placed entirely belo w the w ater surface.
Su rface P u m p j A pum p that is no t subm ersible. It
m ust be placed no m o re than abo ut 20 ft. abo v e the
surface o f the w ater in the w ell. See prim ing. (Ex cepj
tio n: see jet pum p)
So lar P u m p Co m po nents
D C M o to r, Bru sh-Type j The trad itio nal D C m o to r,
in w hich sm all carbo n blo cks called “brushes” co nd uct
current into the spinning po rtio n o f the m o to r. They
are used in m o st so lar surface pum ps and in so m e
lo w jpo w er so lar subm ersibles. The m o to r cham ber m ust
be filled w ith air and perfectly sealed fro m m o isture.
Brushes naturally w ear d o w n after years o f use, and
m ust be replaced perio d ically.
D C M o to r, Bru shless j Highjtechno lo gy, v ery efficient
m o to r used in m o re ad v anced so lar subm ersibles. An
electro nic system is used to precisely alternate the curj
rent, causing the m o to r to spin. A subm ersible brushless
m o to r is filled w ith w ater and requires no m aintenance.
D C M o to r, P erm anent M agnet j All D C so lar
pum ps use this type o f m o to r in so m e fo rm . Being a
v ariable speed m o to r by nature, red uced v o ltage (in lo w
sun) pro d uces pro po rtio nally red uced speed , and causes
no harm to the m o to r. Co ntrast: ind uctio n m o to r
Indu ctio n M o to r (AC) j The type o f electric m o to r
used in co nv entio nal singlejphase AC w ater pum ps. It
requires a high surge o f current to start, and a stable
v o ltage supply, m aking it relativ ely expensiv e to run
fro m by so lar po w er. See Inv erter.
L inear Cu rrent Bo o ster (L CB) j An electro nic d ev ice
w hich v aries the v o ltage and current o f a PV array to
m atch the need s o f an arrayjd irect pum p, especially a
po sitiv e d isplacem ent pum p. It allo w s the pum p to start
and to run und er lo w sun co nd itio ns w itho ut stalling.
Electrical analo gy: v ariable transfo rm er. M echanical
analo gy: auto m atic transm issio n. Also called pum p
co ntro ller. See pum p co ntro ller .
M axim u m P o w er P o int Track ing (M P P T) j An
ad d ed refinem ent in so m e linear current bo o sters, in
w hich the input v o ltage tracks the v ariatio ns o f the o utj
put v o ltage o f the PV array to d raw the m o st po ssible
so lar po w er und er v arying co nd itio ns o f tem perature,
so lar intensity and lo ad .
P u m p Co ntro ller j An electro nic d ev ice that co ntro ls
o r pro cesses the po w er to a pum p. It m ay perfo rm any
pum p; pro tectio n fro m o v erlo ad ; D Cjto jAC co nv ersio n;
v o ltage co nv ersio n; po w er m atching (see linear current
bo o ster). It m ay also hav e pro v isio ns fo r lo w jw ater shutj
o ff and fulljtank shuto ff d ev ices, and status ind icato rs.
W ater W ell Co m po nents
Bo reho le j Syno nym fo r d rilled w ell, especially o utsid e
o f N o rth Am erica.
Casing j Plastic o r steel tube that is perm anently
inserted in the w ell after d rilling. Its size is specified
acco rd ing to its insid e d iam eter.
Cab le Splice j A jo int in electrical cable. A subm ersible
splice is pro tected by a w aterjtight seal.
D ro p P ipe j The pipe that carries w ater fro m a pum p
in a w ell, up to the surface. It also suppo rts the pum p.
P erfo ratio ns j Slits cut into the w ell casing to allo w
gro und w ater to enter. M ay be lo cated at m o re than o ne
lev el, to co incid e w ith w aterjbearing strata in the earth.
P itless Adapter j A special pipe fitting that fits o n
a w ell casing, belo w gro und . It lets the pipe pass ho rij
zo ntally thro ugh the casing so that no pipe is expo sed
abo v e gro und w here it co uld freeze. The pum p m ay
be installed and rem o v ed w itho ut further need to d ig
aro und the casing. This is d o ne by using a 1” thread ed
pipe as a hand le.
