Pump Recommendations

Mickey

Active member
I am looking for two pump recommendations.

1. From sump as return back to tank. I am looking for roughly 1000-1200 gph through the sump then to be pumped up about 5 ft to the tank, minimal elbows, etc. Quiet is very important as is low power consumption. Sump is under the stand in my family room where we watch TV. Stamd will also house a closed loop pump, probably a Sequence, and a Euroreef skimmer.

2. Second pump will be in the basement pumping water through a chiller then about 12 ft back up to the tank. Dedicated solely to the chiller with a 1 inch or 1.5 inch drain from the tank directly to the pump. Noise is less important because it's in the basement, but power consumption is still important. (I live in NE and electricity is about .12 per kwh)

I had been thinking about a Velocity but am concerned about CSL going out of business. Also considered Bluelines or Iwaki's.

Suggestions.........

Mickey
 
I have a 1200 GPH Mag drive 12 for my return. I absolutely love mag drives. I'm not sure about the one for the chiller though.
 
Hi Mickey,

You could use the CSL as a return pump, but it wouldn't handle the job on your chiller pumping up that high, it doesn't handle pressure very well. It does make a nice return pump, although heats up the water but if you have a chiller that shouldn't be a problem. CSL is out of business, but they never made this pump, not sure who the actual manufacture is, originally sold as Dolphin brand, then CSL brand, now looks like Blueline will put there name on it. It is the most quiet pump out there, but high heat, not most reliable and not real strong is main complaints with that pump.

If it was me, i would recommend the PanWorld/Blueline pumps for both jobs. They are pretty quiet, not as quiet as Ampmaster and Velocity, but the most quiet for a solid external pump, better then Iwaki and they will last many years. They have many models to choose from, so you could pick the one with the flow rate that matches your needs best.

for your return pump, i would recommend PAN WORLD MODEL 100PX-X EXTERNAL PUMP (md40RX equivalent) 164.90.

For your chiller, depends on how much flow you need through there.

Actually got a question for you. If you are going to have a pump in the basement for your chiller have you thought about just putting everything in the basement? Sump, all your pumps, chiller etc. Then you wont' have any noise upstairs and you could use a big pump to drive your chiller and return.
 
Jason:

Does the 100PX-X have a fan? I have heard that the models without fans are much quieter.

I'm looking at the Delta Star 1/3 hp chiller which I think recommends 600-2100 min/max flow. I was thinking about something closer to the max flow rate so that by the time it pumps back up the 12 feet or so there is still a reasonable flow - perhaps 600-900 gph at the tank.

Very good question. My original plan was to put everything in the basement. But after thinking it through and discussing with my husband (not a reefer at all) we identified a number of issues. 1. Basement is very damp and yes a dehumidifier would work but temps also get pretty low in the winter, around 45 degrees. 2. Dehumidifier demands a lot of power and electric costs are pretty high around here (around .12 per kwh and going up 10-20% in next year). 3. Moving everything to the basement means I need more powerful pumps for everything and therefore more power.
4. Cool basement might help reduce the need for the chiller, but not sure.

I decided to try to make everything as quiet as possible upstairs and just put the chiller downstairs to vent the heat. Actually the MH ballasts will also go downstairs. If it turns out its too noisy with a skimmer, CL pump, circulation pump and fans. Then I'll probably regroup and move things downstairs after all. I am trying to make the best choices for noise, power usage, and flexibility I can. Hopefully if I do need to move downstairs, at least some of the pumps will still be servicable. We'll see.

Thanks for getting back to me and let me know your additional recommendations with this new info.

Mickey
 
hi Mickey,

Sounds like a pretty cold basement, might be better upstairs then. I checked on the 100PX-X and it does have a fan, so i'm sure that fan is going to have some machine noise.

I'm running the PAN WORLD MODEL 50PX model on my office tank and it has the fan also, but i can't hear it over the water noise of my tank. If i open up the cabinet and stick my head in there i can hear the pump, but not with the doors closed. I'm sure the 100px-x will be a little more noise then smaller unit i run though, but shouldn't be too bad.

thanks
 
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