Run my pump internal or external? Poll included.

[Gordonious]

<DD>I’m debating weather to run my pump internal or external as it can do either. I had planned on internal, but didn’t want to rule at the possibility when I started thinking about it. With internal it may act as an additional heater that never turns itself out. External might be another possible place for leaking? Tell me what you think the ups and downs are and what you would go with.

Jon

PS
Here is the rest of my plans if your curious. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=899673

 

[smcdonn]

I like external but it also depends on the pump. I have a mag 5 as my sump return and thought about running it external but read that the mags can crack the housing and leak. So I decided to run it internal. You need to figure out what pump your going to use first and go from there

 

[Gordonious]

Sorry I couldn't think of it earlier and had meant to look. Quiet one pump 300. There will also be a quiet one pump 1200, made to be internal only I believe. That's another incentive to go external as there will already be one small pump taking up space.

 

[Gordonious]

Please comment on why you choose internal or external. If I get 50 votes and no posts I will have learned nothing, just been told what to do.

 

[chalowolf]

If youre going to have AC in the house and dont have to worry about heat issues, Id go with internal.
Depending on the size of the tank, If its a large tank(100g^) I would go external.
If its a small set up, then keep it simple and go internal. You can always add a small fan over the sump.

 

[hopper]

I guess a external could spring a leak, but I have been on this board for three years or so, and can say that I haven't heard of that happening very often. Heat from a internal is more of a problem than a leaking external IMO, especially a mag pump. Good pumps, they just give out a lot of heat.

 

[Gordonious]

I have AC in my room, but it isn't on all the time. I forget what it's called, it's like a window unit, but it sits inside and had a duct connected to it that leads to the outside. It is a dehumidifier as well and when the pan fills with water the unit switches to fan. This summer the temp reached close to 100 some days and flooded other days, lots of humidity lots of heat.(global warming I say)

 

[ChemE]

How about both?

If you have the room and inclination you can set up your sump so that the pump is in its own small chamber next to the return chamber. The two chambers are seperated by 2 1/2" acrylic baffles and a 1/2" air gap. The idea here is that in the winter when you'll be using a heater on the tank, you remove both baffles and the pump is internal. This lets you capture and use the heat rather than rejecting it to the room. In the summer when you need lower temps, add the baffles and siphon out the water in between. Now you can let the room AC get rid of the heat. Wall units are WAY more efficient than are aquarium chillers.

I know most won't have the space or interest but this is another option.

 

[Safir]

All else being equal adding my MAG 5 pump in a submerged configuration raised my average water temperature 4+ degrees - I had to add a fan blowing across the surface of the display to keep the temperature down.

it likely added mroe than 4 degrees worth of heat, as the temperature raised to 4 degrees above my heater set point, I do not know what it would have been without the heaters so i don't know the actual rise in temperature.