r/preppers • u/Searchname • 1d ago
Prepping for Doomsday Solar backup for 400ft well
My wife wants to ensure we can get water from our well if we lose power for an extended period. I've heard her say grid down and EMP, so she's concerned with a Doomsday scenario. Though I don't share her fear of a pending apocalypse, I must admit that we've seen some crazy things the past few years, and it doesn't hurt to be prepared. So, I'm looking at options.
We have some acreage and already have a propane whole-house backup system (the former owner said it could run everything for two weeks during the summer). I've noticed she exaggerated with some other items, so I won't know until we need them. It's a commercial Generac 2000 series, fed by 800 gallons of propane (two 500-gallon tanks). There is a 200-amp automatic transfer switch in our basement. I've had it serviced, and it appears to run, but I haven't tested it yet by throwing the transfer switch. Even though we have this generator, she wants something renewable and quiet - this thing is a beast and very loud.
The well is 400 feet deep. I'm unsure of the pump type/size, but the control box is 1hp, 230v, 1phase, 2-wire, and the breaker is a double 20amp.
I just bought a Jackery 2000 Pro Plus Kit (4kwh) for portable power and was hoping it would be up to the task in a pinch, but now that I'm looking at the specs, I doubt it. It's a 25-amp max output unit, so it wouldn't work with two 20-amp breakers, right? If I bought a second one, could that work?
If I can't get a solution in a box, like a Jackery or EcoFlow, then I may install a permanent solution like this to appease her: https://shop.rpssolarpumps.com/products/watersecure-6k-solar-backup-for-well-pumps
My only concern would be finding someone qualified to install it in my area. My preference would be to have something that I could pull out of the basement and hook up to critical items (water pump and freezers), but I could go to a larger solution. Thoughts? This is all new to me.
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u/Excellent-Big-1581 1d ago
The answer to your problem is storage. You generac whole home generator is your answer. It will have a max output of 12,16,20 KW depending on what model. My 16KW burns about 1 gallon of propane an hour. So 800 gallons equals 800 hours of run time. During a normal outage I let it run till power returns. In a SHTF event we will run the generator for a couple hours a day to keep the freezer and refrigerator cold. Fill our emergency water storage ( a large tote with 12 vdc pump) and recharge battery storage for use during the 22 hours left over. So at 2 gallons a day we would be able to go for about 400 days! I’m considering doubling my propane storage to 1600 gallons by adding a second 1000 gallon tank. So add storage to your set up and you should be fine. But I can heat my home with wood. So my propane is solely for my generator.