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dpulve
02/04/2016, 04:23 PM
I'm ready to buy a return pump, but for sure I'm not a head loss expert. I used the front page calculator to find out which pump would be sufficient for the flow I'm looking for. I land on the Iwaki MD70RT to push about 1,100 gph apx 400 more than I'm looking for.

My question is as I shop around on Marine Depot and other sites the Iwaki is rated at 1,500 GPH. Can I use this 1,500 GPH number to buy a pump like a Reeflo that is rated at 1,500 GPH? Just wanting to shop around for sales on brands that may not be on the front page.

Thanks,
Dan

slief
02/04/2016, 04:53 PM
I'm ready to buy a return pump, but for sure I'm not a head loss expert. I used the front page calculator to find out which pump would be sufficient for the flow I'm looking for. I land on the Iwaki MD70RT to push about 1,100 gph apx 400 more than I'm looking for.

My question is as I shop around on Marine Depot and other sites the Iwaki is rated at 1,500 GPH. Can I use this 1,500 GPH number to buy a pump like a Reeflo that is rated at 1,500 GPH? Just wanting to shop around for sales on brands that may not be on the front page.

Thanks,
Dan
That all depends on your head loss. you need to look at the flow chart for different pumps and compare their flow to your approximate head pressure. Some pumps like the Iwaki's are designed for higher head pressure than others. Pumps not designed for high head pressure will drop off fast as the head increases to a point that they don't provide any flow. There are some Reeflo pumps that are well suited for higher head pressure but you can't beat the reliability of an Iwaki. The downside to them is their higher energy usuage and a bit of noise but they are absolutely bullet proof and a new Iwaki will last upwards of 20 years.

What did the calculator come up with as far as combined head loss??

dpulve
02/04/2016, 05:42 PM
Thanks for info
13.6 feet of loss head pressure or 5.9 psig which left me with 1,110 gph flow. Definitely not a pump expert was just trying to shop multiple options looking for a sale if I could. I have only heard good things about these pumps so I guess I won't worry about trying to save maybe 40$ going for a sale.

Johnseye
02/04/2016, 07:25 PM
Would be nice if someone put current pumps in that calculator. Not even a reference to Reeflo.