Variable Frequency Well Pump Upgrade
- Thread starter UncleDave
- Start date
220 is good that lets you run both legs of a house.
Curious is it labelled as 240?
I've had to learn to live from gensets not only because of extended home power outages - but also being an RV/ Dry camper for 20 years spending week in the dessert having a blast with ultra high performance off road toys.
Soft starts are a good idea whenever you can get them when running off a genset.
I have installed a few of those Grundfos SQ systems. They work good for their intended purposes. I chose not to install one in my home due to the more complex system it is. I like simplicity myself. One person that I know was unable to run his variable frequency pump on his generator. I am not certain whether it was a Grundfos or not.
It could be that. Or it could be dead reliable - let's consider the vendor.
I'm willing to bet my money a 9th generation fully engineered solution from a single source in Germany has this down though.
Question to you - is having city level water performance off a well worth more than a 40/ 60 well pump setup?
Whats it worth to me ? It's definitely worth paying more for.
I get that it doesn't make sense for everyone to pay more even if they get more.
Do you use a 60/40 switch, or a cycle stop to provide constant pressure?
I cant see a 10700 RPM pump lasting as long as one thats 3000-10700, but you are correct in that the controller is a failure point.
I think it's on its third generation at this point though?
I have really good surge and voltage protection coming into the house from my Kohler Panel - it shuts the whole place down before over volt and brown outs take a toll on anything.
Wow. We rarely get over 7-10 years out of ours
You are correct. It is 240.
I don't have a constant pressure system in my home. I have a Goulds well pump as I got it from my supplier almost free.
And yes they changed the design of the Grundfos controllers, but I am not familiar with the changes as it occured after my retirement.
I installed Grundfos systems for over 10 years and I don't recall an SQE pump failing during that time, just the controllers.
They are good pumps and they should last a minimum of 15 years in my opinion.
I was in the private water system install/repair business. I was a Goulds dealer for many years and eventually added the Grundfos line.
Goulds makes a very good pump. They soured me a bit when they began manufacturing certain motors and such in China.
Grundfos quality and innovation is a notch above Goulds. You have a great product.
Thanks. That business always fascinated me.
It always sad when you see a beloved company move manufacturing to an unproven, our controversial country.
Im in a roundy round with my grundfos setup in another forum with a couple guys telling me I picked the worst combination ever made for reliability.
They claim to have replaced dozens of CU 301 controllers (not the 302 I have).
They aren't so negative on the pump itself but all claim it was a far worse choice than just going old school.
Note: I found no old school solutions with soft start, and they have no solutition for this.
I suppose there is something to be said that a 10K pump will likely wear out quicker than a 3450rpm pump, but if its variable speed then this delta shrinks.
The moderator in the forum is also the guy that run the cycle stop valve company, and is incentivized to talk everyone out of a VFD based solution and into a cycle stop valve. I general like his feedback, but there is no doubt it's a continuous sales job toward his "disruptive" product which I actually installed on a rental property and like, but it's not a be all end all.
Then there a couple of nut swingers around this guy that have less experience than I do but believe they know it all that just parrot what this moderator claims.
Total BS.
When I challenged the guys for actual data - the guy claimed he knew one guy that had a problem - laughable.
Then he differed to the cycle stop valve guy who to be fair has been complaining about this setup for quite a while saying grundfos is on its 9th generation and never has or can fix all the problems created by the VFD - which aside for him complaining about failures which may be true no other problems seem to manifest themselves.
Its very probable grundfos has had batches of bad product - every manufacturer does, it's how they support that bad product I care about. If they or their channel fixes it quickly them Im good. If I have to wait on parts or they arent available or I get charged for what should be warranty work then I have problems.
The one thing I did hear from my installer is that in a heavy debris environment a 3" pump will pack up quicker than a 4" pump but that seems self evident.
Last edited:
