Hi everyone, I was wondering how many lph pump I would need to pump water from my sump to the top of my rack.Thee tanks high,all 4ft.Height is 2.2m.

I have a spare Eheim 1262 (3600lph) would this be enough.

 

Mark.

Head height is the KILLER for any pump, I like to go double what you need if you can, that way your pump is not working to hard to keep pumping day and night and wont flog out to quick.

It will cost more to purchase but in the long run is a better financial investment as you wont have to replace it as often.

 

The other system killer is running to smaller pipe work, if you can step up straight from the pump to 25mm, it wont place the back load on  the pump and flog it to death.

 

Find out the head on your pump and work it out from there, don't be fooled into its enough if it is just enough, it will work to hard from the get go and fail on you early

 

Put a good pre filter on you pump to, that will extend its life.

 

Bob

Yes, what Bob said.

 

Also, the Eheim 1262 has a max. head height of 3.5m. At 2.5m you should get about 2500 lph.

 

There you go its enough to get away with, remember to use big return lines and you wont kill it as fast

The 2500 is at best, I would think around 2000 reliably, 660 pr tank pr hour that's turning them over 3 times an hour and that's the recommended amount, I am thinking they are standard 4s at 220ish Lt.

Bob

I found that if run from the pump to the level of the top tank then split that line to the lower tanks it creates a syphon effect and the pump doesn't work as hard, prolonging it's life.

Cheers mick

My bad, we always set up the shops that way and it works well Mick

 

Bob

The curve for this pump I have seen says 3600 lph at 0 head and around 1400 at 2.2 metres. This does not take into account extra head from pipe and fittings. The advise to use 25mm from the pump will minimise head loss from velocity.

How many tanks are you running and how many litres in each tank?

I will be running 2 banks of 4ft tanks 3 tier high each with its own 4ft sump.I am trying to source the new Aquamedic DC pump that is rated at 5000lph.Low running costs and very powerful.

I thought I read uncomplimentary things about those aquamedic pumps on the marine forums. You should check that before you buy. 

 

Good tip for the pump setup Mick! 

What pump should I go with then.

I recently bought a Biopro ECO 5000 lph pump and have no issues with it so far. Well priced and draws 45W with 3.5m head. Only issue I have is it does not have a sponge pre-filter between the 'grill cage' and the impeller intake. Easy fix though. Just have to cut up a spare filter mat/sponge I have lying around.

I recently bought a Aquael PFN 10,000 after a lot of research, for my new TB rack. Great pump. Outstanding quality and it has variable watts/water flow. It is a bit of and investment as far as initial outlay but it will quickly pay for itself on the power bill and longevity.

Mark49, I think the flow rate numbers looked ok for your 1262. How can you go wrong with an Eheim? 

 

If I read your reply right you need 2 pumps, so another 1262 might be the go. I've looked recently at the Aquael products as Aquathumb suggests and they look pretty good on power consumption. The Biopro pumps as jc12 suggests are dirt cheap and seem to work - yes I have one too. I don't know if you can get spares for them but for the price you can easily buy 2 and keep one as a spare. Actually the biopro pumps cost less than a replacement 1262 impeller! They're on ebay.  

OK thanks guys will look at those pumps and decide what to get.I used to run my eheim 1262 on my reef tank for 10 years.Never missed a beat.Before that I had constant failures with cheaper brands.

Has anyone had any experience with Laguna pumps.They are ugly but I heard they are good.

I've never used a Laguna pump but sold plenty when I worked in a shop. I think they're fine and there's certainly spare parts available. I don't think they're the most energy efficient though. Have a look at the pondmaster pumps too. 

 

When I'm selecting a pump to use myself I check the output curves and the power consumption. You need to check the curves because pumps are designed for different uses and some can't really manage head height. With a device that's running constantly the power consumption really hits you in the wallet. Purchase price savings are quickly lost over time - a 40w pump running 24/7 will cost you about $90 a year to run assuming 25c / kWhr electricity cost.  

 

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I don't have any pump curves handy to compare. You can find lots of output specs online. I think I recall that the Aquael pumps are pretty efficient, surprisingly the el cheapo biopro ones are not bad either. 

Looking at the new waveline DC pumps.They look like good value for the money.Would a 4000LPH be ok or is it better to go with the 10000LPH and dial it down.Guppies have them.

They look good to me. If you end up using one please report back about it! Seems that having more flow available is a good thing, if the power consumption is equivalent you may as well get the bigger one. 

I think I will try one of my Eheim 1262's first and then decide if it is viable to go to a waveline pump.I think value for money they look hard to beat.

I have a Laguna, its about 7500lph on my cherry rack. good pump, never missed a beat and its power efficient, about 80w if I remember correctly