I have had problems with both the Lorentz and Grundfos. The controllers on the Lorentz have had some problems, but changing out the controller is way easier than pulling the pump which you would do if it was a Grundfos.
We had three of the Lorentz rotor failures that Windy mentioned, they seemed to be all around 2005 - 2006 and since then they fixed the problem. If I had a deep well I would go with the Lorentz over the Grundfos as the electronics are in the well with the Grundfos. I have been a marine electrician for years and I always figured that water and electronics were job security, if you get the jist. Tom Duffy Systems Design Engineer t...@thesolar.biz 575-539-2111 X 301 -----Original Message----- From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Roy Butler Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 9:31 AM To: RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Pump choice - Grundfos or Lorentz; distributors of Lorentz I have 11 Lorentz systems in the field. The biggest problems I had were with the controller. Infant mortality, failure within the first 3 months and the float switch circuit failing were some of the issues. I also ran into the rubber problem that Windy mentioned. So I switched to Grundfos. 16 of those in the field now. I've had a lot of trouble with the CU200 controller. The dreaded F4 fault is the worst. The controller loses communication with the pump. I had a bad batch of CU200s that had faulty modems but got those replaced under warranty. I've had 2 pumps with bad modems as well. Sometimes the pump won't run at all with an F4 fault, but most times it will. But the pump is stuck on the setting it was in when the comm failed and performance isn't usually very good. Even with these problems, I still prefer the Grundfos system. I love the flexible input voltage. It gave me the flexibility to adapt the array when module availability was hit or miss. As for customer support....when Dankoff Solar was handling their version of the Lorentz pump known as the "ETA" pump (aka the Regretta pump!) the customer service was phenomenal. With Conergy, not so good. I'm still underwhelmed by the Grundfos factory support. They would rather have the pump distributors handle all the warranty issues. When I need to contact Grundfos directly, I get the distinct feeling that I'm inconveniencing them. I'm installing 5 more Grundfos systems this spring. Maybe all will be goodness and light this time ;-) And Windy.....really glad to see you back in the game for a bit. I've missed you my friend! Also very happy to have support for the many Dankoff pumps I have out there. All running very well. Roy Butler NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer(r) NYSERDA eligible PV & wind installer PA Sunshine Program Approved PV Installer Four Winds Renewable Energy, LLC 8902 Route 46 Arkport, NY 14807 607-324-9747 www.four-winds-energy.com Although no trees were killed in the sending of this message, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced. =====================================================================| 6th Annual Small Wind Conference | A Gathering of Installers, Manufacturers, Dealers, and Distributors | June 15 and 16, 2010 | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | i...@smallwindconference.com | http://www.smallwindconference.com | =====================================================================| Windy Dankoff wrote: > Bob, > > Warren is referring to problems with Lorentz that showed up 5-7 years > ago. There was a problem with rubber that occurred only in some kinds > of water. It took a long time to track down. It was solved and > reliability has been high ever since. That's what I've heard from > several sources. > > I would consider both Lorentz and Grundfos -- look at total system > cost of both and make your choice from there. You'll also see that the > control options are different, so consider those too if the decision > is a close one. > > Windy > > > Warren Lauzon wrote: >> At one time Dankoff (the pre-Conergy Dankoff Solar) handled the the >> Lorentz submersibles. They dropped them after about a year because of >> failures. >> Now, that was several years ago and Lorentz may have gotten their >> problems fixed, but we have felt more comfortable with the Grundfos. > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Home Power magazine > > List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org > > Options & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
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