Quiet external pumps

[D&RW]

during my short term of experience i have experience with submersible pumps. i did try one external pump advertised as quiet, but it wasn't--make a loud, high pitched whine.

for optimum flow on one of my filters I'm thinking of upgrading from a 78gpm Easy Pro submersible to a higher gpm external, around 100gpm. energy usage seems to be lower and by my calculations i really do need more flow. With the Easy Pro flow into my bead filter will be app. 47 gpm and output much lower. If I went up to the 108 gpm Easy Pro the price is pretty high, e.g. $550ish and the energy usage is 540 watts. yikes.

comparatively are any external pumps quiet vs. submersible. My submersible in the skimmer makes a low hum and the one in the pond 0 noise. I'm looking at Sequence, Evolution, Tsunami so far. The evolutions are advertised as whisper quiet and the price point is good for the advertised flow.

 

[koikeepr]

I have a sequence, and it's very quiet. Just hear the water flowing through. Mine is in a filter pit so I don't hear it all. Evolutions are comparable to Sequence, tho are cheaper. The reason I went with Sequence ultimately was because Evolutions are known to not be as electrically efficient as advertised on their wattage sticker, particularly for those under 4000 gph. Those Evolutions above 4000gh are known to be on point, however. Sequence's, on the other hand, typically function at under the advertised wattage. I've got a Sequence 750 which the sticker says uses 180 watts, but I've not seen it consume that wattage--it's always been under that.

Since I get easily peeved by companies that sell products that don't do as advertised, I refused the Evolution tho it was $100 bucks cheaper than the Sequence. I figured that I'd easily eat through that $100 in less than 6 months of use and after that then the Sequence would ultimately be cheaper to own.

I have no personal experience with Tsunami, but they are know to be fantastic pumps.

At the end of the day, an under water pump will always be quiet because it is--well--under the water. Water muffles sound. You have to expect some sound from an external filter. However, you do have to cover it to protect it from the elements and once you do that, all sound will likely get muted. For example, getting one of those mock rocks to cover it with with eliminate all sound--I've tried it.

 

[DoDad]

Assuming you bought the Ultima II 4000 use a 4000 GPH @ your needed head height which is your vertical head height plus lenth and size of tubing. If you need help with this let me know..

 

[DoDad]

I quit selling the Evolution pumps do to many returns for pump failures, one of my distributors will also stop selling them after the 1st of the year for the same reason.

 

[D&RW]

how about sequence DoDad. do you seel those.

 

[DoDad]

No, I don't seel those but I do sell them.

 

[koikeepr]

You're being a goofy goose, DoDad. LOL!

Interesting news about the Evolutions. I hadn't heard about these failures before. Have they pinpointed what the problem is?

 

[D&RW]

Looking at the Sequence compared to a couple submersibles here's what I find. Anybody have any experience with either the Alpine Cyclone or Atlantic Tidal Wave Pumps??

External pumps:

Sequence 1000 series 5100
watts 293
flow at 8' 4250
flow at 12 ' 3750
Price @ Webbs = 449 w/6 in leaf basket included & free shipping

Sequence 1000 series 6100
watts 366
flow at 8' 5500
flow at 12' 4500
Price 459 w/6 in leaf basket and free shipping

Submersibles:

Alpine Cyclone PAL 6550
watts 500
flow at 10' 4132
Price 199 - 5% plus free shipping

Atlantic Tidal Wave 2 TW 6000
watts 495
flow at 10' 4050
Price 379

Current Pump

Easy Pro 4700 Mag Drive
watts 280
flow at 10 ft 3100
Price around $379

 

[DoDad]

I think I can beat the prices on the sequence pumps.

 

[koikeepr]

I have the Sequence 750 4000 gph pump, so can't comment on the 1000 series. Ask DoDad to check the price on the 750, too, as I think you might find it cheaper. Comes with the the leaf trap, too. Oh, I digress, I can't remember if your situation is gravity fed or not---perhaps the 1000 series is self-priming for your specific sitation?

