rheostat instead of ball valve for return pump?

[Dr.Nate]

Well I was talking to someone about how I was making my own sump and was going to put a ball valve on the return pump to match the flow out of my overflow main. And he said, that's gonna be hard on the pump...why not just plug the pump into a rheostat and regulate it that way? I had never thought of that! Anyone ever tried it? Would it work?

 

[mentallylost]

I like that idea. You would be able to adjust the pump speed to match the overflow instead of just increasing back pressure. Sounds like it would help to increase the life of the pump as well. Anyone else?

 

[krap101]

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/rheostat.html

thats a pretty good site on it even though its using al ight bulb nstead

 

[RLG2182]

I would be a bit wary for hooking up a pump to a rheostat... just make sure before you go and cut the cord off the pump, make sure that the rheostat can handle the wattage required for the pump.

I've installed rheostats all the time when I had snakes... just had to make sure that I didn't overload the circuit.

 

[Dr.Nate]

Thanks for the input......I thought it would be a good idea, but I just wanted to be sure! All credit to my dad! I'll be trying it in the next few weeks, so I'll let you know how it works.