buickanddeere

I have a 75 HP 600 V irrigation pump- it is sized to cover 25 acres with a solid set irrigation system, sprinkler spacing 40X50 feet.

The last two years I have only been pumping on 8 acres. I want to keep the pressure at abou 55 psi. To maintain this pressure I close the isolation valve (after the pump) by half and open a 4 inch valve on the filter outlet to dump the excess water back into the reservoir. This works great.

However I get a penalty from the hydro company for not being efficient enough. Now the fine is only about $40 on a $400 bill. No big deal.

Question is, if I put capacitor in to correct the power factor, what happens next year when I run 15 acres, and the following year when I run 25 acres. Will I have to make adjustments with the capacitors each time I run the system closer to capacity.

Any thoughts, thanks Grant

Just checked my bill-March 1- July 15, guess it is worsr than I remmembered. The usage charge was $193.94
kVarh power factor 69% surcharge 34% $65.94
Plus the Great Silly Tax (which I dont really mind, but I wish it would go to something useful)

Thanks Grant

Funny thing about the French, I think they all moved out to the wet coast. In fact the two miles of road I live on is sometimes called the French Quarter. Even more amusing is the fact that my computer is set to CDN French- a bunch of keys do this ��������^^� instead of what I want them to do (wife is a french teacher - she specialized in French because it was the only thing which would get her a job).
At least Canada Post is making enough money to cover the expense accounts. Grant

1) Clay valve type valve, one brand is Cycle Stop out of Lubbock, Texas. Restricts flow at pump, and works on the theory that the motor is only doing work for the water that it is lifting, therefore the backpressure isn't acumulating a larger electric bill.

2) Variable frequency drive. Check with your pump motor manfacturer, but most well pump motors are compatable with this. Basically the computer changes the sine wave of the incoming current with technology similar to an inverter welder, to create a power source of less than 60 hz to slow the rpms of your electric motor.

Hope this is helpful.
Chuck

Thanks, Grant