Safety Ro pe j Ro pe used to secure the pum p in case
o f pipe breakage.
Su b m ersib le Cab le j Electrical cable d esigned fo r
injw ell subm ersio n. Co nd ucto r sizing is specified in
square m illim eters, o r (in N o rth Am erica) by Am erican
Wire Gauge (AWG) in w hich a higher num ber ind icates
sm aller w ire. It is co nnected to a pum p by a cable
splice.
W ell Seal j To p plate o f a w ell casing that pro v id es a
sanitary seal and suppo rt fo r the d ro p pipe and pum p.
Alternativ e: See pitless ad apter
W ater W ell Characteristics
D riller’s L o g j The d o cum ent o n w hich w ell characj
teristics are reco rd ed by the w ell d riller. In m o st states,
d rillers are required to register all w ater w ells and to
send a co py o f the lo g to a state o ffice. This supplies
hyd ro lo gical d ata and w ell perfo rm ance test results to
the w ell o w ner and the public. Syno nym : w ell reco rd .
D raw do w n j L o w ering o f lev el o f w ater in a w ell d ue
to pum ping.
48
D raw do w n L evel j D epth to the w ater surface in a
w ell w hile it is being pum ped .
Reco very Rate j Rate at w hich gro und w ater refills
the casing after the lev el is d raw n d o w n. This is the
term used to specify the pro d uctio n rate o f the w ell.
Static W ater L evel j D epth to the w ater surface
in a w ell und er static co nd itio ns (no t being pum ped ).
M ay be subject to seaso nal changes o r lo w ering d ue to
d epletio n.
W ellhead j To p o f the w ell.
P u m p System Engineering
Frictio n L o ss j The lo ss o f pressure d ue to flo w o f
w ater in pipe. This is d eterm ined by 4 facto rs: pipe size
(insid e d iam eter), pipe m aterial, flo w rate, and length o f
pipe. It is d eterm ined by co nsulting a frictio n lo ss chart
av ailable in an engineering reference bo o k o r fro m a
pipe supplier. It is expressed in PSI o r Feet (equiv alent
ad d itio nal feet o f pum ping). Pipe fittings, especially 90 °
elbo w s, im po se ad d itio nal frictio n.
Head j See syno nym : v ertical lift.
Su ctio n L ift j Applied to surface pum ps: Vertical
d istance fro m the surface o f the w ater in the so urce,
to a pum p lo cated abo v e the surface. This d istance is
lim ited by physics to aro und 20 ft at sea lev el (subtract
1 ft per 1,0 0 0 ft altitud e) and sho uld be m inim ized fo r
best results.
Su b m ergence j Applied to subm ersible pum ps:
D istance belo w the static w ater lev el, at w hich a pum p
is set.
To tal D ynam ic Head j v ertical lift + frictio n lo ss in
piping (see v ertical lift and frictio n lo ss).
Vertical L ift j The v ertical d istance that w ater is
pum ped . This d eterm ines the pressure that the pum p
pushes against. To tal v ertical lift = v ertical lift fro m
surface o f w ater so urce up to the d ischarge in the tank
+ (in a pressure system ) d ischarge pressure. Syno nym :
static head . N o te: Ho rizo ntal d istance d o es N OT ad d
to the v ertical lift, except in term s o f pipe frictio n lo ss.
N OR d o es the v o lum e (w eight) o f w ater co ntained in
pipe o r tank. Subm ergence o f the pum p d o es N OT ad d
to the v ertical lift. See to tal d ynam ic head .
W ater D istrib u tio n
Cu t-In P ressu re and Cu t-Ou t P ressu re j See presj
sure sw itch.
