What’s your backup plan if your return pump fails?

[Sdbuehler1]

With all the great Black Friday sales going on I have been contemplating buying a spare return pump. For cheaper items like heaters it seems like a no brainer to have a spare on hand but return pumps can cost hundreds of dollars or more depending on the size of your tank and flow needs. Now that my 100 gallon tank is almost 3 years old and fully stocked with corals and live stock it seems like a no brainer that I should have a spare return pump on hand as well.

I’m curious what others backup plans are should their return pump fail at some point. How devastating would it be for your tank to go with out the main return pump for even a few hours?

 

[Mark Goode]

I read a post on here by a guy whose return pump had failed. I'd never really thought about it before, but I ordered a spare that day.

 

[exnisstech]

I run 3 jebao dcp pumps. They work great and are cheap enough I keep a 3500, 5000, and 15000 sitting on the shelf as backups. It also makes it easy should I decide to ever clean one since I can just swap them out and clean then store the one removed.

 

[Peair]

That's a good question because a return pump very necessary, after many years in the hobby, I do have many extra return pumps, some I never used.

 

[edsbeaker]

I’m wondering if two pumps can be safely hooked up to a tee to a shared return line? If one fails, the other one takes over?

Or for those of us with controllers and are out of town can the second pump, still on the shared return, stay OFF, but is always in the tank on a separate outlet and remotely turned on if you get a notice that the default one fails?

 

[X-37B]

I have extra return pumps for all 3 systems because when they decide to quit its 3am on Sunday, lol.
I actually have extra pumps for all equipment. Carx, ozone, skimmer, nitrate, reactors.
I have extra Kamoer pumps for dosing.

 

[BriDroid]

I have a spare pump. It's missing a rubber bushing, so it rattles... But it works in a pinch!

 

[Sdbuehler1]

I’m wondering if two pumps can be safely hooked up to a tee to a shared return line? If one fails, the other one takes over?

Or for those of us with controllers and are out of town can the second pump, still on the shared return, stay OFF, but is always in the tank on a separate outlet and remotely turned on if you get a notice that the default one fails?

That’s an interesting concept. I think if you had check valves on both pumps it could work. I am using the apex atk which comes with a secondary sensor for telling you when the water is too high. I have created a virtual outlet that turns on when the water is too high in the sump for more than an hour. I have an alarm that triggers on this which would usually indicate the ATO is stuck on or the return pump has failed. It would be easy enough to have it turn on a secondary pump.

 

[Miami Reef]

I have 2 return pumps in my tank and a backup return pump in storage in case if one of the return pumps need to be sent for repair.

 

[Sdbuehler1]

I have extra return pumps for all 3 systems because when they decide to quit its 3am on Sunday, lol.
I actually have extra pumps for all equipment. Carx, ozone, skimmer, nitrate, reactors.
I have extra Kamoer pumps for dosing.

Extra dosing pumps is a good idea too. I use the apex DOS pumps for auto water changes and dosing so I guess if my dosing pump failed I would just swap it out with the auto water change pump and go without water changes until the replacement pump arrived. I do have some spare pump heads on hand since those are relatively cheap.

 

[Sdbuehler1]

I have 2 return pumps in my tank and a backup return pump in storage in case if one of the return pumps need to be sent for repair.

Is each pump on a separate return?

 

[Sean Clark]

I was going to run dual return pumps so I purchased two. Later I decided on only running one. Now I have the extra pump setting on the bench waiting for it's day in the spotlight.
Sofar the only whining I hear is coming from the backup.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I run an external pump for the DT so I use the same pump on my mixing station and view that as my backup if ever needed.

 

[Coinzmans Reef]

One spare? no two. I bought a cheap return pump when I first started the tank and was told it was a mistake that it might last six months that was five years ago. I liked the pump and price so much I bought five more over the following years. I have redundant sump pumps in one tank and a single in the other. Only one pump has failed and that was after 2.5 years.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

Spare pumps, I tend not to get rid of equipment I bought for a previous tank. So always have emergency spares. Might not be the same flow. But better than no flow.

 

[Fenral]

One - if my return pump fails, I will cry a bloody river at Abyzz.
Two—I have a flow meter on the return pump discharge. If it drops below one gpm, I already have a second pump from PanWorld pump plumbed in to trip on as a backup.
Three - I have enough pumps laying around I Can always swap one in for the moment.

 

[lbacha]

You need an option for dual returns. I have two return pumps one for each return. I have manifold that can allow me to remove a pump and use one pump to run both returns. This way I can remove and clean a return pump without shutting down the tank.

 

[danlechem]

I've thought about this and looked at getting a back up. However worst case scenario I put my spare heater in my display and either go to my lfs or get Jeff B to deliver one next day. If a really cheap unit was offered to me I'd take it otherwise I think it could be a waste of money.

 

[edsbeaker]

I have 2 return pumps in my tank and a backup return pump in storage in case if one of the return pumps need to be sent for repair.

Are the pumps in use on separate returns?

 

[KrisReef]

With all the great Black Friday sales going on I have been contemplating buying a spare return pump. For cheaper items like heaters it seems like a no brainer to have a spare on hand but return pumps can cost hundreds of dollars or more depending on the size of your tank and flow needs. Now that my 100 gallon tank is almost 3 years old and fully stocked with corals and live stock it seems like a no brainer that I should have a spare return pump on hand as well.

I’m curious what others backup plans are should their return pump fail at some point. How devastating would it be for your tank to go with out the main return pump for even a few hours?

If my return pump fails then I will return that one too until they give me one that works.