Blue Line Pump with a Non-gravity Feed?

Vnomus · May 19, 2022

Can an external Panworld pump be used in a nongravity setup? I currently have a DIY 40g breader sump using a submersible pump and would like to switch to a spare BL-55 I have for some extra flow. Drilling a new bulkhead would be PITA since it's in use and not to mention a minor disaster if I screw it up..... So can I just plumb the inlet over the side? i.e. Will it pull or does it have to be gravity fed to prime?

DCR · May 19, 2022

It can pull over the side, but it will need to be primed (suction line and pump filled with water) before you start it and if you ever lose prime it could destroy the pump. The most likely scenario would be an extended power outage where air leaked in and the siphon leg was broken and then having it restart when power is restored. I would consider it a pretty large risk for an expensive pump like that. I would bring the line down after going over the top so that the pump is well below the water line. The lower the pump relative to the water line and the edge of the sump, the less risk.

Many industrial mag drive pumps have automatic low power trips to protect against dry running. You might be able to do something like that with a controller if you have one (that has power monitoring).

Vnomus · May 20, 2022

Good advise, thanks!

Enderg60 · May 20, 2022

Best option get another 40g and drill it. They arnt expensive and its easy.

Second you can go over the top but these pumps dont have a great amount of suction head (how much they can pull water up) You can pipe the suction line over the top but priming it would be an issue. You can get past this by mounting an air line connection at the top of the U pipe going over the side and connecting an aqualifter pump to it which will keep the air out even if the pump stops.