DC well pump question

[Mechanicalbird]

Hi, I have a Robison DC well pump that has a dedicated 85 watt solar panel. It feeds a 600 gallon gravity tank.  It works great until we have a week or more of cloudy weather. The well pump is not hooked into my home solar system at all. It is completely independent. I would like to find a way to power the well pump when it's cloudy. I could add a small battery bank to the well system or I could wire it into my home battery bank. What would you guys do? Thanks!

[zoneblue]

Use a bigger solar panel? 85W isnt a heck of a much.

[Westbranch]

what are the pump specs?

ZB is right about the panel size...  bigger is much better for your application...

[Mechanicalbird]

Thanks for the replies. The 85 watt panel is what came with the kit. I was pretty clueless when I installed the system and buried about 150' of 12awg from the pump to the panel. I'm guessing the voltage drop is pretty bad. The pump only works when it is bright sun.

Do you think another panel would be enough or do I need to move the panel closer to the pump?

Thanks.

[russ_drinkwater]

If you hate digging and the panels are cheap add a panel!