Morning all! Looking at purchasing a new return pump. It seems most go with DC pumps now but wondering if I might be better served with an AC pump.
Most folks would be IMO. Once the cheerleading on DC pumps started, it was uncontainable. :D
I don't think most of us know enough about them to know they are MOSTLY THE SAME PUMP.
Someone smarter than me wrote this article about it....a really good read.
I currently have a Neptune COR 15 I'm at my wits end with. It gradually slows down over the course of usage until I take it apart and clean it or my water level is constantly changing. However, it's never dirty besides a little bit of film and I have to go through this same routine every two weeks.
I'm with you that 2 weeks is a REALLY short timeframe.
I wonder if you are measuring actual flow
directly or if you might be going off of a computed GPH value somewhere on your automation?
Before making any big changes (assuming you haven't done this already) I recommend measuring actual GPH yourself, either at the return outlet(s) or at the drain. A 1 quart measuring container is often convenient, time how long it takes to fill up.
Also, that seems to be a MUCH MUCH MUCH larger pump than the Viper you're thinking about replacing it with....any reason you're using such a gi-normous pump on this tank?
$99 vs $475 too....are you sure you're using the right pump, or is that the smallest one they sell or something? Holy $moke$!
What size is the plumbing on your return pipes?
My tank is a 69g so any recommendations would be great. I have a spare NYOS Vipre pump I'm thinking of using. Now to be clear I know all pumps need to be cleaned but every two weeks seems a bit much, in the past I've always used AC pumps and clean them once every 3 months.
Guessing you are referring to the Viper 2.0....seems to match your power stats. Sell that COR and buy a backup return pump with some of the funds.....then throw yourself a party with the rest. :)
NYOS doesn't seem to supply a performance curve so we can't really predict what your flow rate would be, but IMO it's the right size of pump to try base on your tank size.....target flow rate "should be" somewhere around 300-350 GPH. Do the same measurement trick above to see what this pump delivers once it's installed.
Every 3 months should be fine in most situations.
I'm currently using 42W according to Apex and the Vipre is listed as 31.5w. Outside of feed modes what benefit does adjustability provide?
The COR 15 uses up to 50 watts according to Neptune, which seems like it should be a ton of flow for a tank this size. Strangely (especially for the price category) it seems you don't even get a flow curve for the COR 15....only the COR 20 seems to be on their website.
Anyway, that limits the discussion a lot. But a pump that large, set that high SHOULD BE putting out a whole other class of flow than the Nyos 2.0 is capable of....maybe >1000 GPH.
Seems like that flow (and that pump) should be massive overkill for a tank this size, so the switchover to the Nyos should work well IMO...see what the difference is in power usage after the switch as well.
Might be worth pointing out for the discussion that if you have to throttle back the Nyos 2.0, it consumes as little as 12 watts at its lowest output. I suspect it'll be fine at max flow, but measure it once it's installed as already mentioned.
