Planning My Basement Sump

[sjm817]

That pump wont be listed in the calculator.

Found these threads about the pump

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=833764
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1015496

There are also a couple of threads where people were trying them for a skimmer thread, but there were other pumps in there too so it was hard to decipher what was going on.

 

[Cod Fish]

Thanks for the info. Check out this weird craigslist tank I found. Might be good for the sump.
http://portland.craigslist.org/yam/for/2393643127.html

 

[Mike31154]

For higher head pressure applications such as basement sumps, it's a good idea to consider a pressure biased pump as opposed to a flow biased pump. They lose less flow as the head pressure rises. In anticipation of my basement sump build I've aquired a Panworld NH-150PS (pressure biased) and a Poseidon PS4. Although the PS4 is more of a flow biased pump (PS3 might have been a better choice), I got a really good deal on it & it can still provide 480 gph at 16 ft head pressure. After looking at the flow chart, the PS3 actually provides about 450 gph @ 16 ft, so not a lot of difference. The PS3 will however pump to 27 feet whereas the PS4 drops to 0 at 19 ft. The flow curve of the PS4 flattens out rather quickly after 14 ft of head pressure, whereas the PS3 performance doesn't drop off too steeply until you reach 25 ft. Anyhow, I plan to use the Panworld in the summer & Poseidon in the colder months since they are known to add heat to the system they're running on. Never hurts to have a backup pump either, so that's another reason I have two ready to go. With the Panworld I will likely have to divert some of the flow back to the sump or other ancillary equipment, since it's a slightly more powerful, pressure rated pump.

I've test run them both briefly and they work well. No experience with other brands/types though. I also used a plug in power monitor to see what the actual power usage is and both of them showed slightly lower numbers than on the data plate.

 

[Mike31154]

The flow curve for your Tiny Might is on page 22 of the document in the link below:

http://www.waterwayplastics.com/catalogs/2011_poolspa_02_pumps.pdf

If I read the graph correctly, it will do 18 gpm (1080 gph) at 11.55 ft head pressure and is capable of pumping up to 57 ft! That's a lot of head pressure. Might be overkill but worth a try I suppose if it turns out to be salt water safe. During my search for flow curve specs, I did find a few bits of info regarding iffy reliability due to overheating of the motor though, so good idea to have a back up plan.

 

[sjm817]

I've used the PS3, PS4, and the 150PS on my basement sump setup. I didn't see any difference between the PS3 and PS4 flow wise. I took the pumps apart and see nothing that would indicate a different design. The run the same RPM, use the same power have the exact same specs. I dont see how a 3/4" outlet would get better head performance. I even called the mfgr of the pump (Laing) and they said there is no low and high head version of that pump.

The 150PS is a MUCH stronger pump. You will get a ton more flow from it. I liked both pumps. The T4/T3 is dead silent and does help with water heating to save some electricty in a cool basement sump setup. The 150 PS is also a very nice pump if you want more flow and an air cooled pump.

 

[Mike31154]

I've used the PS3, PS4, and the 150PS on my basement sump setup. I didn't see any difference between the PS3 and PS4 flow wise. I took the pumps apart and see nothing that would indicate a different design. The run the same RPM, use the same power have the exact same specs. I dont see how a 3/4" outlet would get better head performance. I even called the mfgr of the pump (Laing) and they said there is no low and high head version of that pump.

The 150PS is a MUCH stronger pump. You will get a ton more flow from it. I liked both pumps. The T4/T3 is dead silent and does help with water heating to save some electricty in a cool basement sump setup. The 150 PS is also a very nice pump if you want more flow and an air cooled pump.

Hey thanks for that info and ya, I had a quick look at a fellow hobbyists PS3 and it looked identical. Maybe something in the volute design? Or a combination of volute/impeller tweaks? I have images of the flow curve for PS3 & 4 and they are different, although the curves meet at around 16 ft, 480 gph for PS4 & 450 gph for PS3. I also realized when test running that there will be a difference in flow when I switch summer/winter operations. Hoping it won't throw things out of whack too much. Have VorTechs for in tank flow, so variable turnover thru sump may not be an issue, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Thanks again.

 

[Cod Fish]

thanks for all the feed back. I'm running the plumbing and power right now and i had another question. Im using a reefkeeper lite controller for the metal halides, T5's, temp probe, Ph probe in CA reactor. Now that the system will be split up, should i keep the RKL with the lights or the sump?