T'd off

[lancer99]

If I tee off the flow from an Iwaki 40RLXT and send some of it up to a remote fuge 18 feet overhead, will that be a problem for the pump?

 

Thx,

-R

[gastone]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...040_information

 

 

IMO, yes.

[lancer99]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage...040_information

IMO, yes.

I'm not convinced...according to the last line in that chart, it should put out more than 1300 gph at 15 feet of max head...or are those numbers mutually exclusive?

 

This would just be a lil' bit of flow to a remote sump, don't really care about the flow....just don't wanna damage the pump.

 

-R

['Ric]

I don't think it will work with a tee. The "low circuit" would get all the water flow rather than pushing up 1/2 Atmosphere of water pressure.

[lancer99]

Even with a ball valve on the lower part to restrict its flow?

 

I'm being difficult just coz I have parts to do that....

 

-R

[lanman]

Even with a ball valve on the lower part to restrict its flow?

 

I'm being difficult just coz I have parts to do that....

 

-R

I think you could do it. I don't think it would hurt the pump. Now - the question is how much of the pump's energy is going to be directed at pushing your little bit of water up the hill, and how much will go into the tank. I would test it first with a bucket of water, and some empty buckets at the right altitudes. Need a friend at the 18" end. Turn on the pump, slowly turn the valve until the friend says WATER! See if you still have enough water coming out the tank end. If MAX head is really 15 feet, you'll never get any water out the top. Don't restrict the flow so much that it might damage the pump while trying. If all you're trying to do is get a trickle of water through a refugium, you can probably do it - but at what cost to flow through the tank. Interesting idea, at least. A decorative refugium in another room. Put the right lights over it, and you can have a 'softies' and macro tank lit up all night. I've dropped a few shrooms and even zoa's in my refugium, and they seem to be surviving, if not thriving. In fact, a raunchy frag of monti digi that I dropped in there for 'rubble' seems to be growing fine under that PC that runs for about 15 hours. No color - but then it never did have any. A lovely medium brown.

 

However... consider just putting a separate pump in the sump for that refugium.

 

bob

[Rascal]

are those numbers mutually exclusive?

 

Yes.

 

The figure for Max Flow is with 0 head. Max Head means how high the pump will push water, period. Look at the table at the top of that page. As the head height goes up, the flow rate goes down. The RLXT is not a pressure rated pump, so the flow rate drops off even faster. At 12 ft you get only 600 gph. At 15ft, practically nothing.

 

According to the table & chart, this pump would not push any water 18' overhead, even without a T.