Back in May, I pre-ordered 2 Waveline Gen 2 pumps... A DC-6000 to replace my Mag-12 return pump and a DC-4000 to replace my Mag 9.5 closed loop pump. They arrived last Monday, and I got the DC-6000 installed that night. The closed loop will require significant re-plumbing to get the DC-4000 in place so won't be dealt with for a while.
Initial thoughts upon handling the pumps:
Conclusion:
Initial thoughts upon handling the pumps:
- No instructions whatsoever are included. Somewhat common these days, but still disappointing.
- The build quality seems very good. The poor threading reported on the Gen 1 pumps does not seem to exist on the gen 2 pumps.
- The I/O Ports for controlling pump with an Apex that were reported earlier in the year by Reef Builders and others DID NOT MAKE THE RELEASE. This was very disappointing. From what I hear now, there will likely be a new controller sold separately for this functionality, once it is ready. :frusty:
- The plug from the power supply to the controller is not very secure. I ended up wrapping some electrical take around it to prevent it from coming apart.
- Sound: While not silent, it is significantly quieter than the Mag 12 it replaced.
- Power usage: According to my Apex, the Mag 12 by itself drew 1.6 amps and the DC6000 draws 0.1 Amps. I questions the accuracy of the Apex's current usage metering as the Mag number is higher than it should be and the DC pump's number is too low. Regardless, there is obviously a big power savings there.
- Heat created: With the Mag, the Apex had my fan on for about 20 hrs a day. Since installing the DC 6000, it has averaged 12 hrs a day.
- Cost savings: The combo of lower power consumption, and less on time for the fan should save me $10-15 a month in the warmer months. I don't expect much if any savings in the winter, as the Fan doesn't run then anyway, and the heater will run more to make up for the reduced heat created by the pump.
- Soft Start: Very cool... No noisy wear inducing starts like with the mag/
- Speed control: Works as expected
- Feed Timer: Works as expected
- Pumping power: This is disappointing. While I have not seen actual head loss graphs, I had assumed that the DC-6000 (rated at 1585 gph and a max head height of 13.12') would out pump my Mag 12. In my particular case with approximately 5.75' of head loss, I can tell from the water level in the tank that the Mag 12 is pushing a hair more water than the DC-6000 at full speed. Perhaps the mag is pumping more than rated (which would also explain it's larger than rated power consumption) and this should not be a criticism of the Waveline. I don't know, and don't plan on taking the time to test the actual performance of each.
Pros: Build Quality, quiet, low power, low heat, soft starts, feed button, controllable speed
Cons: No Instructions, still not PnP with Apex, loose power connector, not as powerful as expected
Cons: No Instructions, still not PnP with Apex, loose power connector, not as powerful as expected
Conclusion:
I was pretty disappointed on day one because of the lack of Apex connectivity and the lower than expected pumping ability. Now that I have taken time to reflect and live with the pump, I am happy and would buy the pump again. I am still ticked off that the Apex control was left off after it was hyped by blogs and even tweeted about by Neptune.
