Iwaki Pump Questions

[phelan1777]

I know with mine as I don't have something to measure excat voltage but go by hearing, and the adjustabe dial on the Meanwell. The Rd30 gets pretty warm at full tilt. Doesn't take very long to get a majority of the bubbles out, but even running 24hours there will still be a little air, but the pump pulls 95% of the air out in the first two hours. Running of a seperate PSU was discussed to be more ideal as the pump is not meant to be switched on and off, so if one doea turn the system on and off quite a bit and the Pump is wired to the system PSU it would only negatively affect the Pump. Now running the pump on a seperate pump, especially with dialed voltage is taht you can turn it down when not running the PC. THer was a thread about the running the pump vs turning it off and I believe the majorty vote was to leave it running as that is how the Iwakis were designed.

Thats my .454634345c

I doubt any of use RD-30 owners would need to run 3/4 max of the 24, but I think someone is just because :-P.

[epion2985]

For those Iwaki RD30 owners, I read that the RD30 runs better undervolted at 18V, how does it run compared to when it's running off of 24V?

Generally the best heat dump to flow ratio is not at full power. And while that may not be important for an aquarium it seems to effect our temperatures more so. Its generally common for rd30 users to run their pumps around 18v (instead of 24v) or around rd20 levels as that gives the best results. Now obviously what is better depends on your set up so generally I always recommend to play with it and see what works best for you.

[phelan1777]

Generally the best heat dump to flow ratio is not at full power. And while that may not be important for an aquarium it seems to effect our temperatures more so. Its generally common for rd30 users to run their pumps around 18v (instead of 24v) or around rd20 levels as that gives the best results. Now obviously what is better depends on your set up so generally I always recommend to play with it and see what works best for you.

I second what he said, as he did it with a lot less words then I :-P

[LazyBum]

I think the actual min voltage I can dial this meanwell PSU down to is around 19v. I was running the pump 24/7 for a long time, recently I installed a relay to have it come on with the system instead. I got tired of listening to the pump whirring all night.

[AllAgainstPaul]

I think the actual min voltage I can dial this meanwell PSU down to is around 19v.

Can anyone confirm this?

[epion2985]

Can anyone confirm this?

It depends on the psu. I have ran mine around 17v. They all have a range. It also depends on the device. For instance I do not think rd30 can run below 17v, I haven't really tried but there is a limit at which point the motor will not turn over anymore.

[sfxs]

About the leave it on or switch on/off Iwaki question...

I personally have an MD20, and I am wondering if I should leave it on constantly or not. Is it truly best for the longevity of the pump to leave it on 24/7? How about the other components? When I leave it on (with the PC off) the water temperature gets to be about ~10c higher than ambient due to lack of airflow (over 8 hours).

-sfxs

[Eastcoasthandle]

I have read posts that suggest that the MD Iwaki pumps are best left on. However, I have not read any anyone having a failure because they turned it off and on everyday.

[epion2985]

About the leave it on or switch on/off Iwaki question...

I personally have an MD20, and I am wondering if I should leave it on constantly or not. Is it truly best for the longevity of the pump to leave it on 24/7? How about the other components? When I leave it on (with the PC off) the water temperature gets to be about ~10c higher than ambient due to lack of airflow (over 8 hours).

-sfxs

Generally they are designed for 24/7 operation as aquariums never take a break and the fish need clean filtered water.

HOWEVER

At wolf/Ritz Camera photo stores they turn the printing machines off for the night, and those machines use iwaki pumps to circulate the developer and other chemicals.

So its really a toss up. I would email Iwaki CS and see what they say.

[LazyBum]

I decided the extra wear and tear from startup was worth the tradeoff against the heat damage from running with the system shut down and no airflow in the case. That and my bedroom is much quieter at night.