Gravity Flo w j The use o f grav ity to pro d uce pressure
and w ater flo w . A sto rage tank is elevated abo v e the
po int o f use, so that w ater w ill flo w w ith no further
pum ping required . A bo o ster pum p m ay be used to
increase pressure. 2.3 1 ft v ertical = 1 PSI. 10 m v ertical
= 1 bar. See pressure
Head j Seev ertical lift and to tal d ynam ic head . In
w ater d istributio n, syno nym : v ertical d ro p. See pressure.
Open D ischarge j The filling o f a w ater v essel that is
no t sealed to ho ld pressure. Ex am ples: sto rage (ho ld ing)
tank, po nd , flo o d irrigatio n. Co ntrast: pressure tank.
P ressu re j The am o unt o f fo rce applied by w ater that
is either fo rced by a pum p, o r by the grav ity. M easured
in po und s per square inch (PSI) o r bar (atm o spheres).
PSI = v ertical lift (o r d ro p) in Feet/2.3 1. M etric: 1bar =
v ertical lift (o r d ro p) o f 10 m v ertical.
P ressu re Sw itch j An electrical sw itch actuated by
the pressure in a pressure tank. When the pressure
d ro ps to a lo w setjpo int (cutjin) it turns a pum p o n. At
a high po int (cutjo ut) it turns the pum p o ff.
P ressu re Tank j A fully enclo sed tank w ith an air
space insid e. As w ater is fo rced in, the air co m presses.
The sto red w ater m ay be released after the pum p has
sto pped . M o st pressure tanks co ntain a rubber blad d er
to capture the air. If so , syno nym : captiv e air tank.
P ressu re Tank P recharge j The pressure o f
co m pressed air sto red in a captiv e air pressure tank. A
read ing sho uld be taken w ith an air pressure gauge (tire
gauge) w ith w ater pressure at zero . The air pressure
is then ad justed to abo ut 3 PSI lo w er than the cutjin
pressure (see Pressure Sw itch). If precharge is no t set
pro perly, the tank w ill no t w o rk to full capacity, and the
pum p w ill cycle o n and o ff m o re frequently.
Fo r perm issio n to repro d uce and d istribute Glo ssary
o f So lar Electricity and Water Pum ping, please co ntact
D anko ff So lar Pro d ucts. Citatio n o f the so urce and co pyj
right is required . Co pyright © 1997j20 0 5 by D anko ff
So lar Pro d ucts, Inc.
All rights reserv ed
Calcu lating P u m ping Efficiency and P o w er12.11
Req u irem ent
This fo rm ula lets yo u calculate the w irejto jw ater energy
efficiency o f any electric pum ping system :
US:
efficiency [% ] =
v ertical lift [ft]× flo w rate [GPM ]× 18.8
d iv ed ed by po w er [W]
m etric:
efficiency [% ] =
v ertical lift [m ]× flo w rate [litres/m in]× 16
d iv ed ed by Po w er [W]
To estim ate po w er requirem ent fo r any pro po sed pum pj
ing jo b:
US:
po w er [W] =
v ertical lift [ft]× flo w rate [GPM ]× 18.8
d iv ed ed by pum p efficiency [% ]
m etric:
po w er [W] =
v ertical lift [m ]× flo w rate [litres/m in]× 16
d iv ed ed by pum p efficiency [% ]
The av erage efficiency fo r AC eletric pum ps is ~ 3 5 % ,
so lar pum ps range 40 j60 % .
49
System W iring D iagram fo r So lar-direct (N o n-b at tery) System s12.12
Pow er In
Pum pM ax. RPMSetting
Low -w ater sensor probe
connect to bypass
Connect for
Battery operation
To reverse direction,reverse any tw o w ires
F actory setting:M axim umG
ROUND
Rem ote
F loat
Sw itch
NO
COM NC
PV arrays inseries:
2 to 8 panels(see accepted
o penjcircuit v o ltjage belo w )
earthgro und
to any gro undterm inal atco ntro ller
pum pm o to r
lo w w aterlev el pro be
NO BATTERY JUM P ERIn so lar d irect o peratio n, no jum per m ust beinstalled betw een term inals 6 and 7.
