Solar Well Pumps - Solar Water Pumps for Wells

When local well drillers in northern New Mexico told us it was impossible to pump water from a 1,000 foot well with a solar electric system, we kept looking. We found Dankoff Solar, at that time the most knowledgeable source for information and solar well pumps, and we placed a pump that has worked reliably for 12 years.

We now sell pumps for all kinds of systems, from deep wells, to water catchment systems, to cattle tanks. Call Wholesale Solar and give us the details on your well—how deep it is, how far the water has to be pumped from the well, what the drop is—and we'll figure out the rest.

Three Basic Questions to Get Started

In order for us to help you find the right size pump, we will need your help with three basic questions:

What flow rate is required?
What is the total lift water has to travel (vertical distance)?
What is the water source?

Other helpful information:

Where is the pump going to be located (city, state)?
Do you want to have an AC Power Source?
What is the recovery rate of the water source?
Do you want a float switch if pumping into a storage tank?
How do you want to mount the solar panels? (Pole mounts are generally used.)
What type of application will you be using your pump for, i.e. water system for home, irrigation, livestock, pond or other?

Basic Facts About Pump

We carry surface pumps and submersible pumps. Here are some basic facts:

Surface Pumps:

The suction lift for surface pumps is no more than 20 feet. To figure out the suction lift, subtract a foot for every thousand feet you rise in elevation.
Surface pumps include a dry run switch as well for protection if water source dries up.
Pressure/booster pumps are a type of surface pump that need a pressure tank in series in order to run.
All surface pumps require a filter.

Submersible Pumps
There are two types of submersible pumps--Diaphragm and Helical Rotor/Centrifugal:

Diaphragm Pumps:
Diaphragm pumps are cheaper, but require maintenance every two to four years and are generally not as powerful.

Helical Rotor/Centrifugal (HR/C) Pumps:
The Helical Rotor/Centrifugal (HR/C) pumps are the best quality and most expensive. These are the pumps that we will always recommend and include in our quotes that have wells.

HC/R pumps can be used in other water sources, i.e. ponds, springs. They can take some dirt, but the more dirt, the faster they degrade.
They can be hooked up to AC sources, generator/inverter - just need to add the right controller.
DC voltage - PV or batteries... Grundfos is 30-300VDC. Lorentz is 12-24,48-72,72-96, depending on mode.
Water pipe can range anywhere between 1/2" to 4". The smaller the water pipe, the more lift due to friction is present.

Note: Our submersible pumps will not provide enough pressure for water home usage. You almost always need to pump into a holding tank. If a pressure system is needed for a home, you need a booster pump and a pressure tank going from the holding tank.

Solar well water pumps for off-grid, agriculture and home wells.