Quickie plumbing question

So I got my testing done. There was little to no drop. It only went up to tenths of an amp. It bounced from .5amps to .6amps full flow and then stood still at .5amps when flow was restricted, to almost no flow. That being said, Powerman was right. There was some type of drop, nothing serious. Almost negligible amount, but over some time it would add up. I still think that some of Powerman's comment were misplaced, and under the wrong application. other just not need. Congratz Powerman, you can now go brag to your friends, if any...

@ Powerman...Your right stating facts doesnt make you an a$$, its comment like the ones above that make you an a$$. The way you communicate (may it just be a weakness of talking over the computer or not) your points makes you an a$$. You put words into my mouth and took things I was saying out of context. It really seemed that you didn't even read what I was say. I may have taken it a little far, the whole girl comment, but you were just as much to blame with how you talked to me. My opinon of you still stands; not that you care, nor do I care. Next time you should watch how you "talk to"/correct people, it was a little offensive. FYI you are just as immature as I... now go ahead say what you want to make your self feel like the bigger man... Nothing can bug me more then the Sharks "performance" last night, just sad.

 

Haha That question wasn't so "quickie" after all.

 

most of it had nothing to do with my main question, that was the frustrating part. But I got it done!

if anyone cares (and i understand why no one does) I just plumbed it straight to the tank, no need for flow control, because i have a drilled tank and 1 1/2" thru hull, which will more then keep up with the amount the pump is going to put up.

 

: I thought you were done with me.

Statements were made in the flow of the thread. I stated facts and information pertinent to that flow of conversation. Takes two to Tango Sport... you seem to enjoy going out of your way to show off your moves. Have a good night.

 

So, it is very conclusive you would say?

Well, this is great news IMHO. Maybe buying such a bigger pump than what I needed is overkill for now, but in the future I'm going to add a manifold with reactors and then It won't be so much of an overkill. Until then, it's a tiny bit comforting to know that I'm saving a tiny bit of power (having to dial back my pump to 15 or 20% of it's full strength). I don't know if it will add up to 40 or 50 bucks, but hey! I would be happy with 20, which is what I usually pay at the LFS for a frag of anything.

The way I look at it is simple, whatever I don't spend in power, I can spend in new frags, media or food for my tank and its inhabitants!

I'm very happy with the conclusion.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge, powerman.
Thanks for the testing suckafishtankcleaner.

- Mag.

 

Thanks Magnus. Nobody has to take my word for it. All one has to do is spend 30 minutes on Google to bring up 1000s of duscussions with someone asserting the same misconceptions and hundreds of those that know what they are talking about clearing them up. This same discussion has taken place 1000s of times on every aquarium board and the out come is always the same.

Reducing power consumption and conserving resources is always a good goal regardless of the personal reasons for it.

To us a extra frag or two is all we need.;D

 

"The second puzzling thing that occurs with variable torque loads is that the motor load actually decreases as the output or input to the blower or pump is blocked off or restricted."

Quoted from:
COWERN PAPERS - FANS, BLOWERS, AND OTHER FUNNY LOADS (pg 41)

http://www.baldor.com/pdf/manuals/PR2525.pdf

 

Let me quote the entire paragraph (formatting added):

"The second puzzling thing that occurs with variable torque loads is that the motor load actually decreases as the output or input to the blower or pump is blocked off or restricted. This would be the situation in Figure 1 as the valve is closed. The reverse of this is that motor load increases dramatically as restrictions are removed. As an example of this, I once had a call from a motor user who had burned out a motor driving a blower on a heating system. The motor was driving a blower that drew air through a filter and fed it to a ducted distribution system. When I asked if there had been any changes in the system he said, “Well, we extended the ducts into another room and cut the end off to let the air flow, but that would have made it easier for the motor not more difficult.” When I told him that the opposite was true he couldn’t believe it.

It defies good judgement to think that adding a restriction to the output of the blower would decrease the motor load. If you don’t believe it, here's a simple test. Take a vacuum cleaner and listen to it carefully while you alternately open and close the suction. At first you might think that the “heavier” noise is the motor straining when the suction is the greatest, but if you listen more carefully you will notice that the pitch of the motor goes up when the suction is closed. What this means is that the load is being reduced on the motor and it speeds up. If you still don’t believe, you can do the same test but with an ammeter on the motor. What you will find is that the amps drop as the suction level is increased.

The same is true of centrifugal pumps. Closing down or restricting the output causes the pump to draw less mechanical power. Another way of looking at this is when the output of a centrifugal pump or a squirrel cage blower is closed off the air or fluid inside the housing becomes a “liquid flywheel”. It just spins around with the vanes of the pump or blower. Since there is no new fluid coming in to be accelerated, the only energy needed is what it takes to make up for the friction losses within the housing of the pump or blower. It doesn’t seem to make sense, but that’s the way it is!"

 

One thing I do want to correct is my example I gave is wrong. AZDesertRat corrected me but it sort of went in one eye and out the other. But it didn't sit right with me.

My example is wrong for the very reasons I have pointed out. Max cutoff hieght is not max power because no water is moving and is the same as a closed discharge valve.

I don't usually deal with pumps not moving water due to max head, but in this area with us using pumps with low head pressures it is important to point out the correction. Choose pumps to providing required flow at the head we have is an important consideration.