L 1/L 2/L 3 m ust m atch the num bers o npum p lead s. Other co m binatio ns m aycause rev erse ro tatio n! Fo r w ire size,please refer to sizing table.
w ater pipe tod istributio nsystem
FL OAT SW ITCH
A flo at sw itch kit m akes co ntact w hen w ater lev elin a tank rises to sto p the pum p. Co nnect term ijnals 3 (N O) and 4 (COM ) to the flo at sw itch andco nnect term inals 4 and 5 w ith jum per w ire.
If yo u are no t using a flo at sw itch, install ajum per betw een term inals 4 and 5 .
L OW W ATER P ROBE
If yo u are no t using a lo w w ater pro be,install a jum per betw een term inals 1 and 2.
M ax o pen-circu it vo ltage fo r P V m o du lesTab le 12:
PS20 0 10 0 VD C
PS60 0 15 0 VD C
PS120 0 20 0 VD C
Test m ax. o pen-
circu it vo ltage!
See allo w ed
m ax. o pen-
circu it vo ltages
fo r different
system s b elo w .
This is an ex am ple, using 2– 8 × 12V
no m inal PV m o d ules. Yo ur system m ay
v ary in the num ber, v o ltage, and co nfiguj
ratio n o f PV m o d ules. The system here
belo w is typical fo r either PS20 0 (2–4
m o d ules in series), PS60 0 (4 –6 m o d ules
in series), PS120 0 (6– 8 m o d ules in sej
ries) o r PS180 0 (6 –8 m o d ules in series).
W ARNING N o disco nnect sw itches
m ay b e installed in po w er w ires
b etw een m o to r and pu m p co ntro ller!
The co nnectio n o f the m o to r cab le to
sw itched-o n co ntro ller m ight cau se irreparab le
50
System W iring D iagram fo r Battery System s12.13
Pow er In
Pum pM ax. RPMSetting
Low -w ater sensor probe
conn
ect to bypass
Connect for
Battery operation
To reverse direction,reverse any tw o w ires
F actory setting:M axim umG
ROUND
Rem ote
F loat
Sw itch
NO
COM NC
pum pm o to r
lo w w aterlev el pro be
BATTERY OP ERATIONIf yo u are using a battery system , installa jum per betw een term inals 6 and 7.
L 1/L 2/L 3 m ust m atch the num berso n pum p lead s. Other co m binajtio ns m ay cause rev erse ro tatio n!Fo r w ire size, please refer to sizingtable.
w ater pipe tod istributio nsystem
FL OAT SW ITCH
A flo at sw itch kit m akes co ntact w hen w ater lev elin a tank rises to sto p the pum p. Co nnect term ijnals 3 (N O) and 4 (COM ) to the flo at sw itch andco nnect term inals 4 and 5 w ith jum per w ire.
If yo u are no t using a flo at sw itch, install ajum per betw een term inals 4 and 5 .
L OW W ATER P ROBE
If yo u are no t using a lo w w ater pro be, install ajum per betw een term inals 1 and 2.
SOL AR BATTERIES
P V D ISCONNECT
o ptio nal
CHARGE CONTROL L ER
P V M OD UL ES
W IN D GENERATOR
D IESEL GENERATOR
M ax o pen-circu it vo ltage fo r P V m o du lesTab le 13 :
PS20 0 10 0 V D C
PS60 0 15 0 V D C
PS120 0 20 0 V D C
Test m ax. o pen-circu it vo lt-
age! See allo w ed m ax. o pen-
circu it vo ltages fo r different
system s b elo w .
This is an ex am ple, using 2/4/8 × 12VD C
batteries. The system here belo w is typical
fo r either a:
PS20 0 2 o r 4 batteries in series24VD C o r 48VD C
PS60 0 2 o r 4 batteries in series24VD C o r 48VD C
PS120 0 4 o r 8 batteries in series48VD C o r 96VD C
PS180 0 4 o r 8 batteries in series48VD C o r 96VD C
Never exceed allo w ed
m axim u m vo ltage o f
yo u r system (co m pare
to tab le b elo w
diagram )!
