True or False - POLL

[Darryl_V]

Just for fun....

 

[pulpfiction1]

wow! really gotta think about that,power head constant,heater intermitant,i would have to guess they might be close,50 watt powerhead would be a fair size,id have to say sure it would,but thats just a guess

 

[TORX]

I am going with true, mind you that is if you omit the vortech MP models of coarse.

 

[xxmurrxx]

powerhead should have little resistance n little heat

 

[ricklalonde]

I said false?? but I have no idea.

 

[unibob]

i said false, just doesnt feel as warm.

 

[pulpfiction1]

i just took a guess as well,the olny rationale i could use was a 50 watt heater isnt that powerfull and like i said,a 50 watt powerhead would have quite a drive to it,a mag 5 uses 45 watts and my 1650gph powerhead uses less than 9 watts

 

[TORX]

i just took a guess as well,the olny rationale i could use was a 50 watt heater isnt that powerfull ad like i said,a 50 watt powerhead would have quite a drive to it,a mag 5 uses 45 watts and my 1650gph powerhead uses less than 9 watts

I was just about to say the same thing, a 50w heater is nothing, will only heat a 5-10 gallon tank, nothing like the 300+w heaters that we use in larger tanks. Therefor a 50w heater would put out as much heat as an equivalent wattage LARGE pump. 

 

[Victoss]

The heater transfers most of its energy into heat whereas a pump would be converting most of its energy into kinetic energy although it still is not 100% efficient so there is some heat created as well but not nearly as much as the heater could output.

Therefore false.

 

[Darryl_V]

Some interesting responses.  I will answer tonight.

 

[chuckm]

Gonna say false

 

[pulpfiction1]

well?  whats the answer?

lol

 

[Darryl_V]

Watts is a measurement of energy.  Energy can not simple just disappear...pretty much all energy is dissipated as heat.  So even though with a powerhead some energy is being used for motion, that motion causes friction, which causes heat.

So the answer is true. 

Dont feel bad if you got this wrong because I was wrong at first too......someone had to school me.

 

[Bill@IA]

Watts is a measurement of energy.  Energy can not simple just disappear...pretty much all energy is dissipated as heat.  So even though with a powerhead some energy is being used for motion, that motion causes friction, which causes heat.

So the answer is true. 

Dont feel bad if you got this wrong because I was wrong at first too......someone had to school me.

Wow Really?? I wouldn't have thought that it produce the same amount of heat. If the pump produces heat through friction that amount of heat could vary and it would take a lot of friction, a very defective pump, to produce a lot of heat.

A heater on the other hand, uses that 50w energy to heat a coil which can get so hot you couldn't hold it. (I dare you to try)

 

[Darryl_V]

I thought the same but this guy was definitely able to convince me otherwise.  I also did some research myself. 

Going back to what you were saying....if the pump is not working efficiently (flow, friction, heat not being what it should be) the extra heat will be either in the body of the pump or in a lower wattage draw of the pump.  Think of a pump that gets restricted with a ball valve and than uses less watts.

 

[Darryl_V]

Here is another thing that most people dont think about.

Any electricity you use in side your house will heat your house.  If your using 500kwh at the present time it doesnt matter what that energy is doing....eventually it gets dissipated as heat.  Heat that will work with your furnace in the winter but against your AC in the summer.

 

[Bill@IA]

If you hold the pump in your left hand and the heater in your right hand.........and I plug them in to the electrical outlet which one will you drop first??

 

[Victoss]

I would agree with you in theory, when water slows down the friction it caused is turned into heat but in a practical environment such as a tank the heat can be transferred through the glass and through surface tension where that rate of transference is increased by flow so it could be argued that the pump is removing some heat because of this. So yes if we were only considering the amount of heat put into the tank from the pump this would be true but there is also a loss of heat caused by the pump that is needed to be considered. Just my take on it  8)

 

[Darryl_V]

the heat can be transferred through the glass and through surface tension where that rate of transference is increased by flow so it could be argued that the pump is removing some heat because of this

Heat from the heater can also be transferred through the glass and surface.....

unless Im not following?

 

[Darryl_V]

If you hold the pump in your left hand and the heater in your right hand.........and I plug them in to the electrical outlet which one will you drop first??

If the surface areas are equal.....50watts in one hand is the same as 50watts in the other.