QUESTION about turning the return pump down

[jfolley67]

Hi, we did a quick check on return plumbing today and this pump is STRONG!!!! kind of flipped my husband and I out....we have a ball valve on it, so we can turn it down as needed. Is this hard on a pump to keep them turn down long term? Just curious. This was the monster return...hoping I won't have to go down smaller...

 

[eyebedam]

What pump are you using. I been running a hammerhead at about a 4th of its total power with no prob;ems since march.

 

[jfolley67]

it is the IWAKI MD 70rlt pump......it was almost comical when we turned it on....I think the house was going to take off and push off with a powerful spray of water!

 

[ocd_mariner]

I don't think you will have any problems as long as you are restricting the output and not the input.

 

[DMBillies]

I've actually heard (not sure if it was just myth or for real) that putting a little head pressure on the output of the pump can actually be good for them. I'd be interested in finding out if that's true (not to steal your thread), but either way, throttling them back a little isn't going to hurt anything as long as you don't cut it by a huge amount.

Also, I don't know if your current set-up has a phosban reactor, carbon reactor, or other kind of device that needs input water, but these things that you might have or add later are a good place to bleed off some of that extra flow. So, if you have plans to add these things, you probably don't want to downgrade the pump.

 

[fishdoc11]

Actually that pump is a pressure rated pump and is best used to run a dual beckett skimmer or a return from a basement. Something along the line of an Iwaki 40 rlxt or 55 rlt (if you really want to drive those penductors) would probably work much better and save you quite a bit on the electricity bill. I use the 40 rlxt on my tank. You can throttle down the pump without any problem but your still using about 300 watts to drive it.
hth, Chris

 

[waynesworld]

Chris and Brian are right I actually talked to some people that are distributors and it is easier on a pump to be restricted some rather then wide open. That is why I have told some people to go with a higher pump then needed to be able to dial it down. You also save money on electricity I had the numbers for the hammerhead but don't know where I put them. Also Chris is right on the penductors as that is what the guy had told us when we did the group buy.

 

[Sk8r]

I'm running my Iwaki 100 at about half, or it will blow the water out of my tank and across the living room: 2 story arrangement. I think I could have well done with the 80, and it sounds like a jet engine taking off.

 

[c_stowers]

Not all pumps are desgined to be throttled down. It depends on what motor and impeller was used. Usually if the motor efficiency is good, then you won't have a problem with the motor life. You can usually request the efficiency curves from the manufactuer. I run a Sequence 4300 at about 6 ft of head because this is where I get the best efficiency.