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...at MACNA 2015 I recall Sanjay Joshi talking about how closed loops have become obsolete with the introduction of DC powerhead at a cheaper price point... he made a compelling argument related to cost of an additional pump/s or more, PVC plumbing needs, and the fact that DC powerheads have becoming considerably more reliable... he also noted the the kilowatt an hour cost to run the big closed loop pump on a system was an additional factor in his research and why he's moving away or considering moving away from closed loops.
...personally, whether or not this move away from closed loops becomes mainstream or not is questionable, I'm all for saving money anyway I can as my electric bill is high enough and why I opted not to go closed loop... one just has to look at wattages used on a AC vs DC pump to see that you're at a much higher kilowatt an hour cost for just one pump.
A quick side by side and break out (I just picked a DC powerhead I saw at MACNA, sure others might be better)...
Aqua Medic EcoDrift 20.0 with Controller
Power Consumption: 20 – 60 watts
Specifications (Hammerhead Gold):
Maximum Wattage: 297W
Average Wattage: 272W
Specifications (Barracuda Gold):
Maximum Wattage: 253W
Average Wattage: 237W
...this roughly equates to 4 Aqua Medic EcoDrift powerheads each with an adjustable capacity flowrate of 2641 – 5283 gph (inside your systems with no head pressure concerns), one Hammerhead Gold Maximum Flow Rate: 5555gph, Barracuda Gold Maximum Flow Rate: 4680gph. you also need to consider, that's a flowrate at 0 head pressure and when all the plumbing is said and done on a closed loop, flow is and will be less.
Your Hammerhead Gold runs 24 hours a day, and consume 297 watts of electricity.
297 watts X 24 hours = 7,128 watt-hours per day
7,128 watt-hours per day / 1000 = 7.12 kWh per day
7.12 kWh per day X 30 days = 213.84 kWh per month
213.84 kWh per month x $0.12 per kWh = $25.66 per month (one pump)
$25.66 x 1yr = $307.92 not including line fees and tax.
Same breakdown of the above DC pump will cost you $62.20 a yr (one pump) to run, again not including line fees and tax.
So I'm curious to know what you all think, aesthetics aside, are closed loops becoming obsolete?
...personally, whether or not this move away from closed loops becomes mainstream or not is questionable, I'm all for saving money anyway I can as my electric bill is high enough and why I opted not to go closed loop... one just has to look at wattages used on a AC vs DC pump to see that you're at a much higher kilowatt an hour cost for just one pump.
A quick side by side and break out (I just picked a DC powerhead I saw at MACNA, sure others might be better)...
Aqua Medic EcoDrift 20.0 with Controller
Power Consumption: 20 – 60 watts
Specifications (Hammerhead Gold):
Maximum Wattage: 297W
Average Wattage: 272W
Specifications (Barracuda Gold):
Maximum Wattage: 253W
Average Wattage: 237W
...this roughly equates to 4 Aqua Medic EcoDrift powerheads each with an adjustable capacity flowrate of 2641 – 5283 gph (inside your systems with no head pressure concerns), one Hammerhead Gold Maximum Flow Rate: 5555gph, Barracuda Gold Maximum Flow Rate: 4680gph. you also need to consider, that's a flowrate at 0 head pressure and when all the plumbing is said and done on a closed loop, flow is and will be less.
Your Hammerhead Gold runs 24 hours a day, and consume 297 watts of electricity.
297 watts X 24 hours = 7,128 watt-hours per day
7,128 watt-hours per day / 1000 = 7.12 kWh per day
7.12 kWh per day X 30 days = 213.84 kWh per month
213.84 kWh per month x $0.12 per kWh = $25.66 per month (one pump)
$25.66 x 1yr = $307.92 not including line fees and tax.
Same breakdown of the above DC pump will cost you $62.20 a yr (one pump) to run, again not including line fees and tax.
So I'm curious to know what you all think, aesthetics aside, are closed loops becoming obsolete?