Headloss Question

Patow

New member
I'm trying to figure out the headloss I will incur on my new system. I need to buy a proper return pump, and want to make sure I get something sufficient.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1457317 for reference.

My display tank is on my main floor, my sump is in my basement laundry room.

My return line comes out of the sump and goes up to the ceiling. 5-6ft of headloss here.

The line then runs through my ceiling horizontally about 10ft, takes a slow bend around a corner, travels another 10-15 ft horizontally, and then goes through the celing to the main floor and into the display tank. Rise is another 5-6ft to the display.

So I have a total of 10-12ft of vertical rise + 20 - 25ft of horizontal run.

Do I simply count the vertical rise, or do I need to factor in the horizonal distance?

Thanks!
 
Head loss calculator will be the best bet to get a good idea. I have a basement sump and I got the next size up pump to feed phosban reactors etc.. at the sump.
 
Sweet tool, that helped a lot. Thanks.

Mag24 gets me approx 420GPH.

Iwaki 100 RT-2 gets me approx 957GPH.

I have a 90 sump and a 90 display. What kind of turnover would be ideal?

Thanks!
 
To quote CRVZ in a different thread where I asked the same question:
You want to keep return flow down in the 5-6x per hour in my experience, and then bring the overall display flow up with power heads or closed loops. If you push that much water through the sump, you may have some issues.
 
whoa, people are quoting me. that's bad news. ;)

In your case, since there's a lot of plumbing and bends and what not, I'd get a pump that will push more than what you need, and then back it off with a gate vale. This way you'll have the ability to adjust as needed, and not be tapped out before you're happy with it. Are you planning an internal or external pump (in your case, an external is probably a better idea).
 
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