Flood & Drain (Ebb & Flow) pumps?

[_Dude]

Right now I'm using the submersible pond pumps they sell at Lowes and Home DePot, mag drive pumps I guess. I've had one fail on me, but I keep a replacement handy so no big deal there.

But I'm thinking about aquarium pumps, AKA powerheads. I had one sitting around in the box and checked it out today. It looks like a small mag drive pump, with a standard 1/2 exhaust. It's a Maxi Jet 600, rated at 160 GPH. As far as I can gather, it has two advantages over my other pumps.

First, it's about 20 bucks online. The smallest pond pumps at Lowes etc. (about 250 GPH I think) set me back 35 or more if memory serves. I ran the numbers and the GPH difference isn't an issue.

Second, it's supposedly "rated for intermittent use" according to the place where I ordered it, which if true would be an advantage over the pond pumps because from what I read they're designed for constant use and wear out much more quickly if turned on and off three or four times a day as they are in my system. (Can anyone confirm that aquarium powerheads are designed for intermittent use?)

The potential problem is, I don't have a clue what kind of head these things are rated for. Something tells me roughly none. I know pond pumps can take the 4' or so of head I have, so they're a known quantity in this regard. I can't buy powerheads unless I know they can effectively move water 4' vertically.

 

[_Dude]

Well I got off my lazy ass about 2 minutes after I posted the thread and tested it myself. I just didn't want to go in my room while it was dark.

It pumped about 3/4 to 4/5 of a gallon in a minute at about 4 feet of head. Back to the drawing board.

I need a pump that will give me 175 GPH at 4' of head, rated for intermittent use (I know about bilge pumps but I've looked into wiring DC devices for AC and it looked insanely complicated and expensive). Otherwise I'll just take my chances with pond pumps.

 

[_Dude]

It would be kind of hilarious if there was an easy, cheap way to convert a bilge pump over to 120v AC. I still have one unused in my parts bin. I bought it when I was designing a DWC system aerated by a waterfall. I didn't know it was 12v until I got it out of the box. I went looking and saw the lack of real info on coverting to 120v, and then when I found out bilge pumps aren't rated for continuous use, I stopped even trying to figure out how to convert. I figured that's what I get for being cheap, and bought a pond pump. Then I switched to Flood & Drain and now I'm looking for a cheap pump rated for intermittent use.

 

[Haps]

Dude, I talk to myself a lot too. There is a way to convert your bilge pumps, unfortunately I do not know. I use a 396 eco from the hydro store, cost 20 bucks and would be close to your spec.
H

 

[tommithy]

It would be kind of hilarious if there was an easy, cheap way to convert a bilge pump over to 120v AC.

There might be a cheap way to wire that 12 volt pump up. What is the amperage draw on the pump? It's usually on a label some where on the pump. It may be rated in MAHour or just amps.

Post that back and I'll know if the power supply I have in mind will work.

 

[_Dude]

There might be a cheap way to wire that 12 volt pump up. What is the amperage draw on the pump? It's usually on a label some where on the pump. It may be rated in MAHour or just amps.

Post that back and I'll know if the power supply I have in mind will work.

2.5 Amps. Problem is I'm going to need 6 pumps altogether (though I don't need to run them all at once, I do need to hook them up to timers since they'll be drawing from only 2 reservoirs and there isn't enough water in the reservoirs to fill multiple tubs at once). I'm thinking about a distribution panel like used in an RV. You can wire 12v devices right up to it.

But I might just buy those Eco Plus pumps and keep spares around. It just sticks in my craw that 15 dollar bilge pumps are exactly what's needed for Flood & Drain (AFAIK), and nobody has the sense to manufacture a line that runs on AC power so growers can have pumps with a reasonable expectation of service life.

But now that I think about it, I have no idea of my digital timers would work with 12v. Probably just go with Eco Plus, and start a business catering to growers one day.

 

[tommithy]

You can totally run a couple of those pumps off of a computer power supply. They have 12 volt leads. Look for one that has a dedicated PCI-E lead (usually used for powering up a high end video card in your computer) and run the pumps off that. Those 12 volt PCI-E power leads will run up to 20 amps on a good power supply.

 

[nekoloving]

hello!

greetz to thread!


ok so i have been toying with an idea that may be applicable or may not!

looking at the designs i say to myself - what if i need to leave town for a week, what if i have a failure! Thusly we come to my next proposition:

dual pump feeds! why not run two - any implications? a single failure would be covered then [theoretically] - anyway good on ya! and great luck and fortune be with ya!

 

[_Dude]

hello!

greetz to thread!


ok so i have been toying with an idea that may be applicable or may not!

looking at the designs i say to myself - what if i need to leave town for a week, what if i have a failure! Thusly we come to my next proposition:

dual pump feeds! why not run two - any implications? a single failure would be covered then [theoretically] - anyway good on ya! and great luck and fortune be with ya!

I don't see any theoretical reasons why this wouldn't work. But you'd need double the drainage which could be a PITA depending on your set up. And obviously your pump expenses would double.

 

[nekoloving]

I don't see any theoretical reasons why this wouldn't work. But you'd need double the drainage which could be a PITA depending on your set up. And obviously your pump expenses would double.

the extras, like the pipes and fittings would indeed double, but not nessisaraly the pump cost - if you had two pumps that provide say 80-90% of your needs on their own independantly might be cheap enough to offset the risk of how long it takes the system to get out of balance. however your most likely right, and i appreciate you taking the time to consider what i actually meant! i'm sure it would also cost more to run due to addl electric on top of the rest anyway