If you are working with gravity then do check price on 750 series too.

I would not go with a submersible for a bead filter. To me it's sort of like putting a Pinto engine on a Porshe. What the heck is the point? Plus, that higher wattage will only eat up the small savings between that and the externals. In a few months you'll make up the difference in the cost, so just go external dude.

Talk at depth with DoDad about your situation, as he is our resident expert on these supplies and can intimately tell you the pros and cons of each external you are considering. All I can say is that you won't go wrong with a Sequence. I'm sure DoDad will attest to that.

Have you turned on the bead filter yet at all? Am curious to hear what it's doing for you since I plan on getting one too...

 

[DoDad]

I don't know why he's goinhg with the 1000. My 4200 gal pond only uses 750 4200seq pumps. One is for the bead filter and from where the pump sets it's pumping up 7'.

 

[koikeepr]

That's why I mentioned the 750 as a possibility. That's the same one I have. I don't know anything about the 1000....

I will definitely be getting another 750 for my new pond build some day. sigh....

 

[D&RW]

It's really simple ya'll. More flow. Your 750 series is only rated for the same as my Easy Pro. And I've tested the Easy Pro with a water flow meter. It was very close to advertised flow.

You have to move up to the 1000 to get higher flow, the 5100 and 6100 in particular. The Ultima II 4000 recommends a flow rate of 4000 at a head loss of 10 ft. I'm over that @ 13 ft. and the calculated (not measured) flow going into the filter will be about 2040. If I change one fitting, i.e. from straight 90 degree to swept 90 degree (-1.8 head) and eliminate two swept 90s (another 1 head) = appx 10. @ 10 of head the flow into the bead filter would be 3060 calculated. That'd actually be acceptable, BUT the flow out of the bead and to create the flow around the pond will only be about 180 gph calculated!! I doubt it would be that low, but it will be too low. So, I plan to modify the plumbing in the output a bit too, but I need more flow.

 

[koikeepr]

So you're getting inflow of 3060 gph, but outflow of 180 gph? Sheesh, something doesn't sound right. At what point in the plumbing are you calculating the inflow? and are u just using math calculations based on your ells and other twists and turns or are you taking a real live measurement? I can't quite tell based on your answer.

 

[D&RW]

calculations have been based on a submersible pump. Currently the submersible pump would be pushing water to the filter over 16 ft of 2 inch pipe and 5 soft 90s. (used to have one hard 90 which added 1.8) Using the formulas contained in the spreadsheet below

http://garden-pond-filters.com/calculators.htm

it appears the flow INTO the filter will be @ 11.2 ft. of head. this given the specs from EasyPro about their 4700 gph pump translates into 2820 gph. The filter generates between 3-8 ft. of head depending on how dirty. we can use 5.

So flow coming OUT of that filter will be at 960. then it has to go through 3 more soft 90s into a UV filter and then through another two soft 90s to the pond. flow is going to be nil once it gets there.

I haven't known much about external filters. but after consulting a technical expert I was educated that one does not count head coming to the pump. as long as the supply is sufficient to provide the pump with the water it needs, head starts with discharge (just like a submersible, duh).

so if i place the external right next to the filter, the head going in will be only 3 ft. pipe and one soft 90 or 2 ft. the filter adds 3-5 = 7. Then, coming out of the filter there's 4 ft of pipe and 3 soft 90s = 4ft more. So about 11 ft. of head going into the UV.

I don't know how much head the UV generates, but coming out of it to the pond is 9 ft of pipe, 1 soft 90 and a 45 = 6.5 more head. So flow into the piping in the pond = 17 ft. head + UV head.

The sequence 750 4200 is rated for a maximum head of 12 ft. Again I have to think (am I wrong) that the flow into the pond would be very slow, hardly enough to generate a current.