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Show Pump flGOtO SQVG dG.lorc for irrigators By Richard E. Griffin Extension Water Resource Specialist Utah State University Whether' pumping from wells or from surface water supplies, many Utah Irrigators Irri-gators have been paying more than necessary for the energy expended. A Utah pump testing project disclosed dis-closed that 75 of the pumps were operating below 66 efficiency, ef-ficiency, which is considered standard. In fact, in over 120 tests made in 1977 the average efficiency was 54.5 percent. In 233 tests made during 1978 the average efficiency was 55 percent, some 40 of those tested in 1978 were operating below 55 percent. Since effort was made to test a cross section of the irrigation pumps in Utah, we feel that this indicates a lot of room for improvement in pumping efficiency over the state. ers of property and mortgage mort-gage companies are beginning be-ginning to require a recent pump test report to confirm the efficiency of any pump - ing unit on the property be -fore buying or before issuing issu-ing a loan. Personnel of the Utah State University Agricultural and Irrigation Engineering Department De-partment conducted the test. Data collected indicates that a potential savings of 20 per cent could be achieved if all the pumpingplants in Utah were. brought up to 66 percent per-cent efficiency. Taking into consideration total irrigation irri-gation pumping energy used in the state, we see that this improvement in efficiency could bring a potential savings sav-ings of over one million dollars dol-lars annuallv in pumping costs for Utah irrigators. The pump testing project was. conducted through the Utah Agricultural Experiment Experi-ment Station in cooperation ; with Utah Power and Light. ; Owners are advised to bal-i bal-i ance the energy savings ! against the cost of repairs or replacements needed to improve the pump efficiency. ; In the past, the rule of thumb has said that you can afford to spend for pump repairs or replacement three times the expected annual amount of ' energy savings. Under the i; current situations of es-:: es-:: calating costs of energy, you may well multiply by a value !;; of four or more. ;'! If you have a pump test !; that indicates your unit needs repairs or replacements, ; you may find it to your ad-J; ad-J; vantage to consider more than the costs related to po-i; po-i; tential energy savings. You ; also may consider the inter-!: inter-!: est rate and the income tax bracket you are in if the ; investment can be claimed I on your income tax. ;i; Savings in power costs constitute the biggest value j; of a pump test. It often pinpoints the cause of an ;!; unusually high power bill. It also provides a manage-;i; manage-;i; ment tool for many irri- gators and helps keep tab on rij the groundwater level. Buy- |