I'll start by saying that I'm wondering myself if it's an absolute waste to dedicate either of these pumps to the miserly function of running a chiller. Now that I got that off my chest, here's my situation:
I have a 180 DT with dual overflows on 1" plumbing, a 60 gallon sump and a COR-20 for the return pump. It feeds to a manifold that on the left goes to the return via 1" hose. On the right, it is reduced to 3/4" to feed the chiller before going to the right return. The chiller is a 1/3 HP JBJ Arctica. The largest barb size available for it is 3/4," thus the smaller plumbing on the right.
As a result, I have very poor flow on the right, no matter how much I throttle the left return. Thus I decided it will best to dedicate the COR-20 to the returns and run the chiller on a separate pump.
The chiller has a min/max flow rating of 480-2400 gph. To me, this seems like a ridiculously wide range and I doubt it can run efficiently at either extreme. With no empirical data in hand, I have single-handedly concluded that a flow rate of 800-1000 gph would be ideal (just because it falls in the middle of the suggested range).
I figured the COR-15 is a good candidate, running comfortably at around 75-80%. I was also enticed by the fact that unlike its bigger sibling, it doesn't require a separate power supply, so I ordered one - but I'm having buyer's remorse.
I started reading the manual and it caught my eye when it casually mentions that "if you also have WAV pumps and/or other DC24 accessories, refer to the section entitled COR-15 Special Considerations." I found no such section but thanks to the forum here, I learned that if several accessories are running simultaneously through the 1link ports, you can overload (cause a fever and even possibly assassinate) the EB832 or the 1link module. (At this point, I won't dare to connect the chiller through the Apex but that's a rant for another time, somewhere else).
Well guess what? I'm running 2 WAVs and a PMUP for the ATO. I also have a 2nd PMUP on the launch pad for automated water changes. Knowing what I now know, I'm really worried whether I made the right call with the COR-15.
Ok, I'm rambling on - your turn to talk. Here's what I'm wondering:
1) Is the COR-15 the right call?
2) For $50 more, am I better off with another COR-20 instead? (another power brick but avoids the possibility of an overload and can serve as a spare if its sibling were to meet an unexpected demise)
3) Is either pump too much for the intended purpose? and whether that's the case or not;
4) Am I just foolishly throwing money at this when I'm just as well off with a basic AC pump for probably less than half the cost (I was thinking energy efficiency along with the convenience of fine-tuning the flow but the CORs seem a bit power-hungry anyway).
I look forward to your thoughts, comments and criticisms
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