one pump project

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num54

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hello fellow reefers i am in the process of installing one big pump to run my return frm sump
calcium reactor gfo reactor and chiller my question is what is the best way going about this
if anyone has a diagram or instrucions on how to do this i would greatly appreciate this thank u n advance
 
I would branch off of your main return line with the necessary sized PVC fittings and just make sure you install unions for ease of disassembly. Then install either ball valves, or preferably gate valves (more expensive, but easier to fine tune) on each line off the main return so that you can throttle back the flow to the reactors & chiller.
 
There are more than a few problems, or at least challenges with this. The rub to larger and more efficient and affordable pumps has been that our very commonly undersized sumps, for starters, can't handle the flow quietly - presuming you drill an adequate sized hole to begin with. The same problem (oversized sump return pumps) has led to unduly creative overflow modifications on the display to quiet the push (a push, by definition, since the bulkheads are designed to handle half flow or less but are asked to commonly do more...hence siphoning air, etc and noise).

Then there is the issue of having all of one's eggs in the same basket. As the pump ages...all outlets dependent on it suffer. And if the pump needs cleaned or fails, everything suffers while its down (circulation, calcium supplementation, chilling in this case, aeration by gas exchange from water turnover), etc

i honestly feel it is a serious mistake to have a single pump solution. And if you must, please have an adequate backup pump waiting and shut off valves and slip unions flanking the running pump for quick swaps for cleaning, replacement, etc.

The best solution, IMO is to have one large pump on a closed loop for the display (or comparable stream pumps to do this job). This is the heavy duty for flow in any system and the cause for noise. As a closed loop (or via stream pumps) this is now quieter (very quiet actually) versus the toilet flushing trend of vigorous sumps in recent years LOL

Then a second pump in your sump can do balance of flow duties as you'd hoped...chiller, gentle display loop/return, etc
 
Agreed with Anthony... I'm not a huge fan of closed loops thou the Pumps draw huge wattage and bulk heads tend to leak over time... With today's power heads "vortech/tunze" you can get 3000+ gph at minimal wattage like 30 watts vs a dart at 130 watts with the same flow... The up front cost is a little more but your putting money in the bank daily....and god for bid a bulk head starts dripping and you have to drain the tank to swap it...:(
 

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