New options for pressure rated pumps?

[EnderG60]

so I currently have a Coralife 1100p and 1740p (identical to Blue line 55hd and 70hd but red rather than yellow) and its time to replace them. The bearings are getting loud and the impeller housings have become to marred up even after cleaning.

The 1100p runs my main display which is 15' from the sump to the tank rim, and the 1740p runs all my reactors, skimmers and frag tanks at 6' of head.

Are there any new options for pressure pumps? I see everyone loving DC pumps but I dont see any with high head capabilities.

[ca1ore]

Don't know that there are any new options necessarily. Was not aware that the corallife pumps were repainted pan worlds, but they should last for a good long time - 10 heras at least.

[EnderG60]

Aside from cleaning once every few years mine have been running non stop for 8 years while getting spilled on here and there. They have lived a good life and Im not complaining about their service just wondering if there are more efficient options before I dump a bunch of money on replacements.

The coralifes were a slightly cheaper option than the bluelines but were the exact same pumps when I got them. Coralife doesnt make them anymore. And a bearing and impeller housing replacement is almost the cost of a new pump.

[Green Chromis]

You could always go with the Iwaki pumps, they last forever, and are pressure rated. Just make sure you use the pumps with the Japanese motors.

[Breadman03]

For DC, the Royal Exclusiv RD3 series is good for high head applications. They are pricey, but energy efficient. I have one coming in soon because the energy costs will pay for it over time, it will allow me to use a single pump to drive my entire system (plus powerheads in tank), and my 2000 watt generator will be able to power the entire system plus household stuff in the event of a power outage.

[ca1ore]

It's the 'getting spilled on here and there' that does them in . I bought 2 Iwakis back in 1987. The one that stayed dry was still running after 20 years; the one that got wet periodically lasted about 8, so I'd say your experience is about right.

[nivram]

The big Tunze Pro silence is kind of a pressure rated pump.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Breadman03

For DC, the Royal Exclusiv RD3 series is good for high head applications. They are pricey, but energy efficient. I have one coming in soon because the energy costs will pay for it over time, it will allow me to use a single pump to drive my entire system (plus powerheads in tank), and my 2000 watt generator will be able to power the entire system plus household stuff in the event of a power outage.

In all honesty, I wouldn't recommend the RD3 for his application if the head height is 15'. The RD3 80 would be too small and wouldn't produce enough flow at that height. While an RD3 230 would provide comparable flow to the 1100P at that height, I'm sure the OP isn't factoring in friction loss. Not only that but even if the head height at 15' included friction loss, there woundn't end up being much if any power savings because the RD3 would have to be run at a high power level to compensate for the excessive head pressure. This in my opinion wouldn't warrant the costs. If there was a pressure rated impeller (which may come at some point down the line), than it might be a different story. Now if the 15' is not head height but just distance, than that would be different. The other issue is that he would likely need to make plumbing changes because the RD3 230 requires a 2" input and 1.5" output. There are Reeflo pumps that could handle this task but they too would likely require plumbing changes which kind of limits their practicality.

That said, I'd likely stick with the pressure pump for the return. There really aren't many options that offer comparable flow (at that kind of height) with the kind of long term reliability that pumps like the Iwaki's offer. My first choice would in fact be the Iwaki. Depending on the skimmer being used on the 2nd pump, I might lean towards a fluval SP4 or SP6 or even a higher end DC pump in an effort to save power. That said, if the skimmer is a beckett skimmer or one that requires a pressure rated pump, the OP may be short on choices.