Reeflo hammerhead gold pump set up

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wednesday13

wednesday13

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Mar 2, 2008
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So this is the first non submersible and largest pump ive ever owned. Got a good deal on it new in the box and will be using it for a 3,000 gallon. I know its not much for 3k gallons but its a start. Is there any way i can run an overhead sump without drilling the tank? Will the pump draw water through if its above the water line? Maybe a stupid question just sorting out my options for it. I'd rather not put any more holes through my pondliner tank than i have too.

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No, you need to have a constant supply of water to the pump. It will not be very effective at drawing water from the tank.
 
it needs to be gravity fed more or less, Drill the setup and do it right, dont want to damage that nice pump now its in your hands. Metal monster should be fine with a bulk head or 5 in it to move water around.
 
You can do what you proposed but there would be additional head loss from the way it needs to be plumbed. The hammerhead should be able to handle it though.

You could have the pump on a stand just below the bottom of the tank. Pump intake could go up and over the side of the tank but must have a Tee on the intake line for initial priming to get the water up and over the tank edge before starting the pump.

Hope this pic I drew up real quick helps visualize.

wed13OHFpic.jpg
 
Thanks everyone for the advice and also the drawing reedmaster. Nice to know i can go either way with the setup. I really like the pictured drawing but am worried about headloss. I've read you can also gain gph/siphon when water is travelig in the down pipe to the pump. I probably need all of the proposed 5,000 gph i can get tho. I imagine it may end up being the same either way as the tank is 4ft. tall plus an additional couple feet to travel to an overhead sump box. I know its probably ideal to place the intake at the bottom of the tank for debris but i just cant get past a plumbing failure, it will happen eventually. Maybe my best bet is to drill 2ft. up from the bottom of the tank and place the pump there. That leaves around 1500 or less gallons for my sump pump to take care of if/when failure happens. Do you guys prefer to use teflon tape for seals straight out of the pump or pvc glue?
 
Im with you on staying away from additional holes in the liner although alot of koi guys have techniques that produce a solid bulkhead seal if done right. I just would have trouble turning a nice new drop in liner into swiss cheese and potentially having a small leak.

The hammerhead is a low/med pressure pump and should be able to handle the additional head from pulling water up and over the side of the tank.

In this scenario the best way to reduce total dynamic head loss in the above plumbing diagram is to keep the static discharge head low (vertical from pump outlet to the discharge end of the pipe). So if the tank is 4ft tall then have the pump at a similar height as it is in the drawing above.

Best thing to do is measure out all the pipe, fittings, valves etc and get an estimated total dynamic head loss calculation. Then if the flow rate is too low for your liking do the same measurements and calculations for head loss if you plumbed it by drilling the tank and compare the two. See if the additional flow is worth it to drill the liner in your application. It seems annoying but its much easier to make a decision based on solid numbers than estimating. I am finally wrapping up my new 700g soon after 6 months of building/planning/calculating so alot of this is still fresh in my mind haha.
Reed
 
Thanks again reed for all ur info. We def. Feel the same way about the liner. I'm already worried about using 3 windows let alone swiss cheesein more holes in the $350 liner. I think im pretty set on putting the pump 2ft. Off the ground and drilling there also. This would give the shortest amount of PVC and the highest GPH in theory. It also allows the tank to be worked on without moving fish if there is a plumbing failure. My second idea is to just drill 6 holes 6" from the top for drains and use the pump in a "normal" sump style fashion on the ground, then return it to the overhead box. Second idea would have a lower flow rate but more filtration? Debte never ends lol

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I suppose my sealant would also work for the bulkheads. Gold Label aquarium and pond sealer sticks to acrylic so it will most def stick to the bulkhead. I still dont like the idea of even one more hole in the liner but i guess i dont have much choice. This is a very low budget setup and i gotta work with what i got. I have a hot tub pump and blower i planned on using but its wired for 220 line. I figured the Reeflo would draw less electricity. Do you guys think the Reeflo will even handle the 3K gallons? Double turn over rate at best but im thinking the slower rate through the plant filter may actually benifit the water quality.
 
Not sure what bulkheads you are planning to use when going through the liner but these are highly recommended by some of the koi pond guys for through liner installation

http://www.dreampond.com/flanged-connector-2-sxs.html


Also a good relatively cheap sealant for the bulkhead above is 3m's-5200 Marine Grade sealant, should be available at HD.

I have never built or planned out anything near 3,000gal but with that much water volume the turnover rate becomes less of an issue. Depending on stocking density and filtration design 1-2x turnover per hour can certainly be sufficient.
 
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