Anyone run dual return pumps?

[niko5]

I was on vacation this past weekend and at 8 pm saturday my return pump stopped (coralife turbo sea 1090 pump) and there was nothing i could do... The controller showed it on but i knew water wasn't flowing frommm my sensors...

So now I'm wondering should i invest in a second "standby" pump that cannbe switched on if needed

Anyone else have that?

 

[tkeracer619]

Run two at the same time if you can. I would leave one plugged directly into the wall.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

I'm going to run two eheim 1260's on my new 300. They'll both run 24/7.

 

[aleonn]

I've learned that redundancy is always good in this hobby. Run two if possible, as I assume you have a chiller.

 

[kmu]

I might run a mag12 and an eheim 1260 for return on my 240g which I will start the cicling next week

 

[cakemanPA]

When I was running an external pump, I had it set up to be quick disconnected. And then I had a second pump plumbed and ready to swap in if maintenance was needed or there were any issues.


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[RocketSurgeon]

following along

 

[niko5]

Well iv ordered the parts needed to setup dual pumps I'll post pics when done...

Plan is to have the secondary pump on stand by opts also a smaller (cheeper) pump. I also ordered a flow sensor to help with knowing if one stops.

 

[jkapit]

I run two Iwaki 55RLTs as return pumps. Good to have the extra flow and redundancy instead of a single larger pump in my opinion.

 

[niko5]

Do you have both pumps on the same suction line to your sump or do you have two pipes from the sump?

 

[Shard]

It would probably be best to have them on two separate return lines.

I think if they were on the same line, when one gave out, a lot of flow from the other would just go back to the sump via the broken pump. It would be like adding a drain line to your return.

 

[GrayWhale]

Two separate suction and return lines are less than half as likely to clog at the same time. Also put the pumps on different circuits and gfci's. Plan for equipment failures.

 

[niko5]

I dont have the room for 2 suction lines so im going to have to T off the main line and put check valves on each pump so if one or the other is running it doesnt make a small closed loop. The second pump will be on a different EB8 which is plugged into a battery backup.

 

[LifeAquatic]

I always run two return pumps 24/7.

 

[viggen]

If the suction line is is to small the pumps will not get enough water to push, just make sure the suction line is bigger then what 1 pump calls for.

I only use 1 pump to run each of my tanks but I have a backup for when a pump does fail.

 

[michaelkittrell]

I'm just getting into this so take my advice with a .

You could get a backflow preventer to address the problem of one pump failing and the other pushing water back through it to the sump.

I'm planning on putting in a second pump as a backup for my system and will run separate plumbing. The main reason is a real backup... if I lose the line, I can just turn that one off.

Additionally, I'm worried about the additional pressure in the pipe... either for reducing the total flow or by increasing the head pressure on the smaller pump... Probably wouldn't matter unless the pipe was too small or constricted, but for redundancy it just makes sense to run a second pipe and stop wondering whether it might work either way.

 

[niles1967]

I'm going to run two eheim 1260's on my new 300. They'll both run 24/7.

I use two 1260s on my 350. Nice to know that the tank wont be wiped out if one fails. Tank is also on battery backup and a generator for the house just in case.

The 1260's and my skimmer pumps create enough heat for the tank that I do not need heaters. In the summer I run them externally.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

I dont have the room for 2 suction lines so im going to have to T off the main line and put check valves on each pump so if one or the other is running it doesnt make a small closed loop. The second pump will be on a different EB8 which is plugged into a battery backup.

Check valves are a nightmare waiting to happen, according to others. I would try to come up with a different alternative.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1916205&highlight=check+valves

 

[niko5]

I know check valves are not very reliable but I think in this situation even if they don't seal completely it will still allow both pumps to pump in the correct direction. They won't be used to keep water out of the sump even if they fail in na power outage the sump can hold what water will come out before the syphon is broken.