The "Hitchhiker's Guide" to the Maxi-Stream mod

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7143916#post7143916 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ti
where is the cheapest place to oget a kill a watt meter?
yeh i would expect the mag5 to draw rated if not more.

These guys seem to have the best price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kill-A-Watt-ele...oryZ3188QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
$25.75 right to your door is very good considering Foster & Smith want $34.99 before shipping!

 

[zapata41]

yeah that price is good , but i hate waiting for stuff. i need instant gradification / satisfaction .

Tim

 

[ejmeier]

Tim, I think I read for external pumps, that at 0' head will be the greatest wattage consumed, and at increased head pressure, the wattage will decrease.

Not sure if that holds true for powerhead-type pumps, but it might. Wouldn't a CA reactor pump have a decent amount of head with all that media in it? Seems like there would be a fair amount of backpressure.

Put my curiousity to rest and see if you can test the Mag unhindered in an open space, then see if the wattage is not more what it should be. (ie - higher.)

 

[Barto]

This looks to be the cheapest kill-a-watt on ebay
$25.75 (shipped)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kill-A-Watt-ele...oryZ3188QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

**EDIT** Looks like I'm playing tag with ChemE, we posted the same link within minutes, I was just a tad behind.

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7144056#post7144056 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigSkyBart
This looks to be the cheapest kill-a-watt on ebay
$25.75 (shipped)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kill-A-Watt-ele...oryZ3188QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Heh, isn't that the exact same link I posted?

EDIT: Doh! Now I see the source of confusion. My addition failed me earlier. The eBay auction price is indeed $25.75 as BigSkyBart posted. I fixed my earlier post.

 

[zapata41]

well, like and idiot, when i built my reactor i didnt put any valves before the unions so i cant take the pump off without draining the reactor, and dont feel like draing some 15g of water to test it out.

i did test the OR3500 NW pump that i have. with it sucking air through the venturi at ~ 13lpm the pump draws some 65w, now when i plug the venturi off, the pump draws over 90w.

Tim

 

[ejmeier]

What about your QO4000 return pump? I'm pretty sure 39w is way under what it is rated for. Try to run that sideways in your tank or sump w/o any restrictions and see if the wattage goes up.

 

[zapata41]

ehhh, that POS qo pump barely restarts to full power, takes like 50 plug and uplugs to get it to run right, so i really dont wanna un hook it and turn it around. but i might later, cleaning it cant hurt and i do need to do a water change.

Tim

 

[Roland Jacques]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7142642#post7142642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by onetrickpony
Any one working on a mod for a heagen 901 for a large tank
Ken

yes, Hahnmister has. very simple mod, flows mega tons of water. alllways starts in the same direction.

 

[Roland Jacques]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7137230#post7137230 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ejmeier
Just a note to anyone who might be tinkering w/ the idea of creating a HUGE mod: maybe try a stainless steel prop? I think that if exposed to higher flow, SS doesn't corrode nearly as quickly as when crammed in a tight area - ie a screw hole or impeller shaft.

The choices go up a lot with SS, though its expensive. Prather makes one that is 3.1" and a pitch of 4.5" (I'm not sure how to convert that pitch to a standard, it seems out of the oridinary.)

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDS09&P=0

EDIT: I think you just divide the pitch (in inches) by the diameter of the prop, so that one above is like 1.45.

I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t think these props would be a good idea. The pumps I've used seem very sensitive to start up weight. Im not sure but the extra weight of SS would be alot. assuming their even a high quality SS that could hold up to saltwater.

 

[ejmeier]

Yeah, I was thinking more of special applications really. Like a FW pond or something like that. I guess Octura really makes plastic ones almost as big as the SS counterparts, but I bet there are some bigger 'industrial' SS props out there somewhere...

 

[zapata41]

i would have to say that the weight or drag caused by it is a bad thing for mag drive power sources. just try and hook up a octura prop that is similar in size to a dumas 1.75 and you will see that the maxijet cant spin it do to the torque required to overcome the weight from both the water on the prop and the taller prop. now if you get get a 2" dumas prop i would bet that the MJ1200 would spin it fine.

well maybe. i had a point and was trying to write it out but it didnt come out as convincing as it did in my brain.

Tim

 

[PHreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7143571#post7143571 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zapata41
and the results are in.......
mj1200 mod pulls 19-20w one 1200 pulled 19 and the other pulled 20.

Tim

That's strange Tim. I've tested mine several times on a Kill a watt and consistently come up with 13 to 14 watts for a modified maxijet 1200.

I've also tested my Mag 18 mod and it dropped from 145 watts stock to 115 watts modified.

-Patrick

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7145795#post7145795 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PHreef
That's strange Tim. I've tested mine several times on a Kill a watt and consistently come up with 13 to 14 watts for a modified maxijet 1200.

I've also tested my Mag 18 mod and it dropped from 145 watts stock to 115 watts modified.

-Patrick

Attaching a power draw to a powerhead is meaningless unless we also mention which prop it is spinning AND the density of the fluid it is moving. Some fluids is heavier than others. I'm betting that some numbers being reported here are in fresh water not salt.

 

[hahnmeister]

Also, how the prop, and wich prop is used...a higher pitch Octura for instance, would have a higher draw than a lower pitch dumas prop. And for the prop assembly itself, how well its aligned, how much or little the SS of CF shaft makes, how old the magnet is...

 

[matthewmc]

My mj900 mod seems to have issues. The prop will push out every so often and bang the stopper for no reason. I have shortened the rigid tubing but that did not fix the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of this issue?

Thanks

 

[ste6168]

that was happening on mine also and i PM'd dhnugyen about it, he told me to check and make sure the rod was snug... it was but i dont know, mine just corrected itself after a few days. Good Luck

 

[ste6168]

Also i have a question, i got mine back with metal rods when i thought they would come with carbon fiber rods? Have you changed to using SS rods instead of Carbon Fiber for some reason?

Mike

 

[Ti]

So after the mod, are these powerheads are using less orr more than their rated wattages?

 

[hahnmeister]

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