DC vs AC return pumps. Reliability question.

DrBoxedWine

DrBoxedWine

New member
Hey all,

I'm looking to get a new return pump to replace my Mag Drive 18. I have a 155g Bowfront with 60g sump. The mag drive is a beast, I'll go 9-months without cleaning it and open it up see it's barely even dirty. But, it's also basically a 150w heater that never shuts off and this becomes a problem in summer. I also need a bit more power but the next mag drive up consumes 265w so I don't want to go that route.

I'm thinking a Deepwater Aquatics pump, Reef Octopus Various, or the Vectra L1. I'm not going to dabble with Jabeo or those sorts of brands (not looking to be convinced, I have tried Jabeo powerheads, and i don't fully trust the company with the heart of my system).

Anyway, those of you with DC pumps (of a higher grade), do you find that they have this same sort of reliability as AC pumps? Can you go 9-months without cleaning them and not worry?
 
I've been looking into the reef octopus varios also! Not much on the newest model but everybody that has had the previous model had ran them about 2 years and really liked them. I'm on the fence because they're hardly sold anywhere right now. Makes me question why nobody seems to carry them


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I had a waveline DC 12000 ii and it's been a beast. Recently upgraded to red dragon 150watt model and that's no slouch either. Can say for reliability but I had read the waveline for a year and never cleaned it.


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DrBoxedWine said:
Hey all,

I'm looking to get a new return pump to replace my Mag Drive 18. I have a 155g Bowfront with 60g sump. The mag drive is a beast, I'll go 9-months without cleaning it and open it up see it's barely even dirty. But, it's also basically a 150w heater that never shuts off and this becomes a problem in summer. I also need a bit more power but the next mag drive up consumes 265w so I don't want to go that route.

I'm thinking a Deepwater Aquatics pump, Reef Octopus Various, or the Vectra L1. I'm not going to dabble with Jabeo or those sorts of brands (not looking to be convinced, I have tried Jabeo powerheads, and i don't fully trust the company with the heart of my system).

Anyway, those of you with DC pumps (of a higher grade), do you find that they have this same sort of reliability as AC pumps? Can you go 9-months without cleaning them and not worry?
Click to expand...
Unless you are running the pump with 0' of head pressure, it is running less than the advertised wattage. as head pressure increases, the wattage of that AC pump decreases. That being said, most likely it is less than a 150 w heater. How low can only be determined with a meter. There are far more efficient AC pumps than the Mag that will save you a ton of energy and even though they still have a higher rating than a DC, if sized properly they can equal and even more efficient that many DC pumps on the market.
 
gcarroll said:
Unless you are running the pump with 0' of head pressure, it is running less than the advertised wattage. as head pressure increases, the wattage of that AC pump decreases. That being said, most likely it is less than a 150 w heater. How low can only be determined with a meter. There are far more efficient AC pumps than the Mag that will save you a ton of energy and even though they still have a higher rating than a DC, if sized properly they can equal and even more efficient that many DC pumps on the market.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Any ac pumps in particular you suggest I look at?

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DrBoxedWine said:
Thanks! Any ac pumps in particular you suggest I look at?

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Click to expand...
Fluval, Tunze and Sicce are my go to. Just depends on your plumbing configuration and how much flow you are looking to get. I have found that most people plan for way more flow than is necessary. Also with the advent of these new flow meters, people are finding they have way less flow than they thought they had. It's eye opening.
 
If you can go external Pan World 50PXX, if not the Vectra M1 should be comparable to your mag18. Both pumps mentioned draw 80 watts versus your mag 18 at 150w
 
alton said:
If you can go external Pan World 50PXX, if not the Vectra M1 should be comparable to your mag18. Both pumps mentioned draw 80 watts versus your mag 18 at 150w
Click to expand...
His Mag 18 is not pulling 150w so the difference might not be as wide as one would think.
 
I'm really bad at cleaning my pumps (unless they're making audible 'something's in there' type noises). Ran an Iwaki for 18 years and only cleaned it twice (though I do run strainers on them always). I've had the ETM M1 since it came out and have yet to clean it and it's running just fine. PW 200 same duration, same results.

Reliability on any of the DC pumps will remain suspect until they've been out for 10 years :lol:
 
alton said:
I am confused, to an electrician a name plate on a motor is what we live by
http://www.dannermfg.com/Store/products/danner/PID-02718.aspx
Click the on the Specs tab
Click to expand...
Correct, but as an electrician you are concerned with what it can draw, not what it will draw. Plugging in a 20A product to run at half power on a 10 amp circuit is always a no no.

With AC pumps, as work (amount of water moved through the pump) is decreased, the power consumed also decreases. Since you are an electrician, test it yourself. Check your own return pump.

ksed is much better at explaining these things so hopefully he can make it more technical if need be.
 
If the first DC pump that was made is still running, then it would still not be old enough to call it "reliable." Put a kill-a-watt on the mag - you might be surprised. If you must switch, then check out laguna or ehiem, but I doubt that they will pull much less wattage.
 
DC is cheaper, more efficient and more quiet. If reliability is a concern, then put redundant loops and keep a spare. It would still be cheaper.
 
Not sure it really is, but it's certainly about choice and choice is a good thing. In my case I am away a lot for work, so even if I used something like a Jebao and kept a spare on hand, half the time it wouldn't help me. Then a DC pump would most certainly be much more expensive. So I chooses the almost bulletproof option - but that's my choice.
 
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