Liberty Solar Water Pumping

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Solar Water Pumping

Shown here is a photo of Windy Dankoff demonstrating the Sunrise solar pump. Four solar modules, and as you can see, plenty of pressure. Photo from Dankoff Solar Products

Water is a heavy substance and it requires a lot of power to move it from one place to another. For a small homestead with just a few people, power usage for water pumping may be minimal. For many users, however, water pumping comprises a significant amount of their yearly power usage. Homesteads with large families may find that their washing machine seems to be running all the time. Irrigation pumping can require very large amounts of power. Livestock watering can also consume significant power.

Occasionally, a solar homestead is blessed with potable water from a reliable source high above the residence. If enough water is flowing down from above, both drinking water and small-scale hydroelectric power can be provided. Most solar homesteads, however, must utilize powered equipment in order to enjoy pressurized water at the turn of a valve handle.

Several basics schemes are generally used for water pumping on solar homesteads:

Pump water from a well or surface source up to an elevated gravity flow tank, then allow gravity to provide water pressure. If the storage tank is large enough, then it is possible to use a relatively inexpensive fuel driven pump, which is fired up only intermittently. Also, the gravity tank and its connected pipes or tubing can be buried to protect against freezing.

Pump water from a well or surface source to a storage tank. Then use a second pump to store water from the storage tank into a pressure tank. The pressure tank then supplies water as needed on the homestead. This arrangement is commonly found, and offers many advantages. First, the storage tank can be placed underground or in a heated building to protect against freezing. Also, different pump types can be used for filling the storage tank, and filling the pressure tank. A deep well AC pump might fill the storage tank, then a small energy efficient 12 volt DC pump may fill the pressure tank. Or, a combination of rain water catchments and water hauling by vehicle might be used to fill the storage tank. Perhaps seasonal water pumping from a surface water source or shallow well could be included in this combination.

Pump water from a deep well to a pressure tank, and then the pressure tank provides water as needed. This can be a suitable arrangement if the pressure tank is adequately sized. There is a risk, however, that frequent on/off cycling of the pump will lead to its premature failure.

Almost every solar application is a bit different than the next, and the homesteader or installer will need to take into consideration factors such as geography, temperature extremes, and available funds during the system design phase. Please feel free to contact Liberty Solar for help in understanding any of these concepts, and for recommendations on the best equipment to accomplish the tasks considered above.