Pump types - noise v. electricity v. capability? - 08/31/19 11:49 AM
My 0.4A, 12' max depth, 7' average depth pond in southern Indiana is starting to fill. I want to get aeration in while water is only 18" or so max depth. I could buy a kit for more money, but like the DIY aspect of installing myself (and figuring it out with a little help from my PondBoss friends!).
My biggest limitation to system design is electricity. The only electricity at the pond site is via off-grid solar on my barn. I currently have 600w of PV with 600w more PV ready to install, going to four 215AH 6V GC2 golf cart batteries in series and a 24V inverter charger, basically giving me 2500 watts of usable power from fully charged to 50% discharged. Due to some other draws, I'd really only have about 1800 watts available. This is important as I note many people aerate overnight in the summer to avoid superheating the BOW's depths.
I am planning to run about 200' of buriable 12/2 UF-B Romex from the load center in the barn to the dock and place an outlet there, and mount the pump in a small homemade enclosure with cooling fan to both protect from elements and minimize noise while running.
The dock is on the eastern bank of my pond, which is kidney shaped and oriented east to west. I'm planning two Matala diffusers, one on a 70-100' line and another on a 150-200' line. Planning to elevate my diffusers via either riser or concrete block stack to 10' depth at full pool. Between two diffusers, two lines of 300' total 1/2" hose, and depth of 10' I figure an operating PSI between 5.5 and 6.
All that gets me to pump selection. I'm considering the following options:
*Hakko 120LH diaphragm pump (rated 2.3CFM @ 6PSI, 126W @ 2.84PSI)
*Matala MPC-60C 1/4hp rocking piston pump (rated 3.25CFM @ 10PSI, 339W @ 20PSI)
*Gast 0523 (rated 3.6CFM @ 10PSI, 575W based upon Quarter Acre's reports here of his pump)
The Hakko diaphragm pump is clearly the most energy efficient, has a 3 year warranty, and specs better in terms of PSI and CFM than a Hiblow 120. It is also the quietest pump by FAR, but while the math all seems to add up for two 9" diffusers I know I'd be asking a lot of this pump. Based on what I've heard directly from Hiblow (a different manufacturer, but still...) I have reason to believe running 6 hours a day at 6PSI would not reduce its overall lifespan.
The Matala rocking piston provides excellent pressure capability, allowing me to use 3/8" weighted line Matala includes in a kit without excessive backpressure, saving money (estimate 7.5-8PSI with 3/8" line). It also puts out enough CFMs for two 12" diffusers, which would increase lift and shorten run time for a complete turnover of the BOW. I could also run this pump for up to 5 hours without overly depleting my battery bank. My biggest concern with this pump is noise.
The Gast 0523 seems to be a favored pump here; it has sufficient PSI for my BOW and puts out plenty of air for two 12" diffusers, also decreasing run time for turnover. I'm a little concerned about noise on this pump (Quarter Acre referred to his as a loud vacuum cleaner) but a lot more concerned about electricity consumption as I'd only have 3 hours of runtime.
So, these are my considerations...and the electricity consumption is a hard fast limitation. With that in mind, thoughts from those who have BTDT?
My biggest limitation to system design is electricity. The only electricity at the pond site is via off-grid solar on my barn. I currently have 600w of PV with 600w more PV ready to install, going to four 215AH 6V GC2 golf cart batteries in series and a 24V inverter charger, basically giving me 2500 watts of usable power from fully charged to 50% discharged. Due to some other draws, I'd really only have about 1800 watts available. This is important as I note many people aerate overnight in the summer to avoid superheating the BOW's depths.
I am planning to run about 200' of buriable 12/2 UF-B Romex from the load center in the barn to the dock and place an outlet there, and mount the pump in a small homemade enclosure with cooling fan to both protect from elements and minimize noise while running.
The dock is on the eastern bank of my pond, which is kidney shaped and oriented east to west. I'm planning two Matala diffusers, one on a 70-100' line and another on a 150-200' line. Planning to elevate my diffusers via either riser or concrete block stack to 10' depth at full pool. Between two diffusers, two lines of 300' total 1/2" hose, and depth of 10' I figure an operating PSI between 5.5 and 6.
All that gets me to pump selection. I'm considering the following options:
*Hakko 120LH diaphragm pump (rated 2.3CFM @ 6PSI, 126W @ 2.84PSI)
*Matala MPC-60C 1/4hp rocking piston pump (rated 3.25CFM @ 10PSI, 339W @ 20PSI)
*Gast 0523 (rated 3.6CFM @ 10PSI, 575W based upon Quarter Acre's reports here of his pump)
The Hakko diaphragm pump is clearly the most energy efficient, has a 3 year warranty, and specs better in terms of PSI and CFM than a Hiblow 120. It is also the quietest pump by FAR, but while the math all seems to add up for two 9" diffusers I know I'd be asking a lot of this pump. Based on what I've heard directly from Hiblow (a different manufacturer, but still...) I have reason to believe running 6 hours a day at 6PSI would not reduce its overall lifespan.
The Matala rocking piston provides excellent pressure capability, allowing me to use 3/8" weighted line Matala includes in a kit without excessive backpressure, saving money (estimate 7.5-8PSI with 3/8" line). It also puts out enough CFMs for two 12" diffusers, which would increase lift and shorten run time for a complete turnover of the BOW. I could also run this pump for up to 5 hours without overly depleting my battery bank. My biggest concern with this pump is noise.
The Gast 0523 seems to be a favored pump here; it has sufficient PSI for my BOW and puts out plenty of air for two 12" diffusers, also decreasing run time for turnover. I'm a little concerned about noise on this pump (Quarter Acre referred to his as a loud vacuum cleaner) but a lot more concerned about electricity consumption as I'd only have 3 hours of runtime.
So, these are my considerations...and the electricity consumption is a hard fast limitation. With that in mind, thoughts from those who have BTDT?