01The constraint nobody quotes
On an acreage property, an outage is a water outage. The 1.5 hp submersible pump draws 1.4 kW running but surged to a measured 7.4 kW on start. A single 5 kW battery module would have tripped every time the pressure tank called for water.
02Soft starter first
Before adding a second battery we fitted a soft starter to the pump, which brought the measured surge down to 2.9 kW. That changed the storage decision from three modules to two, and saved about $15,000.
03What went on the protected panel
Well pump, pressure tank controls, furnace blower, refrigeration, radon fan, internet rack, kitchen and bathroom receptacles, and half the lighting. The range, the dryer and the central air stayed on the unprotected side.
04Proving it
On commissioning day we opened the main breaker at 9 am and left it open. The house ran 31 hours on stored energy alone with no solar contribution, in September, with the family at home and using water normally.