Pumps - good ones and bad ones.

Brian

For the price they are and a one year warranty, certainly worth a look. If they are available locally, then the warranty becomes a lot less hassle if you need to use it.

Orthas

I'm looking for a pump for my system in Europe (Finland). What brand would be recommended which is available from European webshops? I have 275 litres (72gal) fish tank and need to pump the water 1.5-2 meters (5-7ft) and will use a timer so I'd need at least 1000l/h to that height.

Stuart Chignell

Since the Laguna pumps are Italian you should be able to get one of them.

Siam_Jo

Hello... I am new and still learning on AP system. I have not seen anyone here discussing about the danger of electric shock from submersible pump. With 220VAC running into the pond, even with a good seal, the cable or motor would deteriorate over time. Are you guy not afraid?

I have a plan to build one AP with Koi carp pond FT, but having a hard time to get external pump with 8000LPH, with reasonable spec i.e. watt, price, and life span, here in Bangkok.

I did a research, and found one running with DC power. I feel it would definitely be much safer, at least i think DC power won't kill...

Below is the brand of that DC pump. Anyone have used it before?

Product: Jecod Marine Dc Pump
Series : DCT-12000

Appreciate very much for any advice.

Gunagulla

DC certainly can kill, at similar voltage to AC

While they call the pump you mention a DC pump, it is actually a 3phase AC pump. The controller that attaches to the transformer converts 24V to low voltage 3 phase AC.

Submersible 220VAC pumps are perfectly safe when used on a circuit with earth leakage protection. IE, if the current in the neutral differs from that in the active by more than 30mA, the circuit breaker will trip, cutting the power.

I'm using a DCT-6000 as a circulation pump in my large system.

Siam_Jo

Hello Gunagulla, You are right. High DC would definitely kill. Glad to know you are using this product. I have not been able to get technical datasheet of this pump online. So, here are all my understanding and guess. Kindly help confirm: I still understand it is single phase, and converted to DC (either 12VDC or 24VDC) to drive this DC motor. The cable from motor/pump to DC converter would be many meters, so AC would be no way near the water in the pond. right?

If it is 3 phases, I would give up. My small little house has only 1 phase.

I would love to know how your DCT-6000 is doing. Are you using it as submersible or external? How many hours have you been running with it so far? How often does it trip on you? Are you satisfied with it?

Cheers.

Gunagulla

It plugs into single phase 220V wall outlet, the transformer outputs 24VDC, which goes to a controller, which converts the 24VDC to 3phase AC. I haven't measured the voltage, but suspect it is somewhere in the range 30-50VAC. These pump manufacturers call them DC pumps, but in reality, they are not. Only the transformer output/controller input are DC.

The 3phase AC is present wherever you put the pump, but it is encapsulated, so only on the inside of the pump, unless the housing or cable is damaged.

Mine is going ok, it's been operating continuously for many months, running externally to the FT. It has never tripped. I bought it because the previous pump, a Waveline DC6000, irrepairably failed after a few years of use.

Siam_Jo

Thanks for clarification. Sir. I would also like very much to run it as external to ensure 100% safe from electric shock. My family would all be enjoying this Koi Carp pond, so I really cannot take any risk at all.

Is your FT under ground? Mine is going to be underground level 1 m deep into the ground, so my challenge is if I put the pump below the water level, I may run into ventilation issue. Pump life will be shorten even more. Small little house here with very limited space. Or, if I install it on the ground floor level, I think I will need the check valve upstream of the pump. Then I am afraid of check valve failure which will cause the pump to run dry.

so sorry...too many concerns in my head..newly start on AP system.

Gunagulla

Yes, my FTs are buried, there are plenty of pictures in my system threads.

The pump will automatically stop if it runs dry.

dstjohn99

Always a good idea to make sure you are using a GFI protected circuit AND have a ground conductor in the pond. That way the slightest voltage leak into the water will trip the breaker.

Gunagulla

Certainly true when using mains powered pumps, 30mA leak will trip the breaker (in Aust, not sure what current is used elsewhere).

However, if using a transformer on the protected circuit with DC output, which is then converted to isolated 3phase AC at a sufficiently high voltage for electrocution, I don't think the GFI/earth leakage circuit breaker will help.

Channelcataquaponics

How do I size my return pump if my sump bed is on my subfloor

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Gunagulla

Look up the specs and select one that pumps as much volume as you need at the head you have, and make sure you use sufficiently sized pipe, so you dont lose too much to frictional losses.

DoctorFish

earthbound wrote:

Heres a place to share information about the pumps your using, whether they last or don't last.

Please list the pump brand and model along with any other information about the pump that you may have, power consumption, pumping rate, price etc.. And also the rough date that you put it into operation.. Then if and when it blows up, you can come back and edit your post to add the expiry date.

This will help us all to find the cheapest and most reliable pumps for different applications, and will ultimately help us all save money

Edit 11/14/14 by Ronmaggi: I have added a poll now to give a quick glance at where to start your search for a pump. Keep in mind that different manufacturers will perform differently at different volumes and different head heights. This thread has become lengthy, but there is quite a lot of information in it, and if you are really perceptive, you might find my very first post...

Might be worth writing in this header that the poll can only be viewed via a web browser. You can't see it when using Tapatalk, at least not that I can see. Was searching for a while before realising

I noticed reading through that others were asking where it was.

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usmick78

As far as pumps go. Is the rule of pumping the FT capacity every hour mean through the GB or can you just divert some back to the sump for aeration? I am looking at 300 gal. FT and 300 gal. of GB AND sump.The pump is 300 g/h. Obviously at that rate the GB would never have a chance to drain and get oxygen before refilling again. So if maybe I reroute some back to the FT or sump would that work? Throttling back the flow is out of the question as EVERY pump manufacture I talked to warned against doing that. SO if some went to the grow beds and the rest went back to the FT is that good? Any suggestions would be appreciated and welcomed.

Backyard Aquaponics A place to discuss aquaponics

Pumps - good ones and bad ones.

Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics