So is the AC110 428 GPH or 500 GPH??
- Thread starter tcarswell
- Start date
Most manufactures list “max flow rate” as rating of the pump with zero restriction…
Some manufacturers also use a “with media” claim that is grossly exaggerated… as they do not factor in common/typical/any head pressure, consider only brand spanking new media and very likely do not pack it nearly as tightly as we do for healthy filtration…
Regarding the AC110 specifically… the motor is rated for 500 gph with zero restriction… It is useless to suggest what an actual flow rate may be as how we fill it with media, how often we clean the media and if the intake tube has anything stuck to/clogging it will greatly alter the actual flow rates…
Canister filters will vary even more so than HOBs. This is because media options are far more diverse, head pressure varies, bends in tubes vary, etc, etc, etc…
Suggesting canister filters need less gph/turnover is misleading… Mechanical filtration is mostly determined by the filters ability to move waste into the intake, which is fully dependant on gph/turnover. Avoiding dead spots is another critical aspect of filtration that is quite dependant on gph/turnover. Most canisters do have a larger bio housing than most HOBs… but first consider, A) does the system in general lack a sufficient amount of surfaces for bacteria to grow on (unlikely) and B) Does the canister filter offer oxygen enriched media/water to best utilize the additional “bio area”.
The above is not to suggest HOBs are better filtration… but is only to explain that suggesting canister filters need less gph/turnover is not in and of itself a true statement. Many details need to be considered and depending on such details that statement may or may not be true.
Some manufacturers also use a “with media” claim that is grossly exaggerated… as they do not factor in common/typical/any head pressure, consider only brand spanking new media and very likely do not pack it nearly as tightly as we do for healthy filtration…
Regarding the AC110 specifically… the motor is rated for 500 gph with zero restriction… It is useless to suggest what an actual flow rate may be as how we fill it with media, how often we clean the media and if the intake tube has anything stuck to/clogging it will greatly alter the actual flow rates…
Canister filters will vary even more so than HOBs. This is because media options are far more diverse, head pressure varies, bends in tubes vary, etc, etc, etc…
Suggesting canister filters need less gph/turnover is misleading… Mechanical filtration is mostly determined by the filters ability to move waste into the intake, which is fully dependant on gph/turnover. Avoiding dead spots is another critical aspect of filtration that is quite dependant on gph/turnover. Most canisters do have a larger bio housing than most HOBs… but first consider, A) does the system in general lack a sufficient amount of surfaces for bacteria to grow on (unlikely) and B) Does the canister filter offer oxygen enriched media/water to best utilize the additional “bio area”.
The above is not to suggest HOBs are better filtration… but is only to explain that suggesting canister filters need less gph/turnover is not in and of itself a true statement. Many details need to be considered and depending on such details that statement may or may not be true.
