Pump question

[lilman024]

Just wondering when you buy a pump what do they mean by max head. Thank you

 

[E_rock]

That's the max head pressure. It's the resistance of the water being pushed through the pipe. The more pressure the less flow your pump will be able to push. And at point it will stop all together. There are some nice charts and calculators on the reef central home page fyi

 

[Willistein]

It's usually defined in terms of feet, so you can think of it in terms of gravity. If the max head is 10 feet, that's how high the pump can push water before it stops. The calculators are pretty good, but post your design question here and you'll get lots of help

 

[lilman024]

Cool that helps out alot because I am relocating my sump in the basement and just wAs wondering if it would move the water. Thank you. Paul

 

[Srixon]

its better to have more than just enough.....valves and fittings increase head pressure some of them significantly

 

[BuffaloReef]

The head loss calculator on the home page is pretty good. I feel like the algorithm isn't perfect but as was said above you don't want to have just enough head pressure.

When I selected a return pump I made a quick spreadsheet listing the pumps that fit my needs and then looked at some factors like GPH/watt and initial cost. Some of the results were really surprising. You'll also want to factor in if you'll T off the return for any reason as that will reduce your head and volume being sent to your display. You would have plenty of room in your basement but it's good to make sure any pump will fit where you want it.

Once you chose a pump check out reviews before you buy.

 

[lilman024]

Everyone thanks for the help with a little research I picked up a mag drive 9.5. It is working great and I just got my new reef octopus 6 skimmer from brs today. I should be set for awhile