have seen some DC air pump, presumably use for transporting live fishes.
But if we want to use these for our fishes in the house, anyone can give a simple description of what is needed to convert them to be used for ac power?
by the way those pumps i saw in seaview, look pretty small, can anyone give an idea of how powerful they are?
the good thing about them is that there is no diaphragm to change.
thanks
Hi bro, IMHO dun really think this is a good choice....
Most DC pump that I have bought before, mainly for fishing purpose is not really of high quality. The material used might not be able to withstand prolong usage with AC current. This might cause fire hazard eventually!
Yes, I think it is not worth the hassle. Too costly to do that. Now most pumps are made in China already. And they can be relatively inexpensive.
colin | The Wilderness and Forest | FTS
thanks for all your advice.
but these non diaphragm pumps made for AC use cannot find in the lfs usually.
you know those which look like a turbine shape metal piece.
What you are looking for is a piston powered air pump. Those things are hard to come by here. Almost all the ones sold for aquarium use here are diaphragm pumps. They are probably used more by people who practice airbrushing as a hobby.
Found this Hailea piston pump on an Australian site:
http://www.theaquariumshop.com.au/sh...r%20Compressor
You can probably find one with the Hailea local distributor suitable for use here without any need for converting etc.
To convert DC for use with AC you'd have to probably get a power inverter, like these:
http://www.dcacpowerinverters.com/
Last edited by stormhawk; 12th Jan 2010 at 17:45.
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you need to find out the dc operating voltage of the pump.
then purchase a regulated ac/dc power adaptor. ensure it is regulated else the motor may "burn" due to overvoltage.
you'll need to connect the battery terminals (i presume pump is run from batteries) to connector that matches the adaptor output connector.
thomas liew
thanks for the link.Originally Posted by stormhawk
i didn't see the horsepower written in the article. Do you happen to know how much hp is this model. I think I saw only the DC model being up for sale in the fish shop, but not the AC model. Don't know why.
Also for piston pumps what is the main part that breaks down or need replacing, like the diaphragm pumps, we always have the problem with the diaphragm breaking.
thanks.
Hi wllm33,
Found this link:
http://www.hailea.com/e-hailea/product3/ACO-108.htm
There's several models listed. Good part, they're AC models. The DC models are listed here:
http://www.hailea.com/e-hailea/product3/ACO-003D.htm
For piston pumps, I'm not sure what's the main part that needs replacing. Only remember reading about keeping it well-oiled in one of the older fish books. Probably the manual that comes with these air compressors will tell you more on maintenance.
I have not seen any of these pumps locally. Maybe you can bring the picture down to C328, or find the local distributor for Hailea products to ask regarding these pumps.
From what I recall, these compressors are fairly noisy. You can hear the chugging noise of the piston working. Can get annoying over time.
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thanks for the links.
actually i saw some of this halilea piston pumps in seaview, but they were DC powered, so i sort of think how to use them if cannot use AC. Maybe use a car battery to power it. But it would be inconvenient to do so.
i am not actively looking for one actually, just sort of curious to know how best to use them.
Guess only the big ones are mainly available probably for lfs and farms best, as the piercing sound can be pretty annoying for your neighbours.
Use an ac/dc converter or most likely a dc pump uses battery to power it, get a battery charger of the corresponding voltage and wire it to power your dc pump.
Yup. I've seen these pumps only at farms and LFS. Never in a home. Air compressors are noisy things. Even the Hiblow diaphragm type pumps can be noisy, but they are worth every penny.Guess only the big ones are mainly available probably for lfs and farms best, as the piercing sound can be pretty annoying for your neighbours.
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tauwaboy have already given you a very good solution. I can see that the guys can't talk you out of the idea. Might as well show you how to do it.
If you are using 2 batteries, high chance is 3v; 4 batteries, 6v. Goto Sim Lim Tower, after traffic light move towards the left side of the building, after the bank got one door on the right, go in, on the left first shop. Ask the auntie for the adaptor you want. If you can get a 1000ma adaptor for 6v, that is all you need. Cut off the heads and make sure you make the correct connection or your air pump might be sucking water instead of pumping air. So what you want to do is shave off the sleeves of the wires, tied them in twisted manner. Do a "DRY" run, to see if the air gets pump out by feeling with your hand.
Note that most of these DC pumps are noisy. You can counter that by going Night Market get those one pack cheap green cloth, take 2 of them and shove it under the pump to reduce vibration. How many you want to add is up to you actually, nobody can stop you right? lol...
IMPORTANT:
Wear your rubber shoe when you are working with this DIY LIVE run.
oh, dont worry, i am not doing this conversion. Too troublesome and perhaps dangerous as well. There are more alternatives to get. I am getting some donyang pumps which are diaphragm pumps , can give 10-15 air outlets, but much cheaper than the hi blow air pumps.
thanks for your advice.
cheers
I would recommend you to go with Hiblow instead. I never heard of the Donyang? brand before, but Hiblow is a reliable brand. I think they have a servicing center here so it's less problematic to fix it if it happens to break down.
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donyang is popular more overseas.
korean made and same function as hiblow, but 1/3 the price.
diaphragms are easily available but not for hiblow.
hiblows also need to change diaphragms (main problems with diaphragm pumps).
the donyang series is DY-20, DY-40, DY-60, DY-80. DY-120. They always sell during aquarama every time.
how long does a hiblow last anyway?
i always cannot find replacement diaphragms with hiblow.
that's why give up on them.
Hmm, never heard of Dongyang before. I don't spend time looking at the Korean booths during Aquarama.
Not sure on how long Hiblow last but a friend of mine had his running for 1 year plus and still kicking. As for repairing them, I think need to ask who is the local supplier. I know C328 sells the pumps, but maybe aunty can tell you who is the supplier. If they sell the pumps they probably have replacement parts as well. I did a search on Google and on a goldfish forum they said Petmart can repair it for a fee.
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changing the diaphragms is not the issue. Gettiing the parts is.
I have asked c328 before. They don't have stock. Need to indent.
And the diaphragms are very expensive for hiblow also.
It is the same with cars. Japanese first, then korean cars cos it is cheaper. Took us a bit long to accept them, but see the no of korean brands on the roads now.
I think in the long run, we have to think of cost . The korean pumps also can last 1-2 yrs but more important the diaphragms are more available and much cheaper. It is all about mind set I think.
cheers.
How much do the Dongyang parts cost? The goldfish forum did not mention how much the fee that Petmart charges for repairing Hiblow pumps either.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
wllm33,
o.- you are referring strong pumps, ain't you?
List of Pumps: (Got other pumps to select at the side)
http://www.aquaristic.net/aquarium-p...?lang=1&pgNr=0
Dongyang 6 models:
http://www.aquaristic.net/dongyang-a...rs.html?lang=1
yes, because through the many years into the hobby, most of us have sort of inherited many tanks and they keep growing in numbers, so, we need those with many outlets and can last longer .
Even nowadays those 2 outlets ones, once the diaphragms are broken we have to throw the pump away. Long time ago, when i used to have this japan 2 outlet pump called "Nissei", they always have diaphragms easily available and they last for many years with recurrent changes of the 2 black diaphragms, which cost a few dollars only, and once changed, they are good for another year or so.
Now different, once broken, got to buy new pump as they don't sell diaphragms anymore.
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