Sump pump suggestions

[Tanker]

Figured this would be a better place than the regular equipment section as there would be more sump-users here... but ya..

I am poking around with the idea of going salt (still a VERY big maybe...) and am starting to dig into info for what I need to know. Currently looking at pumps for the sump and wondering if two smaller pumps would be better or worse than one big pump?

Basically I can get 2 pumps at 500gph for about half the cost of a single 1000 gph... seems smarter to me. Besides an obvious cost savings I figure if one pump 'goes' then the other is there to continue some flow, which is better than no flow. I am not worried about plumbing as having two outputs would be better for flow direction IMO it would be well worth the trouble.

Thoughts? Am I on crack or is this what some people do already or has it been proven to only be a good idea on paper?

Also, what makes a pump quiet (besides 'being off')? Certain drive methods or specifics I should be looking for when shopping?

[midgetwaiter]

There is a bunch of things to consider here.

Most importantly the 1000 gph pump is probably going to supply more water flow at 4' or so of head than the 2 500s would. I mucked around with the same call recently and decided to stay with one larger pump, I didn't see any gain in switching the two smaller ones. The amount of flow generated by the returns is tiny compared to what I get from the SEIO in there which I rely on for most of the work. It's tough to get the returns pointed in a way that you get any decent momentum to the flow.

I'd suggest planning on an absolute max of 10x turnover with the sump and plan to get most of your flow from a wide output power head in the display.

Edited April 17, 2007 by midgetwaiter