Rio hyper flow?

[Kenfuzed]

Anyone using one of these Rio Hyper Flow pumps? I'm looking for a low wattage, low heat pump as part of a refugium return. I found a listing for these pumps:

Rio 17HF, 840 gph @ 4', 55 watts
Rio 20HF, 990 gph @ 4', 60 watts
Rio 26HF, 1350 gph @ 4', 100 watts

Compared to:
Mag 9.5, 800 gph @ 4', 93 watts
Iwaki 30, 900 gph @ 4', 125 watts

I'm currently using the Iwaki 30 but it seems that both the 20 HF and 26HF would perform better with still less wattage.

[jbphoenix]

Most people don't like Taam Rio pumps (except Seios) in general because of the failure rate, but I have two 2500's that I have had since 2000 and they are still working.


-Jerry

[jgsensor]

I run 3 of the 20HF and 1 26HF currently. Great flow rate and no problems so far after about 6 months run time. The only down side is they place heat into the water like every other submersible pump. The 26HF is a little on the noisy side also, but not too bad.

[spazz]

you might want to look into the new sequence pumps. they are alot lower wattage than iswaki and twice the flow. you can get a dart pump that puts out 3600gph and uses 140 watts. thats alot of flow for the money. there new series of pumps are smaller but im not sure on the wattages of them.

[AZDesertRat]

My 26 HF slowed down after a week or two and required constant cleaning of the magnet and cavity. Tolerances are much too tight and anything at all seems to slow the rotational speed and produce less flow. Anybody else seen this?
Look at Ocean Runner pumps, very efficient and run quiet and cool.

[wrassie86]

I have a 20HF and a 26HF as my return.I like them very much.Altho i had a problem with my 26HF shaft breaking.and destroying the pump.I sent them a nice quiet pump and got back a noisey one that works great.I'm not sure what there doing with shafts.my defective shaft was 1/2ceramic and 1/2 titanuim i think.the shaft in the new pump is just ceramic.

[Kenfuzed]

Originally posted by spazz
you might want to look into the new sequence pumps. they are alot lower wattage than iswaki and twice the flow. you can get a dart pump that puts out 3600gph and uses 140 watts. thats alot of flow for the money. there new series of pumps are smaller but im not sure on the wattages of them. I'm actually already running a Sequence Uno Tarpon pump as my closed loop. Trying to keep my refugium flow down in the 1200 to 1400 gph range while utilizing a 2 pump return.

There is actually a method to my madness. By using 2 lower wattage pumps I can connect one to my UPS power backup. That way when I get a power outage (which seems to happen often in my area) I can have partial flow. Attaching a higher wattage pump to my UPS will only give me about 15-20 minutes backup, whereas I can run the 20HF pump for over an hour. The 20HF only uses 60w.

The second pump is a GRI 1111 (510) and uses approx 55 watts. The 2 pumps combined will give me a return rate of approx 1400 gph @ 115 watts after head loss. This compared to the current Iwaki that returns 850 gph @ 125 watts. I'm gaining 550 gph while reducing my wattage by 10.

[NormanB]

How are the hyper flows for heat exchange to the water? Can they be run internal and external? I have a T-3 that runs way to hot for my liking.

[Kenfuzed]

From what I've been told, the HF pumps run fairly cool. Then again, I think just about anything runs cooler than the T3/T4 pumps.

The 20HF arrives today and I'll let everyone know how it runs.

[NormanB]

Sounds good. How do you plan on plumbing yours?

[Kenfuzed]

I'm using 1" vinyl tubing that leads to a SQWD. The GRI pump leads directly back to the tank.

[NormanB]

Will it be in the sump or out? Thanks

[jda]

Originally posted by Kenfuzed
There is actually a method to my madness. By using 2 lower wattage pumps I can connect one to my UPS power backup. That way when I get a power outage (which seems to happen often in my area) I can have partial flow. Attaching a higher wattage pump to my UPS will only give me about 15-20 minutes backup, whereas I can run the 20HF pump for over an hour. The 20HF only uses 60w.


