Eheim 1260 for 90 Gallon

[tangman99]

I've been running a Mag 7 for several years and it is heating my water up too much so I'm thinking of changing it out for an Eheim 1260 or maybe a 1262. The 1260 is rated lower than the Mag7 and the 1262 is a lot more at 900 GHP. My overflow is rated for 600 GPH so I"m thinking the 1262 is too much.

Can someone confirm my thinking on a few things:

1. Will the Eheim run much cooler than the Mag 7 running it in the sump? I unplugged the Mag 7 on my skimmer and 24 hours later my water was over 2 degrees cooler.

2. If I go with the 1262, does throttling the pump back shorten its life or make it run hotter? Heat is the issue here.

3. The return will run up about 6 feet and through 2 90 degrees elbows. Which pump would be the best choice.

4. If anyone is running the 1260 on a 90 Gallon AGA, please let me know your thoughts.

 

[sjm817]

I currently run a 1260 in a 90G which replaced a Mag7. Despite the ratings, the 1260 is a much stronger pump than a Mag7. It doesn't lose as much flow due to head loss. The reason I switched to the Eheim was to get a quiet pump, nothing to do with flow, heat or reliability. As far as heat goes, I doubt you would see a significant difference. I dont have a heat issue. My heaters have to come on to keep my tank @ 78, so I cant help you there.

 

[tangman99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7420866#post7420866 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
As far as heat goes, I doubt you would see a significant difference. I dont have a heat issue. My heaters have to come on to keep my tank @ 78, so I cant help you there.

Are you saying you think the Eheim would add as much heat to the water as the Mag 7? I've heard it runs cooler but I don't know for sure. Right now I have 2 mag 7s. One as a return and one on my skimmer. My temp fell from 83.7 to 81.2 when I turn the protein skimmer off for 24 hours. If I could turn them both off, I would think the temp would fall another couple of degrees getting me down to around 79. However, two Eheim 1260s may add some heat back.

I thought of using it external, but I think I have to drill my sump to do this and I don't have room for it outside anyway.

 

[Aquaduck]

I am using a 1250 on my 90 gallon. I get about 200 gph through my sump which is about perfect. No noise, no heat, no gurgling overflows, and better skimmer performance. I have it plumbed externally too using flexible tubing. I will change this one day to 3/4" PVC and get a little more flow through it. I have about 4' of head pressure.

 

[sjm817]

Eheim 1260 = 65W, Mag7 = 70W. I cant see 5W making any difference. Any submersible pump is water cooled. The water pumped through the pump cools it. This doesn't change when you run it external. The pump has no water to air heat exchange mechanism. You may get a slight improvement, but i wouldn't expect much.

That being said, ratings dont mean everything. The 1260 may help more than the 5W difference would imply.

 

[smleee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7420934#post7420934 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
That being said, ratings dont mean everything. The 1260 may help more than the 5W difference would imply.

Right. For instance I would imagine that the Eheim is a more efficient pump than a Mag, meaning that it would use more of it's 65W to pump water without loosing it to friction in the pump itself (i.e. creating heat) or other efficiency robbing properties. How much though? Get one and let us know tangman99!

eee

 

[gvibes]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7420934#post7420934 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
Eheim 1260 = 65W, Mag7 = 70W. I cant see 5W making any difference. Any submersible pump is water cooled. The water pumped through the pump cools it. This doesn't change when you run it external. The pump has no water to air heat exchange mechanism. You may get a slight improvement, but i wouldn't expect much.

That being said, ratings dont mean everything. The 1260 may help more than the 5W difference would imply.

I've read that the MAGs draw quite a bit more than they are rated, and that the Eheim's draw less. Not sure how true that is.

I should probably get a kill-a-watt and test my 1260.

 

[sjm817]

I am running the 1260 and the Mag7 is sitting unused. I'd also like to compare the actual draw, but dont have a kill-a-watt.

 

[Ti]

I would be interested in seeing a amp draw diff between those pumps.
Anyone have a watt meter?

 

[sjm817]

I ordered a kill-a-watt. It will be handy to have around anyway. I'll compare the two pumps when I get the meter.

 

[tangman99]

I'm going to drop by harbor freight tomorrow and see if they sell them in the store. If so, I'll test my Mag 7 tomorrow.