Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Drilling Well to supplement Water in Pond

ok so i get around 22 dollars a month with those numbers...but not sure that is an exact number though...ive seen a lot of different 1/2 hp pumps for sale online and not all have the same amperage draw which should be an important factor in the equation...although id have to say its close enough...but after the first month of running i saw about 35 dollar increase

If you're in a dangerous drought, it's very beneficial if you can just add a few thousand gallons a day. It can easily make the difference in crashing or not. 2-3 GPM can easily save your fish if it has decent DO.

Yep. If you couldn't do the math, look at the last line. That's based on using your KWH costs.

I hava a buddy that has a hard time counting to 10 by using his fingers (and thumbs) but he's a mechanical genius, and I have another buddy who is a genius (by IQ rating) that can't figure out what end of a screwdriver to hold.

That is incorrect! That would be a 100% efficient motor, and NO SUCH animal exists!

Motors are rated for output HP, so if a motor nameplate says 1 HP, that is OUTPUT, not INPUT. You could easily draw 1500 watts to get an output of 746 watts. It depends on the motor efficiency, load, service factor...

The best way to estimate your operating cost is to take FLA (full load amps) and multiply it by operating voltage, then you get watts.

Amps x Volts = Watts

For example, I looked up a Baldor 1HP single phase motor. It operated at 115 volt, 13 amps. (starting current was 37 Amps, but only for a short time)

13 amps x 115 volts = 1,495 watts (divide by 1000 to get KW)

1.495 kwh x 24 hours = 35.88 kwh/day x $0.11 = $3.95/day x 30 days = 118.50 for 30 days.

This is just a way to estimate electric cost. Other factors play a role in actual cost.

I can easily believe a 5 or 7.5 hp motor would run 300 bucks a month, and the 1/2 hp motor at 35-40 per month.

The best way to know what electricity costs for an existing motor is to measure the amps and volts in actual operating conditions. Then you can find out how efficient you are and see if you can take steps to increase efficiency.

Three phase motors are quite a bit more efficient than single phase motors. There are a number of Variable Frequency and Inverter Drives that will operate three phase motors on single phase power.

Here it's a new year and I'm learning things already. Thanks JKB.

JKB, I tried looking on the F&W website for specs and couldn't find the info. Specifically, I was looking at a 2 hp, single phase submersible well pump, for a 4" casing. Model 4F85A20. I was hoping to find out the power consumption both on start up and on continous run. The pump would be at 60' depth, but the water level in the casing is 15' below the ground surface. I'd be pushing the water horizontally 200' thru a 4" I.D. plastic pipe once the water was pumped to the surface. Any ideas on the power consumption?

esshup,

I could not find any specs on the pump you mentioned. The only thing I found were some spare parts. It is an obsoleted model. Without the performance specs., it would be difficult to get close to the actual power consumption.

I thought about comparing it to a current pump, but that may not be viable due to the fact that newer motors/pumps are more energy efficient than older models.

In my opinion, every tool box should have something like this: Clamp Meter

You can measure Amps and Volts... They are a very handy. I have an Amprobe, and would be lost without it.

JKB:

Thanks. The pump isn't installed yet, I was just doing some thinking and planning for the upcoming year. I took that information right from the F&W website.
Specs

I was looking at the first 2 hp pump. I guess the best way to get the information would be to talk to the local well driller who installed the current well. Hopefully he'll know what pumps are currently available and the specs on them.

Every time I searched for that pump, I could not find anything. I also did a search on the F&W website and it said no matches were found.

The information you listed is only a fraction of what is needed. Maybe you could call them and talk to engineering and get the info. I find that talking to engineering is better than talking to customer service, go figure

I need to start searching for a well pump myself. The wells in our area are generally 180 feet deep.

esshup,

I looked up a few 2HP pumps and they are all about the same as far as amps go.

Average for a 230Volt motor is: FLA = 9.9, Service factor amps = 12.2 and start up amps = 49.4.

You could expect to operate at 2.28 KW. That is if you were drawing FLA all the time.

Estimate about 6 bucks per day at 0.11/kwh to be close.

Here are some 3 phase pumps/controllers that operate from 230V single phase.
Goulds Pumps

2HP FLA is only 6.5 amps -vs- 9.9 for single phase.

Thought you might be interested.

Heck yeah! Thanks.

Here is some info on the CentriPro Controller CentriPro

Pretty neat unit. Even has a pond filling mode.

Scot,

I'm really flattered that you would call me a genius but you really didn't have to tell them about the screwdriver thing.

Just kidding of course. I could only dream to have a high I.Q. other than that Internet test.

For what it's worth when I pumped 45 gpms 24/7 into the trout pond it cost me about $100.00 per month. I sold some of the trout for that much so it wasn't a problem financially.

I was really surprised that I could drop my .62 acre pond this fall an inch a day with a sump pump in a bucket rated at 70 gpm zero head. I needed to drop it a couple of feet for seining.

Hava? Okay, now I see.

Just a comment..IMHO, this is another example of why Pond Boss is such a great site. JKB is obviously very knowledgeable on present topic & shares his knowledge to help forum members fix their problems. See this all the time here & just wanted to say thanks...du

I'd have thought it was funny except that I'm so damned dysfunctional when it comes to math that even reading Scott's faint gray text at the bottom still doesn't help me!

Sniper, just remember that we have a lot of fun here besides sharing great info, and Scott is one of those guys who always has great info to share. He was definitely just having a little fun with his post and certainly was not being sarcastic or anything.

Todd,

I think we will just have to agree to disagree. Not only was he sarcastic, but his answer was wrong. Seems to me the focus should be on correct answers, and not being flippant with someone you don't know. (:>)

No harm in agreeing to disagree. Just remember that the little smiley icons are for a reason - in this case, Scott used a grin face to try to communicate that he was just teasing. Wrong answer or not, this is generally a very friendly and fun loving place. Sometimes the best planned thoughts and comments lose a bit in this sort of medium - unless you are a wordsmith for a living, it can sometimes be tough to fully communicate the point you wanted to make. Scott is a good guy and a solid guy. Just some food for thought!

Sniper, I apologise if you thought that the answer was flilppant or sarcastic, it wasn't meant to be. I truly thought I was giving you the correct answer, but JKB's post corrected me. I learned something that day and I hope you were able to use the information that he gave to answer your question as well.

Ya know, you would make a good lawyer.

Why, thank you! I just need to find an office with a shark's head hanging over the front door and I'll be all set . . .!!!

Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe

Hey, I know them!!!

Me, too. They turned me down for a summer clerkship during law school and, as a result, I've been on the straight and narrow ever since!

Straight and narrow? Must be tough.