Setting up 700 gallon can't decide on going pressurized or good old wet/dry

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Great discussion...im using one of my overflows right now to run my filter in line. One of my overflows has always been more dependent so I used that one. Only downside is that im temporarily using a 300 gph sump pump on the other side so when backflushing the water level doesnt always keep up so I turn the in line pump off for a second to let the in line overflow fill more. I dont think the overflow would work as well if it was only a inline system because of the lack to control water level.

The pumps are definitely different. My sand filter has run great with a pond pump it just works at a lower pressure. If you used a pool pump you could probably get away with back flushing every 6 months, maybe even longer.

Ive never opened my filter but I really want to now to see if theres any caking or anything. I also want to experiment with different media, different sizes, a combination, etc. Ive ran canisters packed with only bio balls for long periods of time and they rinsed off easily. No reason why they wouldnt work similar to other plastic media used in sand filters. Maybe sand with the bioballs? Idk but I have all sorts of media to try out in it and I can keep the sand in my sump while im trying the others. I do want my water staying crystal clear and the sand keeps it that way.
 
I just checked out some of those Hayward systems.. the pumps they come with are either 1HP or 1.5 HP... these are MASSIVE pumps. You're talking many times the electricty of Reeflo's largest certrifical pump, the Hammerhead. 3 AMPs versus 15-20 AMPS.

If you're not running run of these types of pumps on a sand filter you're probably not getting even 10% of the filters capabilities. From Haywards documentation... its time to clean the filter when it gains 10PSI in a day! Reeflo certrifical pumps I don't believe can even generate 10PSI in the first place. They just suck (reverse pun intended) for high resistant applications... just a simple single filter sock will stop one of these pumps after a week in use.
 
spiff44 said:
I just checked out some of those Hayward systems.. the pumps they come with are either 1HP or 1.5 HP... these are MASSIVE pumps. You're talking many times the electricty of Reeflo's largest certrifical pump, the Hammerhead. 3 AMPs versus 15-20 AMPS.

If you're not running run of these types of pumps on a sand filter you're probably not getting even 10% of the filters capabilities. From Haywards documentation... its time to clean the filter when it gains 10PSI in a day! Reeflo certrifical pumps I don't believe can even generate 10PSI in the first place. They just suck (reverse pun intended) for high resistant applications... just a simple single filter sock will stop one of these pumps after a week in use.
Click to expand...

I love how they have a pressure gauge and like you said the pressure stays way lower than what the filter is capable off. Its hard to say because the filter works so well at low pressure but with the pool pump you could probably pack more debris than 50-100 filter socks, really. The gauge is accurate, you can really fine tune the setup and once you get a feel for the range you know when to back flush. This is how I know that it runs better in line vs sump pump, back flushes way easier with way less water when you run an air line to the intake, etc. I can back flush it as well with the air line and 50 gallons as 2-300 gallons of water alone....also why in hindsight I would have gone with 2400 instead of the 1800 mag drive.
 
Trying to compare...
Ultima recommends a 1000 gph pump at 10' head for the 1000 which is a 14" round filter
Mine is a 16" round filter and my pump is rated around 900 gph at 10'
The media could def make a difference along w/ the overall size
Do the fish/pond filters not have pressure gauges? What pressures are yall generating?
 
The most relevant data is flow and head... this lets you know the usefulness of the pump. But it can be confusing.. its like the difference between horsepower and torque. You can have two 80 HP motors... one can barely move a Honda civic.. the other can move dump truck in the case of a high torque diesel.

Likewise, you can have 2 pumps, say rated at 1000GPH.. but the certrifical one would have a weak head.. of say 10-15 feet, the displacement pump could be as high as 70ft head. This is the power needed in high resistant applications like closed in filter socks and sand canisters.

My Ultima's have a gauge, yes. but as you noted they're pretty useless. PSI is so low it doesn't even register unless I let it stay dirty for months. Even then we're talking around 2-5PSI. On a pool filter when they say a 10PSI gain in a day is an indication to clean.. much more useful.
 
Cool, my setup runs in the 1-5 psi range. When using water only to back flush I could only get it down to 2 psi, with air and water right below 1 psi. Now that its plumbed in line it gets up to 5 so far, before it never got more than 3.5 psi but Ive really never tried to max it out, its so easy to backfush I don't think I've ever waited more than a few weeks. I can tell that the flow has decreased some because it will take a little longer to clear the water after a big feeding but it always ends up polished. Thx!
 
Wow guys so much good info ,,, I can't wait to get mine up uan running ,,, I juts guy back from a 10 hour round trip picking it up still siting on my 20' trailer ,,,makes sense about the volume vs horsepower and gph ratings ,,, I bought the ultima 2000 ,,,, my recomended flow is 2000gph at 10' head but I have my pipes going inside my interior wall into the atack across two small rooms then down in the garage and back the same way that's why I think I'll need a primer pump under my tank to get it started when I shut it of then switch over the bypass line and let the large garage pump do the rest it's gonna have to be pretty big I'll just have to do the math ,,,I have 4-2" BH holes and I only ran 1.5 up and down to the garage and back but it's only 700 gallons ,,,️Iam thinking this one filter with the giant uv is enough i hope ️Iam Gonna put some monster fish in it for sure with peacock bass / Rays and one gigga
 
Are you planning on running the UV sterilizer in tandem with your Ultima? It can be done, but will be most effective if you get a UV sterilizer with a recommended flow rate similar to that of the Ultima. For a higher flow rate, you will need a UV with more wattage. If you don't go in tandem with the Ultima, you can get by with a little less wattage.

Here's a very useful chart taken from a definitive article on UV sterilization

UV_zpstr2sjfrl.jpg

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html
 
Can anyone recommend a pump for my Ultima 2 1000. It's calling for 1000 GPH at 10 ft of head. I'm having trouble finding one that meets those requirements. 1 1/2" supply and returns on the filter. Preferably a quiet one as it's in my living room.
Thanks, John

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