Pressure Rated Return Pumps

[Atomikk]

Hey guys,

I wanted to hear your opinions on the best pressure rated pumps. We can do a top 5 list, or you can just elaborate what pump you have, for how long, and how much does it put out on x' of pipe.

I am sure this could helpa whole lot of people chose their return pumps. I know I will, since I am in the market for one.


Cheers.

[Atomikk]

So there isn't any pressure rated pumps for this hobby?

I find that hard to believe...

Will anyone chime in?

[chercm]

u can try red dragon or reeflo pumps

[uhuru]

internal or external? is noise an issue? Iwaki japanese motors are supposed to be very reliable.

[Atomikk]

FYI, reeflo are not pressure rated. Internal or external, with any noise.

[sjm817]

Some Reeflo are pressure rated. Pressure rated is general is kind of vague. All it means is the pump is more capable of running against a high head pressure. Some mfgrs call them "high head" pumps. I would consider a pump with the ability to pump at least 20' head, a "pressure rated" or High Head" pump.

[Mr James]

by uhuru
internal or external?

As far as pressure pumps go, I have used an Gen-X 55 HD as a skimmer pump, but never as a return.

by uhuru
FYI, reeflo are not pressure rated.

CLICK HERE for Reeflo pressure rated pumps...and be prepared to be enlightened.... (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_searchItem~SearchText~~IdCategory~FIWP~vendorname~Reeflo~vendorcode~MM~pageindex~0~parsed~1~categ ory~Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies-Water_Pumps.html)

And FYI, internal pumps are not pressure pumps.

[dvanacker]

Some internal pumps can be pressure pumps. Like Scott mentioned, all it means is a pump that can handle high head pressure. So...some internal pumps can pump up to 20', infact there is a quiet one that is called high head.

Vlad.....I'm in the market for a pump to go from basement to the main floor and I have used a GEN-X PC-40 (MAK4) before and might be going back to it. The reeflo's looks nice....iwaki, and panworld....they are all good from what I read and hear.

I would stay away from internal pumps though because of the heat added to the water.

[Mr James]

by dvanacker
Some internal pumps can be pressure pumps. Like Scott mentioned, all it means is a pump that can handle high head pressure.

So, 20' and it automatically becomes a pressure rated pump?? I doubt that.

Scott said:

by sjm817
I would consider a pump with the ability to pump at least 20' head, a "pressure rated" or High Head" pump.

[sjm817]

There is no real "line in the sand" between pressure rated/high head and flow pumps. I was just throwing out a number for reference. I would not call a pump with a 12' rating a good pump for high head use. A pump with a 20' rating would be more suitable depending on the application. Like always, pick the right piece of equipment for the application that you need.

On the Mak4, I use one for a basement return and am very happy with it. It works well, has plenty of flow and also low power use. The price is right too. The only downside is it is not a quiet pump. For me, since it is in the basement, that is not a concern.

[dvanacker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13519393#post13519393 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr James
So, 20' and it automatically becomes a pressure rated pump?? I doubt that.

Scott said:

So what would make a pump pressure rated then?? THe point is there is nothing say "this pump is pressure rated, and this point is not".

I think 20' was just the way we called it as an example. If you want to say any pump that can pump 15' is pressure rated go a head.

[stumpyid]

Iwaki are very quiet and reliable.

[Mr James]

Well, I am saying to get a Sequence pressure rated pump. I would look there first if it were me. My return pump is an Iwaki 40RLXT and it has served me well over the years.

[sjm817]

I wouldn't recommend anything unless I had more info on what the app is. What is the pump used for? How much head is there? How much flow do you need @ that head? What size plumbing will you be using? Is power use a concern? Is noise level important? How mauch are you willing to spend?

[BadFish.t.o.]

Simply put, a pressure rated pump will loose less GPH as head increases. Pressure rated pumps usually have the input and output sizes matched as well. Most manufacturers will also state if the pump is pressure rated. If they don't, it isn't. I am personally going with a Sequence Wahoo UNO on my upcoming build.

[Atomikk]

A good friend of mine (Darryl you know Dayne) has just told me that he will never buy Sequence again. He has.... 4 Darts. Two that failed.. worn out motors, and the other seal broken. All within 2 years (still under warranty). How reliable is that?

A lot of talk is to get a Mak4 or Mak5, so is there a spec page on these?

[sjm817]

I was going to get a Panworld pump when I set up my basement sump. Premium Aquatics talked me into a cheaper Mak4 Pump (gotta love Premium Aquatics!)

The Mak4 has been great. I've had it for 2 years now, and have cleaned it once. It uses only 96W (measured) which I think is really good for this type of pump. I get plenty of flow pushing 10' of head. As stated previously, the only downside is it is not a quiet pump. For me, in the basement fish room, its not a concern.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=MAK4

[tomphot1]

I'm using the Iwaki 40RLXT for my return pump - very quiet - 6 years and running strong

[Atomikk]

How are Sequence Wahoos? They are supposed to be pressure rated.

[eddnyster]

the wahoos push massive amounts of water. They're awesome pumps.

If you don't want too much flow in your tank and want to decrease the power consumption and initial cost. I would suggest the Blueline Poseidon pump. aka. Velocity Series. The T2 & T3 are pressure rated I believe. They're super, super quiet. I have one and can't even tell it's running. HTH

[Atomikk]

Awesome.

Anyone else have good experiences with Blueline pumps?

[sjm817]

The Velocity pumps are water cooled which makes them very quiet, but they will add more heat to the water than an air cooled pump because of that.

[Hop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13526192#post13526192 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Atomikk
Awesome.

Anyone else have good experiences with Blueline pumps?

Yup. Had three over the years and each worked very well.

[grigsy]

Iwaki pumps are reliable.

[Atomikk]

If you guys could rate them.. what would they be 1-5?

[hahnmeister]

Velocity Titanium
Pan World
ReefFlo
March

Those are the four I would be looking at for a 'pressure biased' pump.