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I'm thinking about sump vs canister options for my tank. My instinct is that sumps draw a huge amount of power to do their thing. I did a little research and found these numbers: Canisters pump 9-14 gallons per watt Sumps pump 1.27 - 0.92 gallons per watt
Are sumps really that bad on power? I guess it makes sense in that a canister is pressurized and basically pumping at 0.00" of head; but still, are they 10 times more efficient than a sump???
Cascade Canister: GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 265 .... 28.5 .... 9.30 350 .... 45.5 .... 7.69
eheim Canister: GPH.... Watts .... gallons per watt 116 .... 8 .... 14.50 164 .... 15 .... 10.93 264 .... 20.... 13.20
SUMP PUMPS: LITTLE GIANT Model 1-A GPH @ 3' GPH.... watts .... gallons per watt 140.... 110 ....... 1.27
LITTLE GIANT Model 1-A GPH @ 5' GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 100 .... 110 ....... 0.91
LITTLE GIANT Model 2E-12N GPH @ 3' GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 435.... 368 ....... 1.18
LITTLE GIANT Model 2E-12N GPH @ 5' GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 337 .... 368 ....... 0.92
May 2012 update: my original source seemes to have deleted off their wattage stats . . . So here's a different source, same results:
FLUVAL FX5: Canister: GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 924 .... 50 .... 18.48
EHEIM 2080 PROFESSIONAL 3 Canister: GPH .... watts .... gallons per watt 449 .... 30 .... 14.97
Regardless, the principal still holds that canisters are dramatically more efficient at pumping water.
The power a pump uses is proportional to the pressure the pump is producing, above the inlet pressure, and to the flow rate it is pumping. Those sump pump power ratings are for pumping that flow at that head pressure, so they take more power to do that.
Typical canister filter pumps are producing their flow at a head pressure of about 4 inches of water or so. The sump pumps at a head pressure of about 36 inches of water head presssure, 9-10 times the pressure. So, they use about 10 times the power to do so, for the same flow rate. A better comparison would be to multiply the flow rate in gph times the head pressure in inches, then divide the wattage by that number.
Eheim: 8 watts divided by 116 GPH times 4 inches, or .02 Little Giant: 110 watts divided by 140 times 36, or .02
eheim above 264 gph at 20 watts panworld 1000xpx 1000 gph at 4 ft head at 130 watts 4 times the flow at 6 times the power usage apox thats if you believe ehiems rating they rate there max flow with no media and hoses the pan world also has more max head so if i have a pump that can be used as a ''sump pump'' i could also use that same pump to drive a canister filter so assuming it takes ten times less power if i connect it to a canister all of a sudden im going to get ten times the rated flow because my intake is say 4 ft higher not so i have run my 800 gph external pump on a canister and the flow differance between that and in a sump is small just tested it
sump vs canister This came up and was debated when I set mine up originally. sump vs canister Let's say here that the rated wattage difference between my Pro3e 2078 and sump pump is a 50 watt difference. (very close to accurate) 50w X 24hrs. X 365 days = 438,000watts/KW = 438KW per year. 438KW X 12.14 = $53.17 per year operating cost. Average annual cost to consumers reported for Florida as of Dec. 2009 (last reporting period) was 12.14 cent per KWh. I was charged .104 cents per KWh on my last electric bill. My Pro3e cost nearly $400.00 and my sump pump cost $168.00 The increased operating expense of $53.17 I can live with because after three years it will start costing me money to run it beyond the cost difference of the equipment. During that time I'm using bulk filter material which costs a fraction of the Eheim branded replacements for the canisters. I won't even get into how easy it is to maintain compared to cleaning a canister. Both the Eheim 2078 and the listed sump pump are still here and the sump won the contest. I only have 3 canisters remaining in my cabinets.
Guess my sump is sucking up the juice. lol. 1800 GPH Maximum Flow 3/4" MNPT discharge and 3/4" FNPT Intake. 120V with 10ft Long 3 prong grounded Cord suitable for Indoor or Outdoor use Can be operated submersible or in-line. Suitable for Fresh or Saltwater Very powerful. Large Foam Pre-filter #12730 Included Consumes a maximum of 145 Watts. Pump Measurements:6.4"Lx4.5"Wx4.6"H 20' Shut Off. 3 Year Limited Manufacturers Warranty
The reason for the 7 foot or 5 foot or whatever limit on how far below the tank the canister filter can be is because the case sealing isn't designed for any more static pressure. It has nothing to do with head pressure, as seen by the impeller. Gravity takes care of raising the water up to the same level as the water in the tank, the pump only provides the pressure to get the water over the lip of the tank.
Like the discussion so far because I had been thinking about the same thing about calculating head for canisters. Some pumps are more efficient than others. Here's some actual numbers of my setups. My quiet one 4000 pump (about 1000gph at zero head) uses 50 VA (35 watts). At 4ft head it pumps 600 gph ACTUAL. That's 17 gpw. On top of that it also heats up the water. My Rio Hyperflow 26 uses 90 watts. The actual flow at 5 ft head is 1000 gph ACTUAL. So that's 11 gpw. Sumps do not have the clogging problem that canisters have, while providing no bypass filtering.
ok real wolrd test just did this test quiet one 3000 rated aprox 800 gph o head ran it from canister(nu clear empty) lid off . input (inlet) off, 1 foot height (sump simulation) pumped to 4 feet 6 inch to tank in other words the water intake pressure at 1 foot(height of open canister) , pump pushing to 4 foot 6 inch head(tank) same pump thru canister, lid on, full of water , open line in, pumped to 4 foot 6 inch height to tank same intake outlet height results i got more flow from canister , open lid , input off(just sucking it out of a open container) in other words more flow from sump like conditions why , perhaps less resistance from not having a 3/4 inch intake or strainer restriction canister condition 1 gal in aprox 11 sec sump conditions 1 gal in apox 10 sec sec hardly a 10 times more power to push sump volume compared to canister with that particular pump
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