Idea, looking for input- canoe motor as backup

[JohnK]

I had a thought

Why wouldn't it work to take a battery powered canoe motor, build a tunze like enclosure around the propeller, and use it as an emergency display circulation pump for power outages or other nightmares?

I have one of these and if set on low It would probablly make a great temp battery pump. I'm picturing a small buckett with a lid with lots of holes all over it and a DIY brackett to attach it to the pump shaft. A wooden bracket could be fabricated somewhere above the tank to mount the motor portion.

Anybody have any imput on this idea??? If it worked It would be the ultimate reef saver in the case of an extended power outage, wouldn't it?????

jk????

 

[PRTA79]

trolling motor

whats that about 20-25 pounds of thrust
i would think even on low that would put out too much no?

 

[NateHanson]

I think it would work for a very large tank, but be short lived, and too powerful for normal and large tanks. If you want a 12V circulation that you can hook directly to a deep-cycle battery, I'd go to a marine store and buy a bilge pump. They're self-contained, designed for a SW environment, and come in a huge range of capacities, so you can find one that last a long time and provides the right amount of flow for your tank in a power outage.

Nate

 

[JohnK]

Thanks for the imput.

I have no idea of the thrust on the (crappy) canoe motor I have but it seems pretty mild on low, it doesn't seem like it would move a canoe much at all but I've never tried it. This is one of the cheapo ones that clamp on the side.

I was also thinking that if needed the flow could be reduced by how the bucket enclosure was drilled?? Also the propeller could probablly be trimmed to reduce the flow / thrust???

Do you see any problems such as lubrication oil contamination to the tank If I were to try hooking it up as an experiment? Any risks beyond splashing water all over the place?

Any idea how much the bilge pumps cost and what kind of flow rates they produce?

I'm a cheap SOB but I've had two 4 hour plus outages in the past week or so. I want a miracle solution (like there are any).

jk

 

[Liam]

bilge pumps are cheap,under $20 and are normally in the 500 to 750 gph range

 

[NateHanson]

You can get them from 50-4000 gph Huge range of sizes there. Also, some can be installed outside (even above) the tank, because they're self-priming (they're a bit more expensive though). The cheapest one's have a strainer on the bottom, and an output on the side, and are completely enclosed in a plastic housing.

 

[JohnK]

I'll check those out, thanks

(I still want to come up with a cool DIY project no one has ever thought of before, I guess I'll have to keep trying)

jk

 

[NateHanson]

The canoe motor might still make the wickedest flow ever seen in a reef tank. I wouldn't give up on it yet. Just not the most practical back-up, IMO. Get a 12V transformer, and give it a whirl as a primary flow source. Then you can work on rigging up a smaller motor to make your canoe motor swivel!

 

[nitrofish]

I don't know what a new canoe motor costs, but I don't think it would be a cheap diy prodject.

 

[JohnK]

It's cheap if your friend left an old one in your garage and deosn't want it anymore. FWIW I'm talking about a very wimpy little trolling type canoe motor.