Grundfos Pumps

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Robert444

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Many years ago I worked for a solar water heating contractor, and we always used Grundfos pumps in all our jobs. I came to believe they were the best pumps for that particular use.

What about a submersible pump for my well? I know Grundfos makes them. My well is 170 feet deep, and is cased to 105 feet. Water level is about 50 feet. This is in the Ozarks, and there is lots of good, clear groundwater in my area. What are some good names in the pump industry, and what are some names to be avoided?

And would a 1/2 horse or a 3/4 horse pump be best? I have to supply one frost-free hydrant at my barn, and in a few years supply water to my house (house is not built yet). The well is about 30 feet from the barn, and will be about 60-70 feet from the house.
 

99k

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Several years ago I would have said Gould, however, that company had a falling out with the motor manufacturer (Franklin). I'm very curious to hear what the pump installers now recommend.
 

Robert444

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I really don't want a Chinese P.O.C. pump, but I don't know which manufacturer is making what and where they are making it.
 

Valveman

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Many small pumps and motors, or just the components are now made in either China or Mexico. Even many components of the Franklin motor are now made in Mexico. Government regulations, high taxes, and high labor has forced many manufacturing jobs out of the US. The new president elect thinks passing even more legislation is the way to solve all our problems. Business owners know this is not true. How can businesses compete when taxes, regulations, and labor make products made in the US many times more expensive than what we can purchase the same equipment from overseas?

That being said I still recommend the Franklin motor. Mostly because the other brands have not been here long enough to properly test. Grundfos pumps were really good in the 70's. Since then they have made their stainless steel impellers as thin as a piece of paper. So now the stainless steel is not any better than plastic. There are also many exact copies of the Grundfos. Hydroflo, Unitra, National, Meyers, and many others have pumps identical to Grundfos. All pumps have been de-engineered for planned obsolescence, and are designed to last an average of 7 years. The pumps sold at the big box stores have even less quality built into them.

The best you can do these days is to buy a brand name pump and motor, and limit the cycling as much as possible. Eliminating cycling with a constant pressure valve such as the Cycle Stop Valve, can triple the design life of any pump. Using a Variable Frequency Drive to limit cycling will even further decrease the designed life of a pump. This is why many pump companies are heavily promoting VFD equipment, and do everything they can to discredit a Cycle Stop Valve.
 

Valveman

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I am glad the Centipro is working for you. We definitely need some competition for Franklin. I have been testing some Sumoto motors that are also working well so far. Time will tell but, it won't take much to be at least as good as Franklin.
 

Speedbump

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You must realize that Goulds, Red Jacket and other brand names are owned by ITT. The rest of the brand names like Sta-Rite, Myers, Aermotor, Berkley and others are owned by Pentair. So you see there is nothing in a brand name any more. ITT and Pentair had to get together to build this motor of theirs because Franklin cut them off. The motor like Valveman says has not been tested long enough for me to trust it.

There are only a few privately owned companies left. National Pump is one of them. I buy from them because I like their pumps and they use the Franklin motor. Ruth Berry is another. I have never used their pumps, but I believe them to be as good as anyones. Seven years is the planned date of failure on most of them these days.

I guess the best brand to buy is the one your installer will stand behind and make repairs if necessary.

bob...
 

Robert444

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I don't understand why a cycle stop valve works. I have some small knowledge of motors, and have rebuilt a few 1/2 to 2 H.P. 110/220VAC single phase woodworking motors. But I don't understand how restricting the outflow of a pump will make the pump motor work easier. Anyone care to help me understand this?
 

Valveman

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AY McDonald pumps are as good as any of them.

Pumps with centrifugal impellers are "counter intuitive". The more you restrict the flow, the lower the amperage or power consumption. You would think that choking back the flow from a pump would make it work harder but, this is the opposite of the truth. Study the typical pump curve below and you will see that power consumption is proportional to the flow rate, and that increasing back pressure does not waste energy. This pump curve shows a pump that will use 10 HP in energy when pumping 200 GPM but, will drop to 4 HP load when restricted to about 50 GPM. The same proportions are true with smaller pumps. All centrifugal pumps have this magical ability. The CSV just allows you to take advantage of this natural phenomenon.
 

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