Article: Pond Pumps Vs Pool Pumps
Often people install pool pumps to run their water feature because of the initial cost savings of purchasing such a pump. This is ill-advised for a variety of reasons; most importantly, the use of a pool pump can lead to massive increases in your electricity bill.
Also, many unscrupulous landscapers and some retailers provide quotations that include the supply of a pool pump rather than a pond pump in order to reduce the final cost of the quotation in an effort to win the work. They do not inform the recipient of the quotation of the running costs of a pool pump.
Simple arithmetic proves that the initial cost savings of purchasing a pool pump to run your water feature can cause a blow out of staggering proportions in your annual budget. This is especially true when keeping fish or plants, which requires that your pump is running 24 hours a day to oxygenate the water.
Running Costs
To calculate your operating costs per year multiply watts your pump uses per hour, by the number of hours you run it per year (if you run it 24/7 then use 8,760 hours per year), then divide by 1,000 to convert it to kilowatts, then multiply by your cost per kWh (kilowatt-hour) ($0.1447 in QLD – see www.energexinstitute.com).
watts x 8,760 / 1,000 x $kWh = $ operating costs per year
Example 1:
A Blagdon Amphibious P8000 Fountain Pump (169 watt)
169 (watt) x 8760 (hours per year) / 1000 x $0.1447 = $214.22 per year
Example 2:
An Average 1.0 HP Pool Pump (750 watt)
750 (watt) x 8760 (hours per year) / 1000 x $0.1447 = $950.68 per year
Total Cost Savings = $736.46 per year ($184.12 every quarter!)
Below we have compared the smallest pool pump generally available against the largest pond pump generally available:
Example 3:
An Aquashift 15000 Pump (210 watt)
210 (watt) x 8760 (hours per year) / 1000 x $0.1447 = $266.19 per year
Example 4:
A 0.75 HP Pool Pump (550 watt)
550 (watt) x 8760 (hours per year) / 1000 x $0.1447 = $697.16 per year
Total cost savings = $430.97 per year ($107.74 per quarter!)
Above we have only considered operational costs; however there are a number of other considerations when comparing a pond pump to a pool pump:
Guarantee/Warranty
All Pond Pumps supplied by Water Features Online are quality pumps and are backed up by Continuously Rated Guarantees of varying lengths (2-5 years). Continuously Rated means that the pump is guaranteed to run 24 HOURS A DAY for the period of the guarantee. Conversely, while Pool Pumps may be of good quality, the guarantees are NOT continuously rated and they are usually guaranteed to run for approximately 6 hours a day (read the fine print!) for the period of the guarantee. If a pool pump is run for 24 hours a day then this effectively reduces a 2 year guarantee to a 6 month guarantee.
Noise
This is a factor often overlooked. Pond Pumps are generally submersible and therefore silent. Pool Pumps are generally dry mounted somewhere near the water feature and can be very noisy. This is counterproductive when introducing the sound of water into a garden.
Maintenance
Both Pool and Pond Pumps require some basic maintenance, they need to be kept clean and free of debris. However, Pond Pumps have fewer moving parts than Pool Pumps, therefore the likelihood of breakdowns are greater in a Pool Pump. Often the seals on Pool Pumps degrade and need replacing regularly whereas a Pond Pump generally does not have a seal.
About the author: Danielle Dickinson is an avid water feature enthusiast. She is a regular contributor to Gardening Magazines. Visit her website <a href>http://www.waterfeaturesonline.com.au for more information on building and maintaining any type of Water Feature as well as a huge range of water gardening products.
