"Smart" pump - based on EKM. Which Grundfos water pump is suitable for home plumbing Advantages of a circulation pump with an intelligent control system
Naturally, the selection of the device must be carried out by measuring your needs, the data of the well from which you will pump water and the technical characteristics of the equipment itself.
But even without any measurements, you can immediately select the type of device and the manufacturer. As for the manufacturer, we advise you to choose one of the most popular and reliable brands.
What are the benefits of purchasing a smart well pump?
It must be said right away that the price for a smart pump for a well will be higher than for standard designs. But on the other hand, he will serve you at the highest level.
The pump has special impellers that regulate the level of water consumption. As the water intake increases, additional steps are included, which provide a more powerful water pressure. There can be up to seven such steps, that is, the most expensive and high-quality smart pump is able to regulate the pumping of water at seven speeds. But this is not its only advantage.
The prices for smart well pumps are also higher because the designs provide protection against pump idling - emergency mode, at which the pumped water ends. Availability of a special protective system allows you to turn off the pump in seconds.
What factors should be considered when choosing a technique?
Well diameter. Borehole pumps pump water from a sufficient depth and at the same time they themselves are of small diameter. To install smart borehole pumps usually, wells of small diameter are drilled, which should not be much larger than the diameter of the pump.
Well debit. This is a parameter that shows how much water can be extracted from a well in a certain period of time (usually data is taken for one hour).
Static and dynamic water levels. They, like the debit of the well, must be indicated in the passport data. But you can make all the necessary measurements yourself.
Have you ever come across smart pumps for a private home that consume electricity 2.01 times less than a regular kitchen Electric kettle? These pumps are Espa Technoplus.
Espa Tecnoplus 15 4m is the pump, the price of which will be justified many times over by the cost of saved electricity.
Benefits of Espa Tecnoplus 15 4M
Only 0.7 kW, but the water consumption for supply is up to 3.0 cubic meters per 1 hour. How do you like that smart and economical offer, for example, for automatic watering in the country?
smart pump Tecnoplus is supplied with control automation. That's why its so convenient to set up and exploit.
You do not need to install a separate control unit and pay extra money for it.
Compact size allows you to install equipment anywhere on the territory, both inside and outside the premises.
Spain is a producer country and a supplier country. The European assembly has a lot of advantages, the main one being automation of the entire assembly process, which significantly reduces the percentage of marriage.
Plot water supply and automatic irrigation
The Espa Tecnoplus 15 4m pump will perfectly cope with the task of water supply of the site and work in the automatic irrigation system.
The booster station does not require a separate hydraulic tank, the price of which can complicate the purchase of the system. Smart pump equipment for a private house protected from air(cavitation) and running dry.
Overload protection, accidental operation and smooth running prolong service life.
Espa - quiet, less noise than a washing machine. Turn on and off the water, watering and shower in the bath. You will not know that the station has started working!
Choosing a pumping station for the home
If you know how to select pumps yourself and you already understand that you need more powerful model having a higher flow rate with the same basic characteristics, buy Espa Technoplus 25 4m. It has a water consumption for supply 2.5 times more than its younger counterpart.
Need an engineering consultation? Call us! The specialist will make an accurate calculation and select a smart station suitable for your private area.
Serving the heating system. Water supply is no less (or even more) complicated thing that requires a competent approach. Pumps are various types- vortex, vibration, centrifugal and so on, and they serve a variety of purposes - from watering personal plot before propulsion of a marine vessel (in fact, a jet propulsion unit is the same water pump). An interesting fact is that centrifugal pump invented by our compatriot, Russian military engineer Alexander Alexandrovich Sablukov back in 1838. And he first designed centrifugal fan intended for submission clean air into the mines, and then specifically for the submarine design of his friend and colleague Karl Schilder developed a similar design that allows you to distill water. So Russia has played an important role in the development of the water collection business. And we will talk about pumps for a very specific purpose - about self-priming pumping units to maintain constant pressure in private homes. It's so nice when you open the tap, and from there water comes out with normal pressure (and, by the way, normal temperature).
Why is pressure weak?
Problems with water pressure are known, it seems, to everyone. But in apartment building they are relatively difficult to solve - the pressure depends on the total water intake, as well as on the state of the water supply system. In the private sector, these problems depend only on what the pump costs and how it works. It is clear that there is additional factors- the depth of water, for example, or the number of points where water is supplied (showers, baths, and so on), but in general, all this can be adjusted. Sometimes the pressure of only one of the taps changes - hot or cold. Then the total temperature of the water changes dramatically, and this, as you might guess, is not very pleasant.
There are two main reasons for the change in pressure: - change in inlet pressure; - simultaneous use of several points of water intake. If we talk about city water supply, then in a single house the pressure changes along with the pressure in the entire system. In the morning, when people shower, eat breakfast (and use the sink), and so on, the water pressure is reduced. This is where the right pump with an “intelligent” element is needed, that is, a device that is able to maintain a constant pressure at the inlet, regardless of external factors. Let's take an example − Grundfos model SCALA2.
Constant pressure legend
This pump belongs to the class of so-called "smart" pumps. It is equipped with a built-in sensor that measures the pressure at the outlet of the pump. If the pressure drops below a predetermined level, the pump increases the shaft speed and compensates for the pressure drop so that the pressure remains constant and does not "jump" in the entire system. In other words, it provides constant pressure at variable flow. The user does not notice the differences. It would seem that this is quite simple idea, but it is not implemented in all systems. In order for it to work exactly as intended, the pump must be properly installed and, most importantly, configured. Although everything is simple here. You can install it both indoors and outside (but - what is important - the temperature limits environment range from 0 ° to 55 ° С), and it can take water from the central city water supply system, from a reservoir, and from a well up to 8 meters deep.
The pressure assessment is usually carried out at the point of draw-off farthest from the pump, for example, in some shower on the second floor. When connected, the unit will automatically maintain the pressure at 3 bar, but if the pressure in that same shower is too low, the pressure must be increased by setting the desired value on the control panel. It is with this value that the device compares the pressure determined by the sensor at the outlet, and constantly levels the difference between them by changing the speed of the pump shaft.
Silence should be in the house!
One of the common problems of pumps installed inside the house is noise and vibration during operation. Especially if the pump is installed incorrectly - but we will not consider this option.
In Grundfos SCALA2, the noise level is only 47 dB - it's like a muffled conversation, nothing more. This effect is associated primarily with a competent layout and engine cooling by the pumped liquid. The permanent magnet motor - the heart of the device - is covered by other elements and cools well, and, in addition, the built-in hydraulic tank reduces the number of starts and stops. Plus, the pump is very compact and weighs only 10 kg, which significantly reduces vibration (the unit body made of aluminum also contributes to the maximum absorption of the latter). And thanks to the protection against dry running (when water disappears in the system for some reason), the system never runs “dry”, which works for the durability of the installation.
Savings on bills
The SCALA2 is powered by a highly efficient motor for permanent magnets- its efficiency is much higher than that of a standard electric motor. Plus, the device has a built-in a frequency converter and a "smart" control system as a whole, thanks to which it does not constantly work at maximum power consumption (which in itself is not very high, 0.55 kW), but consumes exactly as much as is needed under load at any given moment. On average, SCALA2 will consume only 0.4 kW. Compared to a typical analogue, the SCALA2 pump is about three times more energy efficient.
Finally, the pump is resistant to voltage drops, while characteristics close to nominal will be at voltages from 150 to 300 V. This is especially true for country houses, where voltage drops often lead household appliances out of service.
Summing up, we can highlight those points that you should pay special attention to when choosing a pump. These are: — ease of installation and compactness; — minimum noise and vibration; - the ability to maintain a stable pressure in the system; — reliability and durability; - energy efficiency and resistance to voltage drops. If the pump meets these requirements, it can be taken. In our opinion, Grundfos SCALA2 complies. No wonder we took him as an example. Choose right! 
Applications for Grundfos SCALA2:
- increase in pressure from city highways; — water supply from wells (depth up to 8 m); - water supply from storage tanks (reservoirs); — systems of manual and automatic watering; – pumping pure water from reservoirs.
— Ambient temperature — up to 55 °C — Temperature of the pumped liquid — up to 45 °C — operating pressure- 10 bar - insulation class - X4D (outdoor installation) - number of storeys of the building - no more than 3 - number of water points - no more than 8 - dimensions: height - 304 mm, length - 403 mm, width - 193 mm - weight (net ) - 10 kg
In the home water supply system, the “brain” of the colloquially called “smart pump” is the RM-5 or RDM-5 electromechanical pressure switch.
Without going into the details of their device, I’ll immediately say what prompted me to creative searches: at the factory settings of the RM-5, the following happened: when the water pressure in my home mains decreased at the moment the pump was turned on, a pressure surge occurred that forced the relay to work and the pump was turned off. Immediately, the springs returned the plate back, the pump turned on again and the process was repeated; the relay started jumping. Especially the flaw was noticeable with a weak water intake. I had to tighten a small spring, as a result of which the pressure in the system dropped to zero, then after 15 seconds the relay worked and the pump turned on. Such a "work schedule" of the pump, of course, did not suit me or my family. Perhaps the problem is that I installed the RM-5 before the hydraulic tank and “caught” all pressure changes in the system well.
Analyzing what was happening, I remembered the available contact pressure gauge EKM-1, more precisely, its West German counterpart TGL.
I will briefly dwell on its operation: when the water pressure drops, the pressure gauge needle moves to the left, the movable contact closes with the contact of the lower pressure limit, the KM2 starter turns on, which supplies power to the pump. When the pressure in the system rises to a certain value, the movable contact touches the contact of the upper pressure limit, the KM1 starter is turned on, which, with its normally closed contacts (in the photo - an additional auxiliary contact), breaks the power circuit of the KM2 coil and the pump stops. To prevent possible “jumps”, an VS-33 electromechanical time relay was introduced into the circuit, which turns on together with KM1 and its chain of contacts 12-13-25-26 supplies shunt power to the KM1 coil.
After 10 seconds, the time-dependent contact 25-26 opens and then the circuit operates in normal mode. Capacitor C1 is spark quenching. QF1 is an additional protection device. Instead of VS-33, you can use the RSV-17 electronic relay or a small-sized starter with the PVI-11 attachment. In my version, there were no jumps, but, just in case, I left the relay.
The whole circuit is assembled on a DIN rail, which in my version was placed in wooden box suitable sizes(Ideally, use a special plastic or metal shield for this).
The manometer is connected to the water system using two fittings, mesh filter and a piece of oxygen hose. Before installation, the insulation resistance of the pressure gauge contacts relative to the case was measured - 10,000 MΩ at 2500V - more than enough for safe work scheme.
I set the lower pressure to 1.45 atm., the highest - 2.75 atm. During operation of the pump, a pressure of 2.0 atm is maintained in the system. Pressure surges disappeared as a class, water flows from a tap like in a city apartment, which was to be proved.
Practical filters reverse osmosis give the owner the opportunity to significantly improve the characteristics and taste of water, regardless of the location of the home and natural conditions terrain. Thanks to a well-thought-out design, which includes a complex of several cartridges with different fillers, they effectively rid the liquid of mechanical impurities such as clay, peat fibers or grains of sand, eliminate salt deposits of heavy metals, chloride compounds and bacteria, organic matter and foreign odors.
For proper operation of the system, the pressure in the water supply system must not fall below 3 atmospheres. This value does not always reach desired value- for example, in country houses or on the upper floors it may be somewhat lower. In this case, together with the filters, it will be necessary to install a pump capable of increasing the pressure.
Operating principle
The device operates from electrical network, connecting to it using an adapter, which can be supplied in the kit or purchased separately. For operation, the device also needs sensors that signal the level of pressure in the system. When its value falls below the required value, the pump turns on and works until storage tank will not fill with filtered water.
Thus, this easy-to-use device allows you to provide and maintain pressure at the proper level, ensuring smooth operation filtration systems and invariably high quality drinking water in home.
Advantages
The advantages of pumps for reverse osmosis systems include:
- the ability to increase pressure to a level of about 8 atmospheres;
- ease of installation and use;
- economical consumption of electricity;
- low noise level during operation;
- compact dimensions;
- universal design that allows using one pump for filters of different manufacturers.