Solar Water Pumping
Find what you need for solar water pumping right here. We carry solar powered water pumps (and a few AC pumps) from several manufacturers, including Grundfos (SQF), SunPumps, Dankoff, and Shurflo. We also carry a complete line of accessories, hardware, and installation parts and kits.
Solar pumps fall into two major categories - surface, which includes pressure, delivery, and booster pumps & submersible - primarily submersible well pumps.
Delivery pumpe are capable of high pressure while others are intended mainly for moving large volumes at low pressure (such as moving water from a cistern to a stock watering tank). Flows can be small (1/2 gallon per minute or so) up to 30-40 gpm. Some (such as the popular 12 volt Shurflo pumps) are often used for pressurizing small water systms in homes, RV's, and boats.
** If you are not sure about what you need, please give us a call at 800-383-0195 - we can suggest the best products for your application, or can design the complete system for you. **
Submersible solar pumps are generally used for pumping from wells, and are designed to fit inside the well casing in a drilled hole. The most common casing size is 6", but 5" and 4" are also seen in older wells. Some older wells drilled for windmills are less than 4" (usually 2.25"), and solar submersible pumps will not fit. The well may be anywhere from a few feet to 1800 feet deep - but the deeper the well, the more expensive the system. Depths over 500 feet will generally cost quite a bit more. Solar powered well pumps are seldom suited for large amounts of water, such as irrigating larger fields if you have AC power available. The largest pumps generally available are 1/4 to 3 HP.
Note about surface pump of all types - including Shurflo & Dankoff - that pulls water from a tank, spring, cistern, or whatever:
MINIMIZE SUCTION LIFT to just a few feet. The maximum possible suction limit for even a perfect surface pump is 31 vertical feet at sea level (subtract 1 ft. for every 1000 ft. of elevation). However there are no perfect pumps - 6 to 25 foot suction is the max on most. Some pumps, such as the Shurflo will pull from about 5 to 8 feet at sea level. The more you minimize suction lift, the more reliable and quiet your pump will be. Just be sure the motor will not be submerged if the water level rises, or it will be ruined. Your pump may be placed downhill from your water source.
For information about solar water pumps and pumping systems, please see our Solar Water Pumping Guide.
