Utility Pumps
- Thread starter howme127
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I don't know the answer for the minimum you would need. I do know a sicce .5 will not cut it. I tried that over the weekend with about 45 feet of 1/2" tubing with no more than 1 foot of head pressure. Water was coming out but barely.
I think the answer will depend on how much height the pump will have to push the water to, the diameter of the hose, how much water you want to move and how fast. If you want to move 20 gallons of water from your mixing station in the basement to the first floor where your tank is located and you want to do it in 2 minutes, you will need a very different pump than if your mixing tank and aquarium are on the same floor and you don't mind waiting 10 minutes.
JCTReefer
Valuable Member
This might be worth looking into. It’s fairly new and has a good warranty. Not sure what your mixing station looks like or how it’s plumbed. I used to use a little giant utility pump back in the day. It’s still works. It also had the standard 3/4 hose adapter fitting. If your looking for something portable, the Sicce might be an option. Looking at the head pressure chart, it would do the 75 feet I’m thinking
www.bulkreefsupply.com
Ultra Zero Utility Pump
The Sicce Ultra Zero is a multi-purpose utility pump, perfect for when you just need a sturdy pump to move water from one place to another, such as for pumping freshly mixed saltwater to your tank after a water change, or refilling reservoirs. The Ultra Zero has plenty of power to pump water...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
dan3949
Community Member
What is the elevation change between the two locations? That is the key variable (along with the flowrate you want) If it is a couple of feet downhill, you dont even need a pump. Gravity will do the work for you.
JCTReefer
Valuable Member
Elevation change is the important part. Seems like I remember you add a foot of head pressure for every 10 horizontal feet. It’s been a while since I looked that up.
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How much water do you need to move and how fast? Once you have this information, you can look at the flow rates of the various pumps. Most pump manufacturers give you a graph of how much water their pumps can move in a given amount of time across various head pressures.
Edit: I just looked at the flow rate graph for that pump. Just eyeballing it, it looks like that thing will pump about 3.3 gallons per minute up 8ft of head pressure.
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howme127
Active Member
I mean I'd like to be about to move 100 gals in less than 4 or hours, but I was more worried about the pressure needed and that is what isn't clear to me. From the previous comment it seems I should plan for about about a foot of head pressure, but how do I find that out and how is it stated when looking at pumps?
A foot of head pressure? I thought you said the mixing station is about 8 ft lower than the aquarium. That's 8ft of head pressure. Also, angles and even curves on the pipe/hose add head pressure even if the start point and end point are on the same level.
Assuming 10ft of head pressure (8ft of elevation and 2ft additional for the turns and angles of the hose), I think that sicce utility pump would be at its limits. Though take my opinion with a grain of salt. I've never used that pump.
JCTReefer
Valuable Member
Sicce pump would be pushing it at 8 feet of head pressure. Agreed. I used one of these for years to transfer water. Shut off is 26 feet of head.
Sicce pump would be pushing it at 8 feet of head pressure. Agreed. I used one of these for years to transfer water. Shut off is 26 feet of head.
That's less expensive than the solution I had in mind - and it's submersible.
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howme127
Active Member
Ahh see, this is what I'm talking about, I have not learnt all the knowledge!!!! Thank you guys! So if I'm traveling ~8 ft vertically and 75 ft horizontally then I'm looking at ~17 ft of head pressure?
Water will travel horizontally on its own. I am not sure how much head pressure is added if the pump needs to push water horizontally in a straight line. I think that would be just zero head pressure.
What will add head pressure if you are pushing water horizontally is if the pipe / hose is going in different directions. A hard 90degree turn I think adds a 1/2 ft of head pressure. A more elongated turn like one you get from vinyl hose adds less head pressure.
I guesstimated 10ft of head to move your water from the mixing station - 8ft for vertical travel, 2ft for twists and turns.
Just looking at various aquarium pumps at BRS, here is a data sheet for one that would work (Iwaki MD-20RT):
The flow chart graph is in the data sheet. That pump is pricey and is not submersible. The other poster posted less expensive, submersible solution.
JCTReefer
Valuable Member
Pretty much!!! In a perfect world they say if your pushing water 80 feet horizontally than that’s about equal to 8 feet of head pressure. And then another 8 feet vertically would put you around 16 feet total head pressure. So every 10 feet horizontal is equal to 1 foot vertically.
JCTReefer
Valuable Member
Me neither! Until I read it somewhere many years ago when plumbing my first tank. I’m sure that’s just a rough estimate when pressure is involved. Fluid dynamics can be a little tricky. So many variables.
Welp, I might have to move water a bit... with containers. Ugh, learning is hard to do!I'm remembering I've got to be easy about things and not stress too much!
Moving buckets of water sucks balls. That pump the other guy recommended I think is not that much more expensive than the sicce you were looking at.
