Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Has anyone had any experience with the Rio Hyperflow Range of water pumps?

They seem to have good specs... too good to be true??

I'm looking at the 14HF
http://www.riopump.net/products_pumps/h ... _desc.html

Yeah got plenty of them and been using them for years. Some have only lasted a couple of years whilst others last much longer. I wouldnt use these pumps if running on a timer as often they dont work at full capacity after a power outage or even a surge.

i was planning on running them when i expand my system to incorporate 4 extra growbeds and CHIFT PIST and need the head height to supply a vertical system on my shed wall

Okaaaay then, long story short... Good pumps, bad pumps!

I've owned a Hydro store for thirteen years and been involved in the hydro industry for closer to twenty. Years ago I would've said you couldn't go past a Seltz or Hydor pump for small scale applications, such as the backyard aquaponics enthusiast. I've also sold Rio and Aqua-One in the past, but won't touch them now.

For about the last 9 years I've been selling and using AquaPro, in conjuction with selling Seltz/Hydor for most of that time, but these days (for about the past two years) I only sell AquaPro.

These days, a comparable AquaPro pump sells for about half the price, or less, than that of a Seltz or Hydor, but is as reliable IMO. I would easily sell 100+ of these pumps per year, probably closer to 200, and can't honestly remember the last time I had one returned, would have to be 18 months ago, or more. Even then, most returns were from people mistreating them, running them dry etc.

Laguna Maxflo is what I run. I'm still happy.

Joel, I read that you can start a poll at the beginning of any thread. Would it be possible to make a poll of the top 10 pumps?

We can do anything Ron.

I suppose the best way to do it is to have a list of brands to choose from?

If your running them 24/7 then they work fine. I have 11 of them running up in the shed at the moment as if you want to move the maximum amount of water for the lowest cost then these pumps are pretty hard to beat. Unlike some pumps which lose volume pumping capacity over time my old Rio's seem to still push the same amount of water as when brand new. The downsides with them are that IMO they are not suitable for running off a timer and that their power cable is only about 1m long. Sure they may not last as long as a Italian or German made pump but they are a fraction of the cost to buy.

[quote="Ronmaggi"]Laguna Maxflo is what I run. I'm still happy. [/quote

I have found the original Lagunas that were Italian made seem to last for ever but for the wattage they move no where near the volume of water that the Rio Hyperflows do. Since Laguna have been producing their pumps in China I have had 2 of them stuff up, yet my old Italian made ones are still working fine. The Rio pumps are made in Taiwan which I find seems to produce some pretty good aquaculture equipment, my favorite air pumps are also made there.

Has anybody had experience or heard much about the matala versiflow line? http://www.matalausa.com/prod58.html For my needs I can't beat 150 watts.

Found a *ton* of great pumps at my local hydro store, seems to have a great duty cycle (as one would expect), and some of them looked like the same pumps I was using for my reef aquariums a few years ago. If you're looking for reasonably priced, and reliable, RIO has done me well in the past. Also, check your local reef (marine) forums for used pumps, they usually have great pumps made for 24/7 for great prices...

The Laguna I bought on amazon was Italian. 100 watts, 2400 gph. Saying that the Rio does better is one thing, but what are it's stats?

I went through this thread (yes, all 40 pages) and did my best to aggregate the pump reviews: http://lowcarbtnper.site88.net/index.php

(btw, in 40 pages of thread you would be amazed at how few actual pump good/bad ratings there are)

We like to wander a bit...

http://www.riopump.net/products_pumps/h ... _desc.html

Can't get that one to work Charlie, specs for the hyperflow at the bottom of this pdf http://www.riopump.net/installation%20f ... uction.pdf