Low output well and high electric bill

Question

We have been trying to figure out why electric bill so high. We have two well pumps, one is 400' deep. Neither one has good output, between 3/4 and 1.3 gallons per minute respectively. Does having a low output well create a situation where it runs constantly? I have several holding tanks (5500 gallons total). If that is the problem, can I do something with the holding tanks to reduce the amount of time or how often the well pumps turn on? The deep one is 1 hp at 400' depth and puts out 1.3 gpm approx and the water has to travel several hundred feet uphill. The other one is 3/4 hp and 100' deep and puts out 3/4 gpm and has short distance to travel. Any ideas or suggestions? We have solar but bills still very high. Was thinking of a solar well pump but may be too expensive?

Answer 1

Wow you need more help than we can provide IMO.

First you need your well log to see what the wells should be capable of.

With the lift you have I have normally had much larger pumps but your well log should show what the flow rate is after 3 hours of draw down and what the water level is at static. Then you may need a cycle timer to work in series with your pressure switch and the big pump.

With it pumping “dry” for long periods with that lift it will wear the pump heads out. Cycling will allow the well to recover cool things and cycle and draw down again. you may find that is much more efficient.

How old is the deep pump? Consider it may be worn out. 400’ lift followed by several hundred more ? The pumping chart I looked at topped out at 500’ I did set up a deep well with a large tank at the well head then another pump in that tank to another all interlocked so no tanks over flowed, this allowed the use of much smaller pumps and provided improved performance.

If your 1-1/2 hp is pumping it will be drawing up to 10 amps all the time at a 3/4 gpm flow if you could let the pump rest for 30 minutes then pump for 10 you can see your flow rate should increase for those 10 minutes up to 6 gpm at the pump I looked at and your energy usage will be cut drastically. 10 amps x 240 volts = 2400w that’s 2.4 kWh every hour x 24 hours per day 57kwh per day , x 30 or 1700 kWh per month rounded down what do you pay for power? Even 10 cents is 170$ per month just for that 1 pump so a cycle timer could pay off in a week or 2.

Answer 2

I would call in a "well guy" and have him certify the actual depth of your wells and the total capacity in gallons per min that is available to pump. Then install a pump that will pump water efficiently from that depth to your storage tank. Looking at a flow chart for deep well submersible pumps, your 1 HP pump should pump 4 GPM at 360 feet and has a maximum of about 380 feet. This chart is for an average pump and your pump may be slightly different. A 1.5 HP pump will pump 8 GPM from a total of 400 feet and 3 GPM for a 450 feet well. A 2 HP pump will pump 8 GPM at 500 feet and 11 GPM at 450 feet. If your deepest well can handle a larger pumping rate I would increase the size of the pump. The well guy can asist you in the selection.

Your small 1 HP pump may have to pump many hours to yield enough water for your needs. Read @Ed Beals post for a description of costs to run the pumps and what may be happening in your wells. my 2 cents

Answer 3

I wanted to post this as a comment, but can't include pictures on comments.

First of all, like others have said, why are you focusing on the pumps? There could be other high users of power, what type of heat do you have? How much do your bills vary by month?

To sort this out, you might want to get a power monitoring device like shown below. You clip the little CT over the wires (individual wires, not cables), and it just starts monitoring. You'll probably have to pull a panel cover, so if you're not comfortable working in a live panel, this may not be the right answer for you. As always, be careful when working in a live panel.

Next comment about Ed Beal mentioning "dry pumping"...he's of course right that's very bad for pumps and a waste of electricity, but there are devices that connect to the pumps wiring that can detect "dry pumping" and shut off the pump. How they do this is because pumps use less power when dry pumping they detect the lower current flow and cut off the pump. Most of them can be programmed to wait various times before turning the pump on again.

Pretty complicated stuff and like d.George said, you may need a "well guy" or other pros to help with this.