Tip of the Day – 9/6/2012

Want to quickly upgrade your water pump or powerhead without breaking the bank? Many pumps can be upgraded simply by swapping out the impeller/propeller assembly. Just remove the smaller impeller and pop in the one with the larger blades and you’ve instantly increased the water flow output. Unfortunately, this improved water flow doesn’t come without a cost. The pump will draw more electricity as it spins the larger fan blades, which can shorten the life of the pump if it’s not designed to handle the extra load. Another quick upgrade for any pump would be to swap out the outlet for a larger one. If your pump is one of the smaller ones in a particular brand’s lineup, the pump housing from a higher flow model could be used on your pump. This will cause the flow to come out in a much wider pattern, though it may not actually increase a pump’s gallons per hour.