Linear Piston Air Pump

[pjvtrash]

To any one who has one of these linear piston air pumps,

I am currently running 12 tanks in a small fishroom with a mismatched assortment of power filters and sponge filters operated by a small handful of diaphragm air pumps. They are noisy, all of the different power filter configurations and cartridges are getting tedious, and the prospect of any regular reconfigurations is a nightmare.

I would like to switch to a linear piston pump with a manifold, and envision myself running about 20 outlets for now (sponge filters in all tanks, box filters for peat/carbon when necessary, brine shrimp, etc.). I have an opportunity to purchase a used pump and manifolds for a reasonable price. The potential problem is that the pump that is available is over-sized for my needs (rated for 40+ outlets). I know Jehmco offers a pump that would fit my needs (20 - 25 outlets), but by the time I bought the smaller pump from them, along with manifolds and other accessories, it would be far more expensive than the available used set-up.

So, my question is this. Would it be a problem to run only 15 - 20 outlets with a linear piston pump rated for 40? I've read Ted's account of his fishroom set-up in which he states that back-pressure is not an issue with linear piston pumps (within reason), but that he also installed a bleed valve in case he needs to let off excess pressure. If it makes a difference, the manifold(s) I would get with the pump would allow me to open extra valves that didn't feed into a tank.

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to move on this quickly, if I'm going to move at all.

Thanks

 

[ste12000]

I have never run a linear pump before and didnt really need one for my room.

 

[ste12000]

I dont think you should have a problem, as you said you can install a bleed valve or open a spare valve a little to bleed of the air, if its cheap and in good condition i say go for it, Its better having to much air rather than to little.
I use a pond air pump(Diaphram) made by Blagdon(UK) rated at 50 litre per min..This is more than enough to run my 22 tanks, i have the valves on the manifold half open and its still powerful enough to run 40-50 filters if required(just need more space now)
Just one more thought !!! my airpump alone is completely silent, but when air is bled of you get a horrible hissing noise that is quite annoying, i dont bleed of the air but just reduce the amount reaching the filters by half closing the valves, this will require my to change the diaphram more often due to the increased pressure but this is a small price to pay to get rid of the hissing noise.

 

[aquaticclarity]

The whistling sound from a bleeder line can be VERY annoying. If you bleed off excess air/air pressure run the open valve(s) with air line on it/them. The airline acts as a small muffler. If need be you can even run the bleeder line(s) into another room (a closet or the like) or into a wad of filter floss to help deaden the sound.

Jeff

 

[Mike Wise]

When I was using high pressure pumps that needed bleeding, I used a pipe cleaner in a valve to muffle the noise. I know that it is not easy to find pipe cleaner anymore, but they are alway available at hobby shops.

 

[pjvtrash]

Thanks everyone.

I still wonder if I would need to bleed pressure. The Jehmco site mentions that these pumps have a power curve that matches the output curve, and that they use less power when running fewer than the maximum outputs. Does that mean that this pump (rated at 40+ outlets, running 20) simply wouldn't have to work very hard? Or would the air just be blasting out of those 20 outlets while the mechanism of the pump got damaged from having too much pressure?