spanishmack
New member
does anyone know whether the metering pump 5000.020 that comes with the 3155 osmolator can be safely used to pump salt water?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
3155 metering pump + salt water
- Thread starter spanishmack
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spanishmack
New member
thanks for the reply roger, it will only pump saltwater for about half an hour per week and i already own the unit so when it dies i'll purchase the newer variety. will it leak metals into the tank but?
Pumps are identical on the outside. It would not be impossible for it to leak metals but in general as soon as the motor gets wet it dies, it is a simple DC motor and it should short and die immediately if it gets wet. If that happens just dump the osmolator reservoir and start over.
spanishmack
New member
Thanks Roger for the replies, you do a good job for tunze answering all our questions for no gain. well done.
the reason i asked is i'm going to put the pump in my water change bucket, siphon slower than the pump and do my water changes(15L) that way, the fish and corals will hopefully be none the wiser. i dont have a sump so to change water had to lower the display water level making the fish hide.
the reason i asked is i'm going to put the pump in my water change bucket, siphon slower than the pump and do my water changes(15L) that way, the fish and corals will hopefully be none the wiser. i dont have a sump so to change water had to lower the display water level making the fish hide.
I think that could be done. I might suggest using another pump though. The Osmolator pump should last 2 years in it's intended application, but it is only running for very short periods of time infrequently. In fact the amount of time it would run in 2 years is about equal to one month of continuous use. I would probably use a 800/2 or a 1073.03 Both pumps would likely do about 100 gallons per hour at the head pressure required (completely turned down on the valve on the 1073.03). This could be further restricted with a valve on the outlet. This way their would be no long term issues, the pump would probably last indefinitely. The other option and perhaps the simplest is, place the 15 liter bucket on a ladder and siphon the water in as you are siphoning water out. No pump at all and it would also work very reliably. If you wanted to get fancy you could try a search for what they used to sell as a "Nurse", it was an autotop off system that topped off automatically by siphon as water level dropped. It was not an easy DIY, as it had to be air tight to work but it would be very reliable and I think the biggest version was 20L. I am pretty sure the company that made this is no longer in business.
spanishmack
New member
some food for thought, cheers mate.
being the lazy so and so i am replacing the 5000.020 in australian prices(every 10 months) works out the same as a 1073.03 over 5 years. i want to make water changes as easy as possible and the osmolator way is probably the most effective, albeit a bit more expensive than a simple diy. so if the osmo pump lasts more than 10 months i'll be a happy chappy
being the lazy so and so i am replacing the 5000.020 in australian prices(every 10 months) works out the same as a 1073.03 over 5 years. i want to make water changes as easy as possible and the osmolator way is probably the most effective, albeit a bit more expensive than a simple diy. so if the osmo pump lasts more than 10 months i'll be a happy chappy
