lets talk airpumps

[ihaveworms]

there are so many different opinions when it comes to this...

this is all IMO- and would love to hear feedback, additions, comparisons, do's/don'ts, etc...

now, once upon a time when i was new to growing DWC- and did what most people did and went to wally world and bought a few of there dual outlet airpumps for a fairly cheap price (under 20 bucks a piece)

- now, these things will run till today if i were to use them, as they are pretty rugged, but i have heard others say that the newer ones were junk.. etc... but they are an easy startup...

- also used the dual diaph. pump from GH... worked great for about 8 months and then the diaphragm's ripped and had to get a rebuild... but i got to thinking that GH is a kinda name brand.. and air pumps are used for many different things..... so i searched around..

- i decide to try out a dolphin AV-50 which was about 25 bucks more expensive than the GH- and came with a 12 outlet barb... and ran great.. and well past the GH .. not to mention the diaphragm rebuild kit was cheaper than the GH pump...

- well after i moved on.. i decided to try a oilless piston driven pump.. which are quite pricey... after research and reading.. i decided to try out the sweetwater sl-44 which is a very pricey air pump... but damn... this thing was a monster.. and help up to its name.. and came with a 3 year full warranty...

during these times.. many factors do come into play.. mainly airstones... !! if they clog- they cause back pressure which could cause the airpump to blow warmer air ... thus warming up your nut mix... so make sure stones are worth a damn, or be willing to switch them out and fix on a daily or weekly interval..

i am talking air pumps in this thread.. as recirc. blowers are much more upscale and for larger setups... so that is another post.. but i will say this:

air pump and stones make a huge huge difference.. as i started with the wally world setup and 1" blue stones.. but did notice dead spots/ mushy area's on the main rootball of the plant due to inaccurate air supply etc....

don't be afraid to get that water moving..as it will not only provide air, but keep that nute mix from become stagnant and throwing other levels off.. make it froth at the top of the water.. and your ladies will reward you...

plz post your experiences with your pumps and let others learn...

take care

worms

[ihaveworms]

here are the specs

dolphin av-50
Features:
• Total output of 50 liters / minute
• Commercial Grade Oil Free pump design will provide years of trouble free service
• Indoor/Outdoor use with 20' grounded electrical cord
• Pressure output of .04 Mpa and operates to a depth of 15 feet
• 115v/40watt motor with 20 foot grounded electrical cord

GH dual diaphragm
• Four Independent Valves/Outputs
• High Efficiency
Power Supply - AC 120V, 60Hz
Power Consumption - 8 Watts
Maximum Capacity - 394 GPH/ 24,860 cc/min
Connection Ports - 4, 1/4" Air Lines

Sweetwater SL44 Linear Air Pump, 3.0 cfm @ 2psi, 92W.

For energy efficiency and quiet operation, nothing comes closer to Sweetwater line of linear air pumps. These are real, piston driven linear pumps, not "diaphragm" linear pumps. Since the only moving part - the piston - floats on a bed of air, an exceptionally long service life can be expected, along with quiet operation and an energy-efficient supply of oil-free air. An outdoor-rated housing, a 3-prong grounded power cord, 1/2" MNPT flex outlet and 115V/60Hz are all standard (add "H" after the part number for 220V/50Hz). UL-listed, 3-year warranty.

just some specs..

worms

[ntstephenson]

I have an aerobic septic system that uses a sweetwater air pump. It's been running for over five years without a hitch.

[Old Toby]

Sounds like a great pump. You are right about the backpressure adding heat. I think that is a commonly overlooked issue. Once you buy 10 of those $25 wally world pumps, you see the wisdom in the high end pumps. Reliability is a HUGE value and the wonderful performance make you wonder why you ever used the cheapos. If you can get the pumps in a cool location, the rez temp won't be any issue.

[c-ray]

here's a couple of awesome pumps, rock solid and oh so quiet:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/6575/cid/1793


These large-size air pumps have aluminum covers and internal noise-absorbers. Although the pump housings are waterproof and designed for outdoor use, the pump is not UL-listed. Pumps include 6' power cord, 1/4" hose barb, flexible outlet adapter, and outlet adapter to aquarium tubing (3/16"). Six-month warranty, 115V/60 Hz. Imported. Case quantity is 12.


for further clarification, these airpumps are 25 and 50 watts, so they are pretty powerful units...

[BlueCelisWhite1]

C-TEC makes hands down IMHO the best dual outlet aquarium pumps.

Awhile back I graduated to the larger piston pump and nothing can really compete with those.

If you come across C-TEC's grab them up becuase they put out mega air for its size and if memory serves me they were around 14.00 US

[hydrorascal]

For those who dont know... always locate your air pump above the nute line in your res... loose power and you will find the air line becomes a super efficient syphon hose....

Also keep your air pump air filter clean.. usually on the bottom of the pump...
Locating the pump in an air circulation path helps keep the air its pumping cool too....

Hows that worms..??? never even mentioned the P word...hehehehe

[ihaveworms]

haha.. good point about location hr... i have done that before... flooded abit and fucked my pump.. lol..

u powerhead freaks :p

worms

btw... great replies and suggestions

[Bogey]

i had a hagen ....best pump i ever had

[country boy]

Quick points:
Never been able to 'rebuild' a diaphram pump to its original production...maybe it's just me...
Careful of those 'piston pumps', the 1's that need oiling. it can leak and certainly kill every fish in the tank.
Try 'alita' pumps-expensive, quiet, and have enough pressure to run huge airstones in a 3 ft deep tub.

cb

[Glass Man]

I used to us a dual diaphragm Thomas but it's gathering dust since I decided to spray my solution.

I have a recirculating SWC table with a big res below. I run the water pump 24/7 anyway so began to think adding air might not be necessary. After adding spray nozzles slightly above the waterline on the grow table my roots are quite healthy and I have effectively elliminated the expense, noise, & heat of pumping air. I'm very glad I made the switch.

[LordOvertoke]

i've been using the cheaper dual outlet aquarium pumps from wally world...$10 each....never had one fail, never cleaned a filter, never done anything to one.

using two pumps per 27 gallon tuff tub, even if one did fail, i'd still be getting air to the roots.

i ain't saying it's the best, just KISS for me.

one thing i will say, you need to trim the last half inch of tubing between runs to assure you don't get any loose airlines....after the tubing is stretched, it'll come loose from the pump with the slightest bump.

LO

[skunktoker]

Just had my pump go out on me it was a tetra100 gallon airpump which
too me was not what I thought it would be I was only running it in a 5gal
bubbler it barely was sufficent IMO The one im using now is a eco-air
and it blows the tetra pump away as far as efficency Im looking too buy
a pump that can run all three of my 5 gallon (DWC) bubblers I have heard
that A dolphin is a great pump does anyone have link that I can purchase
A dolphin pump been looking cant find them anywhere any help greatly
appreciated and happy growing too all

[Cookie]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dolphin-Five-Star-Air-Pump-4-outlet-L-H-Switch_W0QQitemZ170197569904QQihZ007QQcategoryZ463 12QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD7VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1 638.m123#ebayphotohosting

only 23 bucks with shipping

[skunktoker]

Tyvm cookie great find appreciate your help :joint4:

[lazi]

I gave up on the air stones, a Tee glued to the bottom was better. imo the pumps limit for maximum DO is reached fairly easy but with the bigger pumps it's movement of liquid through the roots for a nft effect that does the magic.

I wouldn't mind an expensive pump being the size of a suitcase if it was QUIET! A rotary pump maybe?

I was planning to try slowing down an oil free air compressor but have now quit using dwc.