If this is what you are after, try Eheim. They are expensive, but solid as a rock. Low wattage too.

[Kenfuzed]

Originally posted by jda
If this is what you are after, try Eheim. They are expensive, but solid as a rock. Low wattage too. I looked at the Eheim pumps, but the closest thing in wattage was the model 1260. At 65w and max flow of 635 it only produces half the GPH as the 20HF.

Originally posted by NormanB
Will it be in the sump or out? Thanks Yes, it is going in the sump.

Well the pump arrived yesterday and I hooked it up. I've been in this hobby for a long time and used every piece of equipment imaginable. I have to say that I'm impressed with this pump. I confess to be a former Rio skeptic but this pump is very different. It appears to be built in the same style as the Seio pumps which have done well for me.

I ran the pump in a container for an hour just to compare to a Mag 9 pump. Not only does it have better flow at less wattage, but runs cooler and quieter. The container of water when tested with the Mag pump increased in temperature by 1 degree over one hour. The same test using the hyper flow pump did not produce any detectable temperature change. Both tests were done simultaneously in two 5 gallon buckets of tank water, with a starting temperature of 78*. This way both tests were performed with identical room temperatures.

Once installed in my sump, the pump performed better than I had originally calculated. I soon realized that this pump could meet the demands of my refugium without the additional GRI pump installed. Rio pumps have had a bad rep for a while and for good reason. I'm hoping that these Hyper flow pumps will change that and more people will begin to trust them.

[AZDesertRat]

Watch your flow rate and see if it declines like mine did. I was initially happy with my 26 but within a couple of weeks it seemed like the flow was cut in half. I disassembled and cleaned it with vinegar and it did the same thing again. I think the tolerances between the magnet or impeller and pump housing are too tight and don't allow it to turn at full speed once it gets a slight slime coating on it.
I finally replaced it with another Ocean Runner 3500.

[jda]

Do you have a watt meter? I would like to know how many actual watts thost things use. Most every pump that I have ever tested was above what they advertised except for eheim and ampmaster. Mags were considerably higher.

[wrassie86]

Also,when you plug them in make sure there running at full speed.Ive had mine for a year now and sometimes they start up at 1/2 speed.i just unplug and plug back in then there fine.the 3 ive had have all done this.My 26hf did this striaght out of the box.boy was i dissapointed.But then i gave it another try in the tub.And it dang near flooded my bathroom :lol:

[Kenfuzed]

I didn't notice any change in speed each time I plugged it in. I'll keep an eye on this pump and see if it experiences any problems slowing down.

Also, I've never tried Ocean Runner pumps as mentioned by AZDesertRat but I'd be interested in getting any specs on that pump (wattage, flow, head loss).

[AZDesertRat]

www.customaquatic.com is your best source for Ocean Runners. I have the 2500 on my Turboflotor and a 3500 for my return and they are great.

[imbuggin]

do a search on RIO's and than NEVER use one except to mix new saltwater. They have wiped out many tanks here on RC. I personally have been shocked a few times in the past from rio's. Spend the extra money as to not put your entire tank at risk. My 2 cents

[Kenfuzed]

I too have had bad experiences with regular Rio pumps, but the Seio pumps have been great. I am hoping the the HF pumps will do as well as the Seios.

[AZDesertRat]

The Seio and Hyperflows are in no way similar to the older style Rios. I love my 2 Seios and if I could figure out why the HF26 production rate slows I would like it too. Initially it really kicked out some water.

[imbuggin]

Originally posted by AZDesertRat
The Seio and Hyperflows are in no way similar to the older style Rios. I love my 2 Seios and if I could figure out why the HF26 production rate slows I would like it too. Initially it really kicked out some water.

There was a thread in the past of people who had the seio's and tunze streams. They all said the seio were not even in the same league. But here he is looking for little flow so a stream is not the answer. I have never owned any of rio's new products so can't speak to them. I can speak as to the company itself and still say never use one. They had know problems with their pumps that included fires and wiping out people's tanks out. They did nothing about it untill they were basically forced to by the reef community.