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Articles/FAQ
Calculate Monthly Operation Expenses.
The more efficient your pond pump the less
money it will cost to operate. Most pumps are rated in watts or amps. Here are
the formulas for figuring the monthly operation expense of your pump: If rated
in watts: Watts divided by 1000 times kWh (your kilowatt cost) x 24 hours per
day x 30 days per month. Watts/1000kwh x24x30
For example a pump that operates on 225 watts
would cost $13.77 per month to operate based on $0.085 per kWh assuming the
pump is operated 24 hours per day, 30 days per month.
If rated in amps: Amps x Volts divided by 1000 x
kWh (your kilowatt cost) x 24 hours per day x 30 days per month.
A x V/1000x24x30 For example a pump that
operates on 4 amps would cost $28.15 per month to operate based on $0.085 per
kWh assuming the pump is operated 24 hours per day, 30 days per month. The kWh
is kilowatt per hour cost. You can figure out your kWh cost by contacting your
local electric company or it is usually printed on your electric bill.
The initial cost of a pond pump is another factor to
consider.
Don’t be misled by a pumps high price. For example take a look
at this comparison of two pond pumps: Pump “A” costs $149.99 and operates on
350watts for 1800gph. This pump costs $21.42 per month to operate. Pump “B”
costs $189.99 and operates on 110watts for 1800gph. This pump costs $6.73 per
month to operate. Purchasing Pump “B” will cost you an additional $40
initially but saves you $14.69 per month in utility expenses. Over an average
life of four years, Pump “B” will save you $665.12!
Determine desired flow rate.
The industry standard for
a pond pump is that it have a flow rate equal to a minimum of half of your
pond’s volume. So if you have a 2000 gallon pond then you would need a 1000
gallon per hour (gph) pump. We recommend, however, that you “turn” your pond
water over once per hour. This means that if you have 2000 gallon pond then
you would need a 2000gph pump. Basically, if you don’t plan on keeping fish in
your pond then you can use the first formula. If you do want fish then we
would recommend the second formula. Another consideration when choosing the
desired flow rate of your pump is to be sure that the flow will create the
desired waterfall effect–should a waterfall be in your plan. To create a
beautiful waterfall, you want 100gph minimum for every inch your waterfall is
wide. If you are planning a 24” wide waterfall then you will want a minimum of
2400gph.
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