W ARNING N o disco nnect sw itches
m ay b e installed in po w er w ires
b etw een m o to r and pu m p co ntro ller!
The co nnectio n o f the m o to r cab le to
sw itched-o n co ntro ller m ight cau se irreparab le
51
Installatio n d ate
Installer
(full co ntact d etails)
Well d epth m | ft
Pum p d epth m | ft
Ad d itio nal v ertical lift (to to p o f tank) m | ft
Static w ater lev el m | ft
D raw d o w n lev el m | ft
D ro p pipe (v ertical fro m the pum p)
Size m m 2 | in
Type
L ength m | ft
Ad d itio nal pipe length (to tank)
Size m m 2 | in
Type
L ength m | ft
Subm ersible pum p cable
Wire size m m 2 | AWG
L ength (co ntro ller to pum p) m | ft
M ax. RP M co ntro l
Facto ry setting is m axim um . yes no
If this setting w as red uced ,
enter setting here:
System Repo rt13
D ate o f purchase
D ealer
(full co ntact d etails)
System v o ltage V
Battery system yes no
Q uantity o f so lar m o d ules
So lar m o d ule brand
M o d ule m o d el #
Co ntro ller m o d el PS180 0
PS120 0
PS60 0
PS20 0
o ther, i.e.:
Co ntro ller serial #
Pum p end m o d el #
Pum p end serial #
M o to r m o d el #
M o to r serial #
Tem peratu re Range
Helical ro to r pum ps (w itho ut “C” in the m o d el num ber) w o rk o ptim ally o nly in a
specific
tem perature range. L ast d igit o f pum p end m o d el # ind icates tem perature class.
If a special tem perature range w as no t specified , the last d igit o f m o d el num ber w ill
be 1.
Class 0 3 2 °F to 5 4 °F 0 °C to 12 °C
Class 1 46 °F to 72 °F 8 °C to 22 °C (Class 1 is the stand ard class)
Class 2 64 °F to 90 °F 18 °C to 3 2 °C
Class 3 82 °F to 10 8 °F 28 °C to 42 °C
Class 4 10 0 °F to 126 °F 3 8 °C to 5 2 °C
System and Co m po nents13 .1 13 .2 Installatio n
PO Box 159Carson NM 87517
Web: www.solartaos.comSales: www.solar-catalog.com [email protected] 575-751-0620
52
Recent Updates14
16 N o v 20 0 9Á
page 29, #9: “Is the pum p installed in a negativ e
suctio n head applicatio n?”
12 Jan 20 10Á
page 3 9, picture “m o to r w ith helical ro to r attached ,
stato r ho using rem o v ed ” replaced
0 9 Feb 20 10Á
page 25 , table “Pum p head s w ith and w itho ut
rubber spacers”: pum p end s HRj0 3 H, HRj0 7H, HRj
14H, HRj23 ad d ed
13 Apr 20 10Á
pages 3 5 f., changes in tables 9 and 10
20 Apr 20 10Á
page 23 , “m inim um angle w hen po sitio ning the
pum p in an inclined po sitio n” ad d ed
20 Aug 20 10Á
page 8, w arning to rem o v e transpo rtatio n pro tecj
tio n
pag 48, new m ax . o penjcircuit v o ltage
17 Sept 20 10Á
page 4f., extend ed w arning sectio n
17 N o v 20 10Á
page 25 , new pum p end s HRj0 5 HL , HRj0 5 HH
ad d ed , pum p end HRj20 rem o v ed
3 1 Jan 20 11Á
page 22,w arning to use a m o to r cable strain relief
23 M ar 20 11Á
page 14, w arning no t to use d isco nnect sw itch
betw een m o to r and co ntro ller
0 7 N o v 20 11Á
page 5 0 , battery sizes
12 Jan 20 12Á
p. 1, d o cum ent nam e changed fro m “M anual” to
“So lar Pum ping Planning Guid e“
v ario us pages, references to electro nically co m m uj
tated D C m o to r current rend ered m o re precisely
3 1 Jan 20 12Á
p. 21, HR stato r lubricant specified as silico n fluid