Flow Accelerator or not?

[Overland04]

Is there a bad thing about getting a flow accelerator or eductor? I was thinking on putting on my return. I know they have to be placed a couple inches lower than line-loc but is there a bad side?

 

[psteeleb]

I have 4 flow accelerators on my retun and 2 penductors on my closed loop. they all work great, I get a kck out of watching the fish try to swim into the flow.

 

[Overland04]

I'm going to run my MP-40 also so I thought between the two I would have a ton of random flow in my 50g

 

[spleify]

I love mine!! I wish I would have gotten them sooner, they have been a great addition to the flow in my tank.

HTH

Good luck

 

[Eric the half-bee]

I had to turn the flow down on mine as it blew the sand around...

 

[Overland04]

I'm going bare bottom on this one so BRING IT ON!

 

[dzeadow]

do you have to have a certain pressure from your return pump to run the flow accelerators effectively? I was thinking of putting one on my new system that will only have about a 500gph return out of one outlet, didn't know if that was enough.

 

[wetWolger]

I was thinking about getting these recently too. But I did not understand them. Do they really increase flow? What's the principal behind them? How much lower in the water do they need to be?

I am in the process of designing my new build, maybe I need to plan to have a couple of these

 

[Overland04]

Im going to be running a Eheim 1260 so thats about 650 GPH. I don't know what the minimum rating on one is though. It might not be enough.

 

[jvdb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14829768#post14829768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Overland04
Im going to be running a Eheim 1260 so thats about 650 GPH. I don't know what the minimum rating on one is though. It might not be enough.

I have a 1260 running through an OM 2 way squirt to Pacific Coast Flow Accelerators. I had to throttle the pump way down, it was blowing my sand all over the place.

 

[jvdb]

I don't know what the minimum rating on one is though. It might not be enough.

FYI,
True eductors require a pressure rated pump operating at over 12psi for maximum efficiency. The Pacific Coast ones are not true eductors. True eductors have a much smaller nozzle (they compress the water to a tighter/faster stream), they can move 20x or more water than what the pump is actually moving. The Pacific Coast ones are rated for 4x which IMO works much better for most aquariums.

FYI #2,
Eheim 1260 is rated for 12.1ft of head which equates to about 6psi at 0 head.

 

[ludnix]

I too am interested in seeing how they physically work.

 

[mcrist]

I recently added two to my tank and I love the results.

 

[Overland04]

Does anyone know what the psi requirement for the pacific coast one is? The 1260 will be running a head of about 5ft so is that like 4.5psi? Is it going to do anything? I would like to have more of a spread out flow as opposed to a direct stream coming out of the return.

 

[jvdb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14831148#post14831148 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Overland04
Does anyone know what the psi requirement for the pacific coast one is? The 1260 will be running a head of about 5ft so is that like 4.5psi? Is it going to do anything? I would like to have more of a spread out flow as opposed to a direct stream coming out of the return.

This is the email I sent them last year:

I am looking at using a couple of Flow Accelerators in my tank and was
curious if you publish any detailed specs, or if you could just provide some
general information. Specifically I am wondering at what GPH it operates
most efficiently, or a table/graph of different GPH input/output would be
extremely useful.
Also, if you have any information on how much it restricts the true output
of the pump, that would be helpful too. I am trying to choose a pump that
will provide the right amount of GPH in my tank/return to my sump.

This is the response I got:

We don't have a spec sheet available. Sorry

I generally agree with their statement that it works with any pump (because the nozzle does not restrict the flow as much as a typical eductor/penductor).

 

[jvdb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14827669#post14827669 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jent46bow I was thinking about getting these recently too. But I did not understand them. Do they really increase flow?

This site explains how they work:

http://www.kthsales.com/website/vendors/Eductors/mixing_eductors.htm

Edit: Here is another one:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/review.htm

 

[fishkeeper00]

i just got 2 for a new frag tank i'm building.how far under the surface of the water should they be?

 

[Overland04]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14832854#post14832854 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishkeeper00
How far under the surface of the water should they be?

I guess the only reason that they are lower in the water is because the create such a larger spread of water at their outlet. If it was kept at the same level as a line-loc return the water would splash out of the surface of the water. So they just have to be low enough so they don't make a mess

 

[jvdb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14834088#post14834088 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Overland04
I guess the only reason that they are lower in the water is because the create such a larger spread of water at their outlet. If it was kept at the same level as a line-loc return the water would splash out of the surface of the water. So they just have to be low enough so they don't make a mess

Also, if the gap between the nozzle and the diffuser is too close to the surface, it will suck in air. IME as long as they have at least an inch or so from the surface and are pointed slightly down, you shouldn't have any problems. Keep in mind this depends on the amount of water you are pushing through them. I am guessing that is between 300 - 400GPH in my case.