Quote:
Originally Posted by slief
I have not put a dB meter to mine but I can tell you this. I run a pair of RD3 230's. They are the same motor as the RD3 150. Only the impeller and volute are different besides the power output of the controller. When I first swapped out my Reeflo Superdart gold and setup my first RD3 230 for my closed loop and turned it on, my heart sank. It made no noise and no vibration at all. I literally thought it was dead and was truly bummed out. My closed loop dumps out under my live rock so at first glance I had no indicator that it was running and since I couldn't hear it or feel anything when I put my hand on it, I was pretty frustrated. Honest to god. It wasn't until I looked below the rocks and saw sand getting blasted out that I realized it was actually working. This is an honest to god true story. Once I realized it was working, I was shocked. I had never seen or heard a quieter pump and I've seen them all.
To say they are near silent is an understatement. It wasn't but a month after that that I bought a second one for my return pump because I was truly sold. It's now been over 2 years since I made the switch and I couldn't be happier. I paid for them out of my own pocket just before I took a role with Royal Exclusiv and I would do it again in a heart beat. They are by FAR the quietest pumps on the market and are built like tanks. Mine replaced a pair of Reeflo Super Dart Golds which were pretty damn quiet but there is no comparison. Not only are they pretty much silent but they also run cold to the touch. They are not like a typical DC pump. These run high voltage but low current AC to the block so there is not any real heat transfer generated from them. The controller is heavy and made of out aluminum and ultimately is where most of the heat is bled off. My tank dropped a couple degrees when I switched from the Darts.
I've had my hands on every high end pump out there and done installs with pretty much all of the good pumps that are said to be quiet.. The RD3 150 and RD3 230 are in a class all their own. When you get that thing installed, you be sure to come back to this post and let us know what you think. I can all but promise you that you are in for a serious pleasant surprise. Anybody that has run these pumps will tell you the same. You will NOT be disappointed. 
If you want feedback from others, join the Royal Exclusiv Facebook group. There are several members that have the RD3 230's and RD3 150's. Post there and ask the question.
Here is a link to the group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bubb...?ref=bookmarks |
Thanks.
That's what I've heard and what convinced me to spring for the RD3 150 watt.
I'm trying to convince myself to make the move to replace my current dc return pump with a RD3 80 watt.