to heat or not to heat is the question

koimaster · 06-01-2009, 04:19 PM

HOW MUCH DOE'S IT COST TO RUN ?

That is another question that we are often asked ... Well of course 'How long is a piece of string ?'
It is impossible to give any accurate running costs for any heating system - there are many factors to be taken into consideration...

How big is the pond.
How exposed, or sheltered is the pond - is there a cover over the pond.
What part of the World are we talking about.
How long is the natural winter
What temperatures are required.
How far away is the boiler, or electricity supply
As we have said - these factors, and there are many others, all have to be taken into account

In England - in our own region - which is known as being a 'Top Coat' colder than the south of England - to give you some idea..... One of our customers who has a 4,000 gallon outside pond which is reasonably sheltered and he maintains an ambient temperature of 56 degrees (12 c) ... He has constructed a polythene cover for his pond using a wooden frame and therefore prevents ice forming on the pond in any event ... and he estimates that his heating costs for his pond is somewhere in the region of £6.00 (sterling) per week .... This based on an average of ...lets say 16 weeks (the coldest weeks covering the Months of - Nov -Dec - Jan - Feb.... would mean that is heating costs for the winter period would be £96.00 .... which is quite reasonable when we consider what benefits our Koi have derived throughout this period from the sustained temperatures .... Another installation that we have done which has just gone through its first winter is an outside pond, again covered, but the actual pipework runs from the filtration house to the pond are in excess of 40 meters, The Pond contains 6,000 gallons and the form of heating system is by way of 'Bottled Gas' as there is no supply of Natural Gas to the site, and its winter running costs for this winter... and bearing in mind the additional costs in the actual gas which is more expensive that natural gas ... has been £10.00 per week ... giving a total heating cost of £160.00 for the 16 week period ... Almost twice the price of the previous pond ... so as we can see no two ponds are alike ....

So what have we gained by heating the system ?

Well for a start we have been able to feed our Koi for the whole twelve months of the year so they are getting the full nourishment they require to keep them in good condition - and they are now growing twelve months a year - not just through the summer months - The risk of losing our Koi has been dramatically reduced because we have been able to maintain a temperature acceptable to them ..... Lets face it with the cost of our Koi increasing as it is doing ... it would only take the loss of just a single good Koi to far outweigh the cost of heating the pond ... in face in many cases it would be considerably less to heat rather than to suffer continued losses of good Koi through the winter months due to the severe cold temperatures of the water .... Because