External pump capable of being mounted on wall?

I'm looking to get a new external pump for my 56 tall tank. I'm trying to knockout a couple problems with this in one shot. Wanting to get an external pump to help reduce heat & my current pump just doesn't have the power to do what it needs. So I have my sump which takes up every inch & I'm wondering if I can just mount the pump on my cabinet wall under the tank? I don't know if having a mag pump operating on its side would cause any bearing damage or whatever? I'm also gonna use this pump to operate my aqua urchin skimmer & flow to my fuge. I know I could probably build a shelf for it to sit flat on but is like to utilize some wall space if possible.

 

Unless specifically warned against by the manufacturer I don't see a problem. I would put a 1/4" piece of rubber under the mounting bracket to dampen vibrations.

 

I'd be really concerned with vibration if the pump is mounted on the cabinet wall. I've had pump vibration affect fish negatively in the past.

If you try this, I'd use Sorbothane hemispheres between the pump and the cabinet...the stuff is second to none in terms of dampening vibration. I've found rubber to be lacking, but even the Sorbothane may not be enuff. You might also consider adding some rubber grommets to the mounting holes on the pump to try and isolate the screws.

 

Thanks guys. I wasn't sure about the vibration either. Luckily I don't have any fish in my tank. It's just a reef tank do far. But I'll try the stuff you mentioned Greg. Can I buy it at maybe lowes? I'll come up with a way to dampen it. Maybe attach a piece of sorbothane to the wall & pump & place a piece of wood between two sorbothanes. Plus around the screws.

 

Is the sump drilled for the pump intake?
Centrifugal aquarium pumps do not suck or lift water and are not self priming so the pump would need to be mounted at floor level or at least below the water level in the sump so it has what is called a "flooded suction". Some attempt an up and over type suction without drilling the sump but this is very risky and often leads to a burnt up pump when it breaks suction and overheats.

 

Does anyone know what pumps have the best rep for being smooth or quiet? If this don't work then I'll see about building a bracket to attach to the wall & floor through the opening in the back. This way pump can still be close inside without any extra angles to slow flow. Hmm, maybe this is just the better idea anyways.

 

Look into the Reeflo Blowhole pumps.

 

You may not gain anything as far as heat generation. True extrenal pumps are fan cooled and need sufficient room for air flow around the motor for cooling, placing in in back or tight quarters may not give the airflow it needs.
Pumps that can be either submerged or external may be the better choice since they rely mostly on the product being pumped circulating inside passages in the motor for cooling so heat gain would be the same but you would recover the room in your sump so some benefit. Again though, the pump would have to be mounted so the suction is flooded for reliable performance.

For true external Iwaki is popular as is PanWorld among others. For a pump that is cooled internally I recently switched to a Water Blaster HY-5000 from Eheims and Ocean Runners and have been extremely impressed. The build quality is excellent, it is very quiet, draws much less power than the others and generates little heat.

 

I used to use the pan works pump on an old 265 & it worked great. But I think it did get really warm & thought was with plenty of room. I figure that I'm still gonna lose heat because I'm eliminating my skimmer pump & another small pump that flows to the fuge. Even if I go with an external water cooled pump, I should still be running a bit cooler & much more room. A quiet pump is something I'm deff looking for since the tank is in my bedroom.
I'm still considering mounting pump over water & using a check valve. Cause I'm guessing if others who done this lost pumps then it could of been from a power glitch that cause pump to shut down & lose suction. But the pump might need primed every time it loses suction. So a check valve before pump should eliminate that problem. But if the eheim pump is a lil pricey then it's going on the floor behind stand. Not gonna take a gamble with that. Deff gonna check into them pumps. Thanks.