Hey everyone! I'm working on creating an agricultural space at my school and I've got a 500-gallon water tank to collect water for plants. To keep it eco-friendly, I'm aiming to use a solar-powered shallow well pump connected to the tank and a sprinkler system. I'm a bit overwhelmed, though, and could use some advice on the power requirements for this setup. The pump specs say it needs: 1. 115v, 2. AC output, 3. 6.5A, 4. 60Hz. It will only run once a day for about 20 minutes to water the plants. Some places have suggested that I only need a 150W system with a 12v 35ah battery and a 1000w inverter. Any advice or insights would be hugely appreciated, as I'm pretty new to this!
2 Answers
Consider switching to a 12-volt pump if possible, as converting solar energy to 120 volts loses about 20% efficiency. It might be a smarter way to go with your setup if you're not dead set on getting that pump to do 500 gallons in 20 minutes. However, just be cautious—higher power well pumps need more voltage, so do your research accordingly!
Just keep in mind that for more powerful pumps, like a 700W, you'll struggle with the requirements—those can draw over 50 amps, which can complicate things like wiring.
I'd recommend planning for a bit more capacity than you think you need—surge power on pumps can seriously spike, sometimes hitting 5 times the rated wattage. Having about 3 days of battery reserve is safer, so a 12v 50ah battery might be better. For solar panels, while 150W might cut it, going for a 200W panel makes sense since they're more common and will give you a more reliable buffer. If you're considering future battery-operated tools too, try combining the pump power system with a battery charging station; it's a smart move!
I'm definitely planning to expand the system as we grow the agricultural area, so a charging station will be a part of the future setup. For now, I just want to get the pump and the drip irrigation up and running.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll definitely check out some 12-volt options.