Well repairs,,, OUCH!!

[Professor Marvel]

I know they have drives that run single phase motors. The well pump on a drive I read about on this forum. It was a discussion a few months ago. I was reading about it I wasn't the one telling about it.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I feel your pain. I paid $5600 just last year and that was just a new pump and motor - no new pipe or cable.

I realize everything is bigger in Texas, but the prices you are paying seem out of whack. I had my motor, pump and controls replaced 3 years ago for $1700. My well is 300' deep. I can't imagine piping and wire add thousands to the bill! I hope none of the well people in CT read this. They will all be moving to Texas to cash in!

 

[Professor Marvel]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/331119-well-pumps-variable-speed.html?highlight=
Here is the drive discussion

 

[DarkBlack]

I realize everything is bigger in Texas, but the prices you are paying seem out of whack. I had my motor, pump and controls replaced 3 years ago for $1700. My well is 300' deep. I can't imagine piping and wire add thousands to the bill! I hope none of the well people in CT read this. They will all be moving to Texas to cash in!

He actually wrote "no new pipe or cable", so he paid $5,600 for just the pump/motor swap. That's legal robbery, and that's why I do my own.

 

[DarkBlack]

Show me a VFD designed to run an off the shelf 5HP single phase deep well pump

 

[Professor Marvel]

Show me a VFD designed to run an off the shelf 5HP single phase deep well pump

Don't know much about single phase drives. Just know they exist. I work with all 3 phase pump and fan motors in the HVAC industry. I wanted to experiment with 120v VFD on a fan at my house but the ones I have seen are more than I want to spend for experimenting.

 

[westcliffe01]

I believe that I participated in the 3 phase VFD discussion. I posted some links to where one could get 3 phase pumps. The VFD takes 220/230 Single phase power in and output 3 phase 230V variable frequency to the pump. 3 phase motors are a natural fit to variable frequency. I personally am not aware of any feasible drive systems to control a single phase motor.

I had this same conversation with a well driller in Westcliffe, CO since it was for an off grid application and he was using single phase pumps which were requiring the off grid customers to install very expensive inverters and higher battery capacity to run them. He was not aware that one could run a 3 phase motor off a single phase supply using a drive that cost only $300. The 3 phase well pump was a bit more expensive than an ordinary generic single phase pump, but overall system cost (counting inverter and batteries/solar) was a lot cheaper and could be tailored exactly to the well delivery.

 

[SPIKER]

Yes VFD and single phase motors is possible and have been able to be done for a while.

E2 Single Phase Variable Frequency Drive Overview | Invertek AC Drives

one brand that is available and there are several out there designed for pumps and fan applications other than 3 phase motors. However the 5HP may be an issue if it is a 5HP unit. It would be a shaded pole type motor as pumps in submersible applications generally do NOT have Capacitors in them. The split phase does not have as much torque for starting at lower frequency however should still function. I know some 15 years ago one of the electrical supply houses had these compact VFDs for wells that produced low flow. I don't have their contact info anymore or remember the brand they had but know it was for replacing pressure switches that were on well systems with low flow rates.


Mark

 

[DarkBlack]

That link simply proves what I wrote a page or 2 ago.
The OP of this thread either has to live with it, or have them pull it back up and replace it with either a much smaller single phase motor, or a 3 phase 5HP. I think we've pretty much ruled out the VFD theory for this one.

 

[rmorey]

Why don't they simply do a well test to determine the well's actual gpm inflow, then have the well guy replace the pump with the correct pump. Either that, or he doesn't get paid!

When we had our well drilled two years ago, the guy put a 50 gpm pump down the well, then restricted the flow to match the wells inflow (water level remained constant depth for 30 minutes). A flow gage told him the gpm of the restricted output, hence the inflow of the well is 10 gpm. I ordered a 9 gpm 1 hp 240v pump.