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Small submersible pump, low GPH, but with 8' + head height?

2K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Linwood 
#1 ·
For changing water i have been using a $15 +/- submersible pump. Stick it in a container with no hose it circulates and mixes water. Put a 1/2" hose on and it lifts the water into the tank nicely, except for the last few cups I pour in.

Except.... new tank is at 6' or so, and the lift of this pump is about 5'. For small containers I put them on a stool, but for my big 65G tank...

Any recommendations for cheap replacements? I keep seeing people say they use power heads, but I don't see how that would work. I've been looking at pond pumps, but most are either very small head height, or both very pricey and a lot of gph (I don't want a great deal of flow putting water back into a tank, slow is fine).
 
#3 ·
I use RODI water.

Getting water out of the tank is no issue, it's down hill. I just siphon with a garden hose into the back yard.

Getting water mixed in a storage container on the floor up to the new tank is a pain. What I did last time was pump it down to about 18" or so (it would pump that far), then I pumped the rest into 5G buckets, put them on a stool and pumped up to the tank. I.e. a pain.

I can find pumps that will work, they are all just expensive as they seem to mate higher head pressure with higher gph.
 
#5 ·
This is the pump I use, only 4 feet head.....
...
.....could you use 2? Pump to a stand you make at 3 feet and then out of there with a second pump to the tank. You are correct - REAL pumps are $$$$$$
Yeah, not so much. Without feedback (float valve, something) one of them is going to over-run the other, and either burn up the intermediate pump or flood.

See... pumping at (say) 150 gph from a 65 gallon tank, I really don't want to stand there the whole time. :eek:

I keep doing the math of a 65G tank and sitting it up on table or something, and have visions of a real mess when it breaks (it's a long tank like would go on a truck bed, not a tall drum).

I'm going to keep looking. There must be something cheap that has low flow and high head. So far all high head are high flow (and thus really big pumps), but the two aren't necessarily related. Just easier to make if they are I guess.
 
#6 ·
Maxi-Jet pro 3 in1 pump at Doctors Foster and Smith 1200 pro model 295 GPH $25.00 6 foot max head height.
In power head mode,you could hook hose onto the suction side of the unit then place the hose in the tub and place the powerhead in the aquarium.
Don't need to stand there while tank is filling, but trust me..it ain't a good idea to stray far while the aquarium is filling.
Been there,done that.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, that won't work I suspect, the top of the tank is at 6', so it's going to be at the max height. I think they quote max height as the point at which it falls to zero flow, right?

And I don't go far, but I bore easily.

You should have seen the morning I woke to the storage tank having a leak after making RODI water all night. :eek5:
 
#8 ·
Well, looks like "cheap" and "lift" don't go together.

I have a new idea, wondered if anyone has tried -- bilge pumps? Many of them lift at least 8' or so. I have at least one old one sitting around. It's 12V but a connector and one of the bazillion bricks I have lying around.

Going to give it a try when I get some time, but wondered if anyone has tried them.

One nice thing is some (most?) are made so they don't get damaged if they run dry.
 
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