Solar powered borehole water pump

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gerrynag
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Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby gerrynag » Sun Jan 27, 2019 10:49 pm

I was thinking of having a borehole dug and using a solar powered immersible water pump. I was wondering if anyone had done this and what their experience of it was? I was going to use the water to irrigate my fruit trees. My land is on a hillside and the borehole would be at the bottom of the hill near the riverbed. So the pump would have to be fairly powerful to pump the water up the hill via the water pipe to water the various trees and my veg garden.

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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby olive » Mon Jan 28, 2019 12:01 am

Hmm, i have posted previously on these. I am not a fan ecologically as there is only so much ground water. In our area olive farmers are sucking the aquifers dry with impunity from mostly illegal boreholes.

From a practical point of view , if water is at about 30 to 40 meters you should be able to drill and equip a borehole witha solar panel for around 5000 euros. You are supposed to obtain permission from Hidrografia. A fairly painless and cheap process. Obviously if you have no mains water, children in the house or elderly they look more kindly. I do know that if there is a river nearby they may expect you to draw from that rarher than have a bore hole. Ifyoustrike water and it is an if, even if rhere is surface water nearby, then you are expectected to apply for permission from the Ayuntamiento “ to mine”. Thatis a technicality only as it is a source of income. In the past you could not get a mains electric supply without the permissions. A neat way to manage illegal wells. With solar it is academic as it is all self contained. Nrarly forgot, a legal bore hole has a tamper proof meter inline as near to the borehole as practical and visible should it need inspecting by Hidrografia. Budget another 100 euros for that. Or zero if you dont bother with permissions.

What sort of height above the bore hole would you need to raise the water to? Plenty of companies around that will give you advice on panel sizes and pump sizes.our local bore hole contractor has two rigs working seven days a week into the night if he can.

Most of the systems I have seen installed pump at day into a holding tank and then water trees at night if surface drippers are used. Buried pipework is often leaking 24 hours for olive trees.i know of two with a closed system. I.e. the pump runs and water fills rhe network and leaks out as fast as it comes in. I was surprised but they do install a blow off valve to counter situations where drippers get blocked without maintenance.

One final point is that a lot of the boreholes drilled around us become unproductive with time. Dont dry up just deliver less. A neighbour for example had a fabulous well. Just over 40 cu m a day but now five years on last year was six. Might sound a lot of water but irrigation can use lots.

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gerrynag
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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby gerrynag » Mon Jan 28, 2019 3:05 pm

Thanks very much for your useful information. The fruit trees and other plants that require watering are about 20 to 25 metres above the likely position of the borehole. The 'river' near where the borehole is dry most of the year. There are quite a few people in the area by the riverbed with orange, mango, advocados orchards that have wells and boreholes. I think the amount of water I would take would be tiny compared to most of the people around here.
5000 euros sounds a lot. How did you arrive at that cost ? Is it mainly the cost of drilling the boreholes ?

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country boy
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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby country boy » Mon Jan 28, 2019 3:35 pm

Have a word with these people. I have used them in the past and their stuff is still supporting our life style! FOR FREE!!
http://www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/reuk-shop/

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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby olive » Mon Jan 28, 2019 5:09 pm

A spanish friend had one recently drilled , lined, equipped with pump, tubing, cable, rudimentary control panel plus several solar panels mounted on a crude metal tripod . He proudly proclaimed it was only 4000 euros but of course that might have been 4,999! Additionally it would have included IVA as thefarmerscan offset it against tax. Other people opt to save theIVA. His borehole is 38 metres deep.

Some years ago I posted the cost of drilling plus lining on here. I am on a mobile device a mo so searching is a bit difficult.

I agree that your use will be a fraction of others , especially mango growers! Go for it.

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gerrynag
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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby gerrynag » Mon Jan 28, 2019 5:11 pm

country boy wrote:Have a word with these people. I have used them in the past and their stuff is still supporting our life style! FOR FREE!!
http://www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/reuk-shop/
Very good website, but don't see anything about submersible solar powered pumps on it.

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country boy
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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby country boy » Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:12 pm

Email' em : They know tons of stuff. Latter day hippies living in old quarry so I'm told! LOL.

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Re: Solar powered borehole water pump

Postby spanish_lad » Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:47 pm

I´ve seen loads of this sort of thing advertised locally - as countryboy says - theres loads of it round here - its very comman. I´ve no idea on the cost but theres lots of kits online for the diy´er.

it really depends on the draw of the pump - i imagine that its going to be a 1kw pump or so, so you´ll need 3 or 4 panels at 260w.

If you had someone else doing the hole bore, setting up the power for it is pretty easy. And you could use a timer to tell the two pumps not to be on at the same time?
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.


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