VFD for a pump: what we ask before picking one
Customers come with three typical jobs. First: water supply for villages or utilities (trunk plus booster pumps 5.5-75 kW). Second: borehole or surface irrigation for farms plus greenhouses (1.5-22 kW). Third: industrial circulation in heating loops. Foundry mold cooling. Water treatment. Typical customer this year: a farmer with two 7.5 kW borehole pumps, a village with a 30 kW pump station, a production shop with an 11 kW loop pump.
What separates a "proper" pump VFD from a generic one. First: built-in PID controller that holds pressure or flow from a sensor signal (4-20 mA or 0-10 V). Second: sleep mode, the drive lowers speed or stops the motor when flow is zero, 30-50% energy savings on a typical 24-hour cycle. Third: dry-run protection via minimum current or pressure-relay feedback. Fourth: multi-pump function (rotates 2-4 pumps for even wear). On a standard GD20 these are partial; on a dedicated GD200A, ACQ80, or Altivar 320 Solar they are full.
Which models we ship for pump jobs
From stock. Veichi AC70-T3 (5.5-75 kW): our main product, P mode for pump duty, PID, sleep mode, multi-pump up to 4 units, in stock monthly. INVT GD200A (5.5-160 kW): European feature equivalent, P mode, PID with 8 presets, for any pump site. ABB ACQ80 (1.5-75 kW): a dedicated premium ABB series for water-pumping (Q in the name = water-rated), multi-pump out of the box, soft pipe-fill (smooth pipe pressurization without water hammer). Schneider Altivar 320 Solar (0.4-7.5 kW): solarized line for direct pump supply from solar panels without batteries, MPPT 200-820 V.
Before paying we clarify. First: pump type. Surface centrifugal: simplest case, V/f with PID. Borehole with frequent starts: sleep mode and dry-run protection required. Trunk with multiple pumps: multi-pump with rotation. Second: sensor. We ask what sensor the customer has (pressure, flow, level) and what signal (4-20 mA or 0-10 V), because the PID feeds from it. Third: water hammer. On long mains, soft pipe-fill is mandatory; otherwise fittings rupture within 1-2 years. 2-year warranty, 1-3 day delivery from our Kyiv warehouse.
Manufacturers in our stock
- Veichi (AC70, AC310, SI23): universal mid-tier including SI23 solar line
- INVT (GD200A): with P mode for pump duty and PID
- ABB (ACQ80): dedicated water-pumping series, premium
- Schneider Electric (Altivar 320 Solar, Altivar 630 for HVAC): Europe
- Delta Electronics (VFD-CP2000 series, CP = compact pump): Taiwan
