Submersible return pump for my 75g

mcarroll · Oct 15, 2013

If we're talking about an LED-lit tank, there's a good chance that heat generated by the pump is irrelevant in terms of saving money or energy.

In most houses (AC, ~72ÂºF), the heat required to keep a tank in the tropical range is the baseline for energy usage once high-power lighting is out of the picture.

You're misc. equipment is probably no longer generating enough heat to keep you heaters from working anymore, so getting a more-efficient pump at this stage just puts more of the heating load on your heaters....no net difference in watts used. Why not get some work out of those watts instead of dispersing them directly as heat?

Best to go for the most reliable and not worry too much about power usage. After all, a higher power motor in a pump can't be all bad.

-Matt

mcarroll · Oct 15, 2013

AZDesertRat said:
Yes there are cooling slots cut in the area where the magnet rotates. This is what allows water to circulate inside and cool the motor. It makes no difference whether it is submerged of dry, the heat will be approximately the same either way.

Excellent point - Law of Conservation of Energy at work!

-Matt

AZDesertRat · Oct 15, 2013

I wish I could afford to keep my house at +/-72 degrees! In Phoenix that would cost me over $1000 a month and I've only got 1300 square feet. When I went from a Quiet One 4000 to an Ocean Runner 3500 return pump my power went from 64-65 watts to 58 watts and the flow actually went us slightly. When I went from the OR3500 to the Water Blaster HY-5000 the flow went up significantly and the power dropped even further to 53 measured watts. More water and less power is always a good thing in my book when you consider that pump is running 24/7/365 non stop for years.

Obviously the LED's saved me the most but more efficient pumps and powerheads have contributed nicely. I have a very detailed thread on my power consumption savings and changes I have made on AZReefs.com , it has saved me thousands already in about two years time and everything I have done has already paid for itself and then some. Having one of those new utility electric meters that is online has really helped me to learn our usage patterns and how to conserve. I can track usage and changes daily.