How to save Money By Running 2 Fish Pond Pumps

Reduce Energy Costs By Running 2 Fish Pond Pumps

Although the above statement sounds somewhat strange, it is a fact! Running 2 submersible fish pond pumps in your pond is nearly always of more benefit than running a single pond pump.

Here is an example that will hopefully help to clarify this point.... You have a fish pond with a waterfall. The smaller of the two fish pond pumps is used to supply essential oxygen to the beneficial bacteria in the biofilter (must run 24/7/365 days a year). The larger pond-pump which is used to supply the waterfall is switched off at night. Now if instead of 2 pond pumps you had 1 even larger submersible pond pump, running continuously then your energy costs would be much higher.

How to calculate Annual electricity consumption of your pond pump Starting with amps

  • Obtain the amps figure off your pond pump. This figure is always shown on the pump.
  • Make a note of the voltage used. This is the mains voltage (110 volts in the USA) and 240 volts in the UK.
  • Calculate units (kilowatt-hrs) of electricity used daily - Voltage x Amps x 24 divided by 1,000.
  • Obtain the unit cost per kilowatt hour off your electricity bill. Multiply the daily units used x the unit cost per kilowatt hour x 365 to get annual cost. Here is an example:
  • Amps = 1.0  Volts = 110 (USA)   NB amps x voltage = watts
  • 110 watts x 24 /1000 = 2.64 kilowatt-hrs used daily.
  • Unit cost/Kilowatt-hrs = 8.3 cents (8.3/100)
  • Annual Cost = 2.64 kilowatt-hrs x  (8.3/100) x 365 = $79.98

How to calculate Annual electricity consumption of your pond pump Starting with watts

  • Having obtained the watts used figure (usually on the pump box) multiply this figure by 8.76. This will give you the units or (kilowatt-hrs) of energy used annually by your pond pump.
  • Get the charge per unit cost off your electricity bill and you can now work out the running cost of the pump.

By using the above formula's you will be able to carry out pond pump comparisons ... Here is an example

  • Pump A costs $100 to buy but costs $50 a year to run. After 3 years the total cost to date = $100 + ($50 x 3) = $250
  • Pump B costs $130 to buy but costs $35 a year to run. After 3 years the total cost to date = $130 + ($35 x 3) = $235
  • Click this link to access my Comparison Calculator and see how you can save money by running 2 pumps.

Purchasing two fish pond pump is often cheaper than purchasing 1 larger pond-pump but the main benefit is the facility to switch off the larger pump when not required but still supply valuable oxygen using the smaller pump. This can save you plenty of $ over a pond pumps lifetime. Many pumps consume more than 400 watts and are totally unnecessary for the pond's situation in by far the majority of cases. This little equation can save you lots of money when you are about to select a pump. The running cost is often far more important than the purchasing cost.

How To Convert Different Measurement Units

  • To convert gallons to litres multiply by 4.54
  • To convert Imperial gallons to US gallons multiply by 1.2
  • To convert US gallons to litres multiply by 3.78
  • To convert cubic feet to gallons multiply by 6.23
  • To convert cubic feet to US gallons multiply by 7.48
  • To convert inches to cm multiply by 2.54
  • To convert feet to metres multiply by 0.305
  • To convert pounds to kilograms multiply by 2.2
  • To convert sq. feet to sq. Metres multiply by 0.093
  • To convert cu metres to litres multiply by 1000

To convert in the other direction you divide by the factor. Here is an example - To convert litres to gallons you would divide by 4.54