Basement Systems; Basement Challenges

ca1ore · Sep 27, 2018

I had to run a dehumidifier in my basement during the Summer months even before I had my sump system down there; just even more necessary now. Good ventilation helps as well - I have an apex temperature sensor outside that controls a ventilation fan for the fish room. Heat makes no difference whether basement or not basement. The only 'challenge' really is pumping back up against 14' of total back pressure (10' of height; 4' of other). Fortunately there are good pump options and noise doesn't matter.

pdxmonkeyboy · Sep 27, 2018

jda said:
Be ready at about the 18-24 month mark. I have had half a dozen ReeFlo/Sequence pumps and they have NEVER lasted two years without needing seals or a motor catching on fire (this was not the Hammerhead model that did this). It is good that you have the seals already since they can go from weeping to hemorrhaging in a few days IME. I recommend that you change the seals as soon as you see any signs of salt creep.

how on earth did it catch fire? I have the baldor model as well. It isnt even that hot...like surprisingly not hot.

Based on the size of my system though I just bought a used one as a standby. A friend laughed at me until I told him that the cost of the spare pump was less than the cost of two of my fish.

AlexG · Sep 27, 2018

Brian Bieger said:
how on earth did it catch fire? I have the baldor model as well. It isnt even that hot...like surprisingly not hot.

Based on the size of my system though I just bought a used one as a standby. A friend laughed at me until I told him that the cost of the spare pump was less than the cost of two of my fish.

I have a hammerhead pump on standby and I am about to swap out the pump so I can complete a seal replacement since it has been a little over a year since the pump was put into operation. I agree that the cost of a pump in many cases versus livestock costs make it well worth the investment.

jda · Sep 27, 2018

This was more than a decade ago on a smaller pump that they do not make any more. Most had them melt and smoke, but some caught fire. It was a smaller pump made to replace an Iwaki with lower wattage, but it was more wattage, lower flow and I learned a hard lesson about moving to leading-edge equipment for critical things. It was a Marlon or Tarpon or some kind of game fish like that... They were good about replacing it and it happened to a few other people that I personally knew. I can dismiss this one as a one-off issue. After doing seals repeatedly in the 18-24 month interval, I have moved on to AmpMaster.

Spares are a great idea... a few unions and back running. What if you accidentally nick a seal and you are without a pump for a few days or a week. You can get used pumps for a fraction of the price. I do plug them in ever few months just to see if they will still spin. I do take the impellers out of Iwakis, GenX or PanWorld if I am going to let them sit - I had one a decade ago have impeller swell up with sitting, but it could have been on it's way out anyway.