DC Pumps: Ecotech vs. Royal Exclusiv vs. Abyzz

[TaylorPilot]

A friend of mine repairs and coats pumps for a living. The pumps he works with feed in from both side and the impellers are solid brass weighing about 700 lbs. Pretty insane actually.

 

[TylerS]

There's a lot of bad info in this thread... @TaylorPilot know's what he's talking about at least

 

[gcarroll]

Have any details?
More or less flow than the Vectra current line?

The one in the picture is a 200 W model. I think that is the largest one. They plan to come out with several sizes below that one. Flow should be comparable to the Abyzz A200 and the RD3 230 W.

 

[ksed]

Looks like an interesting pump to follow.

Vertex has a new DC Pump coming as well. It should be a nice addition to the high end market.

 

[TaylorPilot]

Yea, that controller looks like a work of art. Almost like one of those custom computer cases you see built. I like that it is bigger in size. Better heat control of the electronics.

Real question is how much is all that high engineering gonna cost me! LOL

 

[gcarroll]

Here is a better look at the controller. It has a touch screen controller.

I don't remember the pricing plan but I'll ask next time we talk. They got a lot of other new stuff coming out this year too. I know there is a plan to include these pumps on future skimmers as well.

 

[gcarroll]

There's a lot of bad info in this thread... @TaylorPilot know's what he's talking about at least

Please elaborate!

 

[james77515]

Yes! Provided the flow charts are accurate.
Seals are also problematic with Reeflo's but there is someone out there that removes the seals from them "new" and puts his own in, guaranteed to last 10 years. Mechanically sealed pumps are very commonly used in the petroleum industry. Usually in very large applications. Nothing wrong with them and actually very efficient motors but installation of the seal and the type used is very critical.
Mechanically sealed pump go up north of 4000hp. Magnetically couple and canned pumps go up to max of 700hp.
The pumps used in this hobby are considered canned pumps.
Nice to find someone that knows about pumps. LOL

I would be interested in the seals this guy is offering.

 

[ksed]

PM sent

 

[NeverlosT]

There's a lot of bad info in this thread... @TaylorPilot know's what he's talking about at least

I also would like to know what you mean, please elaborate. All of the info that I posted to start the thread is right from either the pump maker or marine depot's websites, so that is not subjective info, those are facts from the manufacturers.

I welcome more info with regard to heat, efficiency, and such, but most of the info in this thread is comprised of people commenting on first hand experience, which as usual, should be appreciated, balanced against others opinions, and taken with a small grain of salt.

My takeaways thus far from the thread are:
1. If money is no object, go Abyzz
2. If value is your thing, go Vectra. (Royal Exclusiv kind of winds up in the middle.
3. If you don't care about noise or vibration, get an external AC pump, if you need a quiet pump and are ok with a bit of heat, go DC.
4. Efficiency should be considered a measure of watts consumed vs. water moved. Nothing more.
5. The DC pumps will heat the water some whether they are submerged or external due to their circulating water around the impeller magnet.

 

[sevens_up77]

Another interesting point would be Ecotech power heads. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Ecotech powerheads. I own 2 of them. One of the reasons they tout moving the motor block out of the water is to keep heat out of the system. Their website states that the MP40QD uses up to 28 watts total. Now, lets assume that the magnetic coupling is 100% efficient, then lets assume that the motor block is 80% efficient. Although based on their good quality, I would imagine it is higher than that. At 80% less than 6 watts of power is converted to motor heat. 6 watts is nothing! Unless it is a very small aquarium, you probably wouldn't notice any difference at all with putting that motor block in the water.

I think it's more aesthetic than anything.

 

[michaelrc51]

Neverlost, I plan on doing the same thing. To try to minimize the possibility of another device affecting one or both pumps there are a few things I would suggest doing.
Have multiple circuits for your equipment and any redundant equipment have each device on separate circuits. This way if there is an issue with a circuit or device it will only take down 1 pump and the likelihood of having both circuits go down at the same time is highly unlikely. It's always possible but if you plan properly you can minimize the possibility. Do load calculations and make sure you are well under 80%. This may cause you to use a few circuits but it will greatly improve your chances of avoiding problems.

I am going with 2 Red Dragon 80 watt pumps. They seem to be constructed at a very high quality and any reviews I have read about Royal Exclusive have been very positive, even when there have been issues they go out of their way to make it right. I had a Vectra L1 and I sold it instead of picking up the other 1 for my project, mainly due to no Apex interface.
The Abyzz look like great pumps but I can't see spending that much more over the Red Dragon pumps. To myself the Red Dragon pumps seem to be held to a very high standard as with all of the rest of the Royal Exclusiv products. I just don't see what that extra $$$$ will get me over the Red Dragon pumps besides a 10 year warranty. Maybe they can provide more flow at higher head?
In my case I am not to worried about head loss.

As far as DC to AC pumps I think the biggest factor will be head pressure. AC pumps have more torque and can supply the pressures at a higher head. But of course they are much noisier.

 

[dangros]

Since the vectras are not apex compatible, will shutting them off during feed mode reset their settings or will they remember where they are once back online?

 

[TheRealDmorty217]

Yes the Vectra will remember the setting or program it was in once power is restored.

 

[s2nhle]

Wow, very good thread. Thank you for sharing.

 

[NeverlosT]

So there is no 1-10V controllable signal input for the Vectra?

Hrm. We need someone to buy and hack the Vectra pump!

 

[dangros]

I 100% agree.

 

[s2nhle]

You can program the apex to shut off during the feeding time at the specific port that you plug the pump in.

 

[michaelrc51]

You can program the apex to shut off during the feeding time at the specific port that you plug the pump in.

Yeah, but that can cause some start up issues. And there have been a few issues with start ups on the Vectra's. Not saying these are the Vectra's fault or not but there have been a few issues.

I think I speak for others when I say I want the Apex control so I can speed up or slow down pumps, not just shut an outlet off and turn it back on.
In my case, which I have stated a few times, I want the Apex to run my pumps at a desired speed and then I will have it ramp up one pump if one were to go down. Trying to create redundancy.

 

[s2nhle]

Can you do that with vectra controller? to me add another controller is just another risk of failure. I would just eliminate as much single point of failure as possible.