Suggestions for remote solar powered water pump

[Johnnyboy Gomez]

Hello.
We have installed a well to serve a remote pasture.

We are looking at using solar panels so want to keep power use to minimum.

The animal waterer is a type of yard hydrant (Drinking Post) so no extra electricity is needed for that. In winter the maximum flow would be about 45 gallons per day. Double that in summer.

We are near Ottawa so freezing is a prime concern. The frost line is at least 48".

Is there a type of tankless pump that could live in the well and not need a tank?

Is there a safe way to bury the tank below the frost line?

Our plan B is to make a "doghouse" for the tank and batteries etc and insulate it like crazy.

Any suggestions?

 

[Reach4]

Is there a type of tankless pump that could live in the well and not need a tank?

A submersible pump can do that. No tank needed. These are intended for solar. Lower power requirements.

https://us.grundfos.com/products/find-product/sqflex.html
https://www.lorentz.de/

Neither is cheap. They can deliver higher volumes than you need.

You could also use a different pump where you store power in a battery, and pump only occasionally.

How to make an unattended cold weather waterer for animals? I don't know.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[AndyDonovan]

I have a submersible pump because of the same concerns you have and it workes pretty well with my homegrid5000 portable solar generator. I was also afraid that it will freeze in the winter, but thankfully I don't have to bother about that anymore. Well, I'm still thinking of getting another pump with a tank for the summer because then I need a larger volume of water, but we'll see how this one will work. Also, do you use solar panels for other tasks? If yes, can you please share details?

 

[Jadnashua]

Keep in mind that insulation does not create heat, it just slows the loss of it. Water pumped during the winter up there could easily be close to freezing coming out of the ground, so there's not much heat to start with. Wintertime solar, because of the short days and low angle would mean the panels you choose may not product a whole bunch of power. Using them to charge a battery when it's really cold out may not work well, as the battery(s) could freeze. LiON batteries work better at cold, but they, too, lose some efficiency when really cold, and any battery can be damaged if it gets really cold out.

This is going to take some careful thought and design. You won't know if you were successful until you've been through a winter as what might work prior to things freezing up, may not after an extended cold spell.

If you had enough panel capacity and batteries, you might be able to use that to power heat tape to keep the water line from freezing.