Coolest running external pupmp?

[dugg]

I am currently running a Gen-xpc30 external pump, and i am having heat issues bad. It keeps my chiller running constant. It takes about 20 mintues from the time the chiller shuts down until it is right back on again. I have my chiller set at 80* , and the chiller even has to run at night with no lights heating the tank up.

My question, is there something i can do to help this pump run cooler, or is there an external pump that will put out less heat. When i look at pumps, the GenX pumps say that they are the coolest running pump on the market, so being that this is my first external pump, i have no idea if that is right or not. I have to do something though. This chiller running around the clock is costing a small fortune, and the wife is getting a little testy about the electric bill over a fish tank .

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Is it possible your chiller is needing a recharging?

 

[dugg]

No, it pulls the temp right down, but the temp raises back fast. The chiller is a 1/4 hp pacific coast and is only about a year old. It works like a champ, but this pump is putting out a lot of heat. I thought it was a powerhead or something, but i have removed every heat sorce from the system except for the main pump, and nothing has changed. You can actually feel the temp difference if you hold the input and output lines going through the pump. It's not making any noise or running any different than it ever has, so i figured it may just be these pumps or something.

 

[dugg]

For a refference, it is 78* in the room right now, with no lights on, and my tank is at 81*. The only heat source on the tank right now is the return pump.

 

[justinzimm]

dugg,

I was in the same boat as you when I set up my 120. I really wanted to do it without a chiller. Using fans and low wattage pumps I'm able to keep my temperature between 78 and 80 at the same time using 2 X 250 watt metal halides. (My AC is set at 76) I use a Oceanrunner 3200 pump running externally. The OR and quietone pumps are pretty efficent IMO.

One of the best things you can do is to buy a fan and point it either at your sump or the back of your canopy. Made a huge diff in my aquarium. Do a search for an "air king" 6" clip on fan. It moves air and is almost silent. A lot quieter than my old ice-cap.

J

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

is it possible to install a box over the pump and install 2 fans one pulling and one pushing away from the tank? and to take it one step futher build the box out of acrylic and flush mount the fans. just a thought

 

[dugg]

I have 1 fan over my sump, 1 fan blowing across my 250w MH, and 1 fan pulling hot air out of the canopy. I am thinking i might try a fan blowing on the pump to help cool it.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12111785#post12111785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg
I have 1 fan over my sump, 1 fan blowing across my 250w MH, and 1 fan pulling hot air out of the canopy. I am thinking i might try a fan blowing on the pump to help cool it.

the only issue is where is heat going to be pushed too? if it gets blown to the back of the stand and the chiller is next to the stand then the chiller is going to work harder.

 

[MitchReef]

You need to point a fan right across the turbulent surface of your tank water. The added evaporation will make it cooler (evaporative refrigeration cycle at work). Just make sure that if you have an enclosed canopy that you make an allowance for the humidity to escape....I netted a 2 degree drop just by relocating my fans to the tank surface.

 

[WingnutSr]

I am running a Little Giant 4MDQX-SC and no heat gain in water temp at all. I checked with my infrared digital thermometer after reading this thread, just to see.
How long has this pump been running for you? Could there be someting caught up inside it, causing excessive friction?

 

[dugg]

I've had the pump running for about a year now. I have always had the heat issue, but until recently i had 4 powerheads running and thought that was where the heat was coming from. My electric bill has been high, so i was trying to figure out where the heat was coming from to take some of the load off of the chiller. After removing everything but the return pump, there has been no drop in temp at all. I had 2 sieo 620's and 2 MJ1200's before, so i just assumed that was where the heat was from. The return pump was just cleaned in the last few weeks, and it seems to be running fine, just transferring a ton of heat. I thought maybe others had the same issues with these pumps. I figured if it's the brand of pump i'm using that it would be worth my while to spend the money on a pump rather than electric to run the chiller constantly.

 

[WingnutSr]

How long did you wait to see if there was a drop in temp after turning everything else off? I am guessing, but it may take more than a few hours to begin to see a difference. Also, a silly question, and no insult intended, but is there maybe a heater in there someplace that you may have forgotten about?

 

[jay24k]

I use a panworld pump that does a really good job.

 

[dugg]

It has been 2 weeks give or take a day since all the powerheads were removed. I unplugged my heater about a week ago just to make sure it wasn't putting out heat. It is deffinately the pump that's the problem. It's just a matter of is it the GenX pump that's the problem, and i need to buy another brand pump, or is it just an issue with this pump. I have been really happy with the pump other than the heat issue. It is really quiet and reliable.

 

[Pacific Reefs]

Are you running your chiller and return line on the same pump? You can cut back gph by getting a smaller mag drive pump or so just for the return and hopefully get rid of the chiller.

How high is the metal halide off the water? Is it a retro fit in a canopy. If so is the back of the canopy open for heat to escape? I know you have fans but an open back canopy also helps. It takes a lot to bring the temp down after the MH turns off. Do the fans shut off at the same time as the MH? I let my fan run for at least an hour after the light turns off.

If you can downsize your pump and get rid of the chiller you should be able to cut back that power bill pretty well.

By the way I have a 160g with 2x 250w MH and 1 400w MH with a canopy and no chiller. Going with a Mag pump for the return helped cut the heat back.

 

[dugg]

Yes i use the chiller inline on the return pump. It has a bypass that runs through my phos reactor also. My fans run for 1 hour after the light goes off. The chiller kicks on about the same at night with the lights off as during the day. The light is 12 inches off the surface and the canopy has 2 6inch holes in the back. One has a fan that draws air out, and the other is just a hole since the fan that was in it went out.

I will always have to have the chiller due to the room my tank is in, i'm just trying to cut down on how much it has to run. This room has no heat or air, just a cieling fan. It gets some air from a fan blowing from the main part of the house, but no direct air. That is why i set my office up in here lol. I have several pins holding my shoulder together, so i don't care much for A/C. It stays between 78 to 80 degrees most of the time, but it can get in the mid 80's in here mid day in the summer.

I will cirrculate the water with a cup before i go back to using a mag pump again.

 

[evega]

I'm running 2 Gen X pumps one for my return the other one for my closed loop and I do not have any issues with heat. Pumps are quite. Temp in the house is about 75* tank is about 78* to 79*. Canopy is about 18" tall and completely open on the back side.

 

[akwtampa]

If the ambient air temp is 78-85, you're probably just going to have to live with the temp. the way it is..

I've got 2 fans on my tank, which is in the living room that stays at 73 most of the time, and my tank will still get over 82 on many days in the summer..

 

[Pacific Reefs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12116979#post12116979 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg

I will cirrculate the water with a cup before i go back to using a mag pump again.

Lol. That will reduce heat for sure :lol: Good luck!

 

[dugg]

LOL, yeah my last Mag pump had a meltdown in my sump and killed everything. That was when i went to the external pump. If they supplied me with free Mag pumps for life i would never use another one. I thought going with an external pump would help with heat issues, but i guess not so much.