Drake and Wrenches, Interesting timing as I experienced a failure with my 9300 a couple weeks ago. I originally installed the pump about 17 years ago for an off-grid cabin I had then. I put the pump in the well, tested it, then removed it after a year or so. In total it had about 30 minutes of run time. The pump sat around in the house for about 15 years before I tested it in a bucket, in preparation for installing it in a new well on a different piece of land. The test went fine though I decided to put a new gland connector on the wire, which was a royal pain. The 10 ga submersible wire just met the maximum width noted in the documentation yet the hard plastic collar seemed to rub hard on the wire jacket when assembled and screwed in.
Down the new hole went the pump and we ran it solar-direct for testing. To our joy up came the water. Thirty minutes later, to our great dismay, the pump ran very slow then stopped (oh, from joy to despair in such a short time!). Testing showed module current around Isc for those conditions and only a couple volts, about 1 ohm with the module disconnected. Up came the works and we connected the module directly to the pump. No go. It seemed there may have been a little water where the gland connected to the pump socket, or it may have been a drip. I haven’t taken the pump apart yet so don’t know if it’s got water in it (expect it does). My guess is either the new gland connection had some problem OR the pump seals deteriorated as it sat on the shelf all those years (argh, should have thought of this possibility and replaced the seals). Currently I’m waffling a bit on whether to rebuild the 9300 and try again or go with a Grundfos SQFlex. I’m not excited about the ~ $2500 for that (with controller, etc.), also am not excited about regular maintenance and maybe questionable reliability with the 9300. I agree with the comments of others to run the pump solar-direct. If no success check the voltage and current with the module connected. It could be a short, as I experienced. Then begs the question as to whether if rebuilt the Shurflo is worth putting back in the hole, or might better serve as a super-efficient water feature pump and spend the big bucks for a different well solution. The Grundfos I installed in a different well on the same land 16 years ago still runs flawlessly. Gary Gary Higbee Windstream Solar Oregon License 17LRT Renewable Energy Consulting Contracted with Energy Trust of Oregon and Emerald People's Utility District g...@windstreamsolar.com 541-954-3881 Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 23:54:35 -0600 From: Allan Sindelar <al...@sindelarsolar.com <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com>> Mac, My experience is similar but slightly different. I have worked with the Shurflo 9300 for nearly twenty years. I have closely followed the mfgr's directions - even the temporary wrap of tape - and as far as I can recall have had maybe one failure due to water penetration at the cable gland. But I have seen a number of homeowner installs with this failure, so it's easy to not get right. I agree that a fixed, sealed pigtail would be a better approach, like a SunRotor, Grundfos or Lorentz. The 9300 has a one-year warranty as I recall. Running open discharge without float or time control, such as all day into a wildlife pond with overflow, the pumps last about 1 1/2 years before needing the diaphragm/drive kit and valve kit for a minor rebuild. If water never reaches the motor, it will last through several of these lifetimes, but usually folks don't do the service until the pump stops, and often a failed diaphragm leads to water reaching the motor. But I have seen many of these pumps go five or more years of intermittent duty needing nothing. And the pump will run at less than half speed on a 12V battery. Standard DC brush motor - speed and thus output vary directly with voltage. Allan *Allan Sindelar* al...@sindelarsolar.com <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com> <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com <mailto:al...@sindelarsolar.com>> NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional NABCEP Certified Technical Sales Professional New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician Founder (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc. *505 780-2738 cell* On 5/31/2016 1:30 PM, Mac Lewis wrote: > Hi Drake, > > I'll second Kevin's suggestion that it may be the waterproofing > gland. I see this as a very weak part of this pumps design and won't > ever use that pump again because of it. The aquatec SWP-4000 is a > very similar pump. Pump manufacturers should take responsibility for > the water-proofing into their unit. Under water splices are super > easy compared to the gland/grease mess routine required with these pumps. > > As Kevin suggested, bypass the controller and put good ~ 24VDC down > there (using batteries off of your cordless tools works well for this) > These pumps will pump off 18-20V. > > Good luck > > On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 10:58 AM, Kevin Pegg > <kp...@energyalternatives.ca <mailto:kp...@energyalternatives.ca> > <mailto:kp...@energyalternatives.ca <mailto:kp...@energyalternatives.ca>>> > wrote: > > Hi Drake, > > We have a lot of these pumps in the field, operating without issue > for many years, though they are generally operating on some sort > of regular basis. But lots of customers with seasonal situations > that may have the pump idle for 10 months a year. > > I would suggest applying 12/24VDC battery power directly to the > pump bypassing controller and see if you get any action, then can > narrow down if it is a pump issue or a controller issue. Another > issue is the waterproof gland if not done properly can result in > connection issues. Have had a few of those. > > Kevin > > > *Sent:* May-31-16 8:27 AM from Drake Chamberlin > > Hello Wrenches, > > A couple years back we installed a Shurflo 9325-043-101 water > pump. It runs array direct. After installation, it worked fine. > Since then, it has not been used. The client tried to operate it > recently,and it didn't work. A red light is showing in the controller. > > How well do these systems hold up if not used? > > I haven't gone out to the site yet, but wanted to get some > background from you water pumping guys about shelf life of idle > systems. > > Thanks, > > Drake > > Drake Chamberlin > /Athens Electric LLC > OH License 44810 > CO License 3773 > NABCEP Certified Solar PV > 740-448-7328 <tel:740-448-7328 <tel:740-448-7328>> > /http://athens-electric.com/ <http://athens-electric.com/>
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