# DC pumps



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I just ordered two Jebao 12000 dc pumps,along with two powerheads(dc also) that have wavemaker controls included.They are "cheap Chinese knock offs" of much more expensive existing equipment(no pattent laws in China!).
I read many reveiws and figured for the price I would give them a try.This brand is rumored to be identical to the speedwaves and diablos at a huge savings.The diablo even had existing "housing flaws"(bad threading) that the company openly admitted to knowing about.No one out there said these pumps crapped on them yet so I figured WTH!The savings on the price was large along with the upcomming savings on electricity.I will be replacing a mag 24 and a blue line 55 and probly really cut my watts by over 2/3s!
I will follow up on how these pumps do after they get up and running.
For what it is worth people using them claim "completely silent" and more powerful than "higher rated pumps".
The pumps have 6 digitally controlled speeds and a slow start up(takes like 1 minute to come to speed setting) which is supposed to protect the impeller.
More to come in the future as the pumps may take a week to arrive from California.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

I just ordered the Waveline DC10000 II so I'll chime in here as well once I get it up.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

Mine showed up today. From a consumer glance it's decently built. From an engineer's glance mold insert (probably a slide) for the outflow wasn't centered well in the die. That said, this thing moves a LOT of water, even on the low setting. The unit has little rubber feet that keep it from vibrating in the bottom of the 125 I tested it in (RO water storage).

The pump is quiet (very subtle humming noise). The controller to my surprise has a small fan on the back which makes more noise than the pump (in or out of the water). Hopefully I won't hear it under my stand. The controller fan is still quieter than a Vortech MP40. In my mind this means it would be completely acceptable for a reef tank, but may bother someone with a quieter freshwater setup.

The ramp on works, and there seem to be 11 modes rather than the 6 listed (each mode, then in between modes).

This thing moves a LOT of water unrestricted.

Packaging from Salty Supply was pretty good with the pump's OEM box inside another box full of those biodegradable packing peanuts that melt when you get them wet.

I'm going to need to order hoses to plumb this in to my 300, so it'll be a couple weeks at least before it is up in action.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Power heads came yesterday for me as well.I'm kind of busy so will check them out later this week,I think the pumps will be here by then also.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Pumps arrived today!They look beefy(1 1/2" intake and outputs!).I try to work on hooking one up tomorrow.I hooked up the powerheads(wave makers) and am impressed.I got a 20,000 LPH and a 13,000 LPH.The have speed control(digital),and 6 different settings to run on.I'm using them on W1 which is a wavemaker function.The impellar runs for 5seconds then shuts off for 1second and starts again.The large ph in my 75g could not be run on full power or it would have been possibly "splashing" side to side(over rim).At 75% it was nice and a back and forth wave "current" could be seen in the corals.I decided to try the smaller unit in the 75 and on full power it is nice.So I moved the big one to the 120 fowlr and no more lazy fish!They already had hydors on timers but the wave motion really started getting everyone to move around a little more.
Both these units are silent!When the main lighting turns off the pumps have a photo eye that slows them to 1/2 speed for nightime.
Time will be the real test now as performance,fearures and noise are proven already.For comparison the larger unit was $80 complete with everything and the tunze in my 120 from NJ is from $295-600 depending which one it is(you have to measure a piece to know{no lable}) and then you still need wave control and phot eye for it($150).
So big thumbs up on power heads and hoping the pumps will be just as impressive(they're digitally adjustable also).


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

First pump is installed and running great on my 180g with filter (sump) in the basement(8-9'head ).It is SO MUCH quieter than the mag 24 it replaced.I even got to run my return line with hard pvc 1 1/2" until I split it under the tank to the two returns(1" re enforced tubing to bulkheads).It is definately pumping as much as the mag did and probly more.Tough to tell besides watching the water flow into my drawers on the sump.It could be running quicker,but is definately as fast.
The pump is silent.Being dc I have now cut my electrical consumption in half at least if not to a third.This is a bonus that goes along with the price of the pump.The pump was only $10 more than the absolute cheapest I could find the mag24 and with shipping on the mag(shipping was included with the dc) it is probly cheaper a couple bucks.
So this pump will be like the powerheads and now only has to pass the time test.How long will it(or its transformer) last?If it last more than 3 years then it is longer than my first mag24.The pump is rated at 12,000 LPH/3,000 GPH with 0 head.It is probly pushing between 1,200-1,400 gph as I think the mega overflows max at 700gph each,and they seem to be handling the flow very well.
Until the powerheads or pump fail I feel like I scored BIG time!Very impressed and pleased upon first set up.I'll update if there are any issues,or maybe to just say how happy I am with these again?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Just installed the second pump(same as one above installed on 180g).This one on the 120g from NJ.It is so silent(I'm still impressed).The mega overflows on this tank are the same as my 180,but there is much less pipe and head on the returns.So the pump is really moving.I totally changed the returns(bulk heads and all)to accomodate the highest flow possible.From the pump I start with 1 1/2" inside diameter re-inforced flex tube.Then I T'd with 1 1/2" hard pvc and reduced to 1" inside diameter "spa flex " hose.The returns in the mega overflow could not be larger than 3/4" hard pvc.The pump is awesome!Really moving water and silent.Now I need to get 1 more dc pump for the protien skimmer on this tank and the only sound will be moving water.Very pleased!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

OK one difference between this install and the one on the 180;this pump was installed externally (inline).And it leaked!Not a lot but enough that it can not stay externall of the sump.This pump can be submerged so into the sump it went.Fortunately I spent alot of time gathering every imaginable piece/part to install and had extra bulkheads.So I just capped one and installed it where the pump went.Not a big deal to me,beside loss of water volume I would rather have all pumps,and equipment in the sump just for this reason.
But if anyone is considering any of these pumps(the more expensive had same known flaw)for an inline application I don't think I would risk it.If you got room in your sump and an extra bulkhead(or however you would plug a hole in the bottom of your sump),then I still say this is a great pump.If I put the pump for protien skimmer in the sump then it may actually fit in the stand!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Just a quick update on these .All are working great and still silent!These in combonation with the alita air pump I just installed have made the 120g from NJ silent.I mean more silent then any aquarium I have ever owned.My 180 in my living room is silent because the sump is in the basement(with a jeboa return pump) but all the "hardware" for a well functioning 120g reef is right out in the open as none of it will fit in the stand and well you really can't hear a thing sitting 2' in front of it.
Even my wife commented on how quiet the alita air pump is and that really means something,especially since our bedroom is right below the whole set up.


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## woody019 (Oct 4, 2012)

I will be ordering the ordering a jabeo sump pump monday to replace my magdrive 7.5. I've been debating a sump pump for a while but now I'm convinced. Now only if I could somehow modify one to work with my skimmer and replace the absolutely horrible OTP-3000 pump it came with it. A bubble blaster replacement price is steep.

I love my wp-40 and wp-10. The wp-40 pushes some serious water even on its lowest setting in my 75 mixed reef. Like you said they are a little on the larger side but hey it functions great so I'm not going to complain.

Jabeo just recently released a twin controller so you can connect two pumps to one controller and it has the function to be able to "talk to each other" for a lack of better terms. That gives you more wave patterns on top of the functions the single controller already had. 

Almost around the same time Jabeo also came out with their RW series. The RW series has a wireless function if you buy the wireless controller separate. The wireless controller can control up to eight RW series pumps if I remember correctly. I also did notice the RW series has a wider GPH range. Meaning you can go lower on your lower setting and vice versa. I found that nice in that you could get a smaller RW series then the WP but still have the same if not higher then the next size up WP. Thought I would share some of their newer products.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

I'm still enjoying my DC return pump. I'm very glad it is adjustable since I'm running a slightly lower flow rate than I originally planned. I actually had the fan on my controller die a day or two after I hooked it up. The pump/controller still worked, but obviously was very hot. Salty Supply replied to my e-mail same Sunday I wrote them (impressive since they are officially closed on weekends) and had a new controller coming to me USPS Priority on Monday. The new one has been doing great ever since.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

I was under my tank yesterday and noticed that the fan has burned out on my controller again. Pump is still working fine, but the controller is pretty hot. Looks like we'll see how good the warranty is a second time. Honestly I'm thinking about just using some thermal epoxy and mounting the electronics on a big aluminum plate at this point.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

That's a bummer.Hope they do right for you.
My transformer(power switcher ) doesn't have a fan.It is seperate from my speed control unit.
I had one "hiccup" with 1 of my three power switchers(it was off when I had power?)
so I switched to another transformer from other pump and all was good.
The transformer that wasn't running has performed flawlessly since?
All in all I'm still all good with my pumps and am VERY glad I switched.Haven't had 1 issue with any of the wave makers yet.I 'm all in on those!
Let us know how they treat you.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

E-mailed Salty Supply late last night, received a phone call then voice-mail message from them this morning. I also received a reply e-mail since they had to leave a voice-mail. Looks like there is yet a new version of the controller out which works better. They needed me to answer an interface question about the part to make sure they sent the correct replacement, and will be sending me a new controller again. I'll post back when I get it. The good news is that while the controller is running very hot, the pump is still working normally.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

New controller shipped Wednesday, arrived Friday. Works as expected. It is a good bit bigger, so hopefully won't overheat since the new ones have no fan. I sort of want to send in a message about how the fins on the new one are spaced too closely to allow good convection, but I'll hold off on that for now. Either way, it works, the pump never stopped pumping, and the service from Salty Supply has been really good.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

New controller still running fine, and still running cooler than the old one with the fan.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

Another long term update...

Controller #3 died two weeks ago. Not sure what it was, but the pump stopped this time. After a day of troubleshooting I found controller #2 (dead fan), and used that to keep the pump running.

Salty Supply (great customer service again) got right on the issue both replying to my e-mail, and then putting me in direct contact with RLSS to resolve the issue. They sent a whole new pump assembly, so hopefully this one does better. It's getting hard to vote for this particular product, but it's really easy to vote for the customer service I've gotten from Salty Supply who kept this whole thing moving.

New pump was installed yesterday, so we'll see how it does.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

Final update. Pump assembly #2 survived it's year of warranty in July 2016. A couple weeks ago, early November, the power supply on #2 died. Out of warranty, and at this point I wouldn't keep bothering the manufacturer and seller, but it's enough that the next tank will have something different.

All said and done in around 2 years 9 months of actual use we have:

1 controller fan failure
2 complete controller failures
1 power supply failure

This puts the mean time to failure at 8 months*. If you ignore the fan failure which did not result in the pump not running we are at 11, which is right up close to the warranty period.

When I first got this pump my conclusion was that the electrical savings vs. a Danner Mag24 would pay for the new pump even if I had to buy a new one every couple years.
In practice that is true, but having to deal with replacing components got old after the third time. I am fortunate to have a system (planted fresh) that can run a couple days with no return pump, but I wound not want this to happen on my reef.

Ultimately I will opt for a more reliable (and more expensive) solution on my next build, and will include two separate return loops if it is an issue.


*This does not include the times I came home and found the pump off, but was able to restart it with power cycling as that may be an oddity of brief blackouts for which this pump is particularly susceptible compared to other pumps in my house.


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