Run an Eheim as external pump?

[Blazer88]

I'm getting some equipment together for a new 60G cube and I am thinking of using an Eheim pump for the return. I'm trying to keep the heat down to a minimum and was wondering if I could run an Eheim 1262 or 1260 as an external return pump. I know that people use these for calcium reactors and such but I haven't seen them used as an external return. Good or bad idea?

[JRaquatics]

It will handle just fine. Great pump. IMO

[Blazer88]

Thanks for the response. I know many people choose an Eheim for in-sump since they produce very little heat, do you think it would be beneficial to run it as external or would that be wasted effort to plumb externally?

[RichConley]

Originally posted by Blazer88
Thanks for the response. I know many people choose an Eheim for in-sump since they produce very little heat, do you think it would be beneficial to run it as external or would that be wasted effort to plumb externally?

Its a water cooled pump. I think it'll be a waste of time.



Also, they're not all that efficient. If you're worried about heat, Ocean Runner would be a much better choice.

[A sea K]

Even set up as a external it is still a water cooled pump and the pump heat is transferred to the water. I suspect there will be a percentage of heat transferred to the air but not so much to make a difference in water temp that would be notable.

[JRaquatics]

Running internally or externally you will notice little difference in heat. Ocean Runners are Ehiem knock offs. Eheims are more Reliable IMO.

[RichConley]

Originally posted by JRaquatics
. Ocean Runners are Ehiem knock offs. Eheims are more Reliable IMO.

Ocean Runners aren't eheim knockoffs. They've got nothing to do with eheim.


They're much more efficient (IE, less heat), and IME, just as reliable.

[shag26272]

I like the Oceanrunners just as much as the Eheims and they are more efficient, my GEO reactor uses an Eheim externally and it runs great though.

[JRaquatics]

Originally posted by RichConley
Ocean Runners aren't eheim knockoffs. They've got nothing to do with eheim.


They're much more efficient (IE, less heat), and IME, just as reliable.

Interesting. I always thought they were. Thanks for the correction.

[Blazer88]

Sounds like it may not be much benefit to run an external pump, looks like I'll just run the eheim in-sump. Thanks for the help guys.

[twon8]

Originally posted by RichConley
Ocean Runners aren't eheim knockoffs. They've got nothing to do with eheim.


They're much more efficient (IE, less heat), and IME, just as reliable.

They are not as reliable ime; ive had an ocean runner 2500 and 3500 jam up on me, luckily right before i went on vacation and i was able to switch out to 1260's.

the 3500 impellor is shot and wont' work without a new one, the 2500 just needed to be cleaned. I've never had an eheim stop running on me.

[RichConley]

Originally posted by twon8

the 3500 impellor is shot and wont' work without a new one, the 2500 just needed to be cleaned. I've never had an eheim stop running on me.

Personal experiences vary.


I've had Eheims jam up on me, and all of my ORs still run fine. THey're both decent pumps. One is just cheaper, and more efficient.

[davocean]

The diff between OR and Eheim in watts or temp is not enough to say "much more efficient" IMO, in fact they are very close.
The OR is cheaper, but I've seen more posts of people that had probs w/ OR's than Eheim.
IMO the Eheim has an excellent rep, and worth the extra couple bucks.

[Cove Beach]

I have both OR and Ehiem. The Ehiem is run external on a calcium reactor. Its been running for 2 yrs with no tear downs. It does get warm to the touch. My only complaint is trying to adapt fittings to it. The OR is being run internal to feed a large DIY recirc skimmer. The OR is quiet and seems to do a good job considering it is pushing water up 2ft and filling a skimmer that holds 28 gallons of water when its running. It is easy to adapt fittings to.

[sjm817]

I've also seen posts where people owned both a 1262 and a 3500 and said the 1262 had a lot more real world flow, so I'm not so sure how much more efficient a OR is or is not. Less power, and less flow.

[h20cooled]

Yeah I've had 2 OR's that stopped work on a skimmer after 3 months of use and I've had a ehiem on my skimmer and CA reactor and they work perfect. After my experience with the OR's I would never buy one again. But that's just me I guess...

[AZDesertRat]

I too would take an OR over and Eheim. I own 4 of them and no problems with any of them. I tested an Eheim 1260 using a Kill A Watt meter, pressure gauge and valve on the discharge and was not impressed. I posted the results way back for all to see.

[sjm817]

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
I too would take an OR over and Eheim. I own 4 of them and no problems with any of them. I tested an Eheim 1260 using a Kill A Watt meter, pressure gauge and valve on the discharge and was not impressed. I posted the results way back for all to see.

You posted the results of the 1260, with no measured results from the equivalent OR 2500. To have something meaningful, 1260/2500 and 1262/3500 measured flow and power results would be needed.

As far as reliability, I dont have personal exp with OR, but the results seem mixed. I do have a friend that runs a 1262 as a return and just replaced an OR that ran the fuge which died after less than 1 year of service. He replaced it with an Eheim 1048.

I think the OR and Ehiems are both good options, certainly better than a Mag or Quiet One. The OR is a better value, the Eheim a better grade of pump. Choose what suites your needs.

[davocean]

I personally have a 1262, 1250, and 1048.
I wish all my stuff was as dependable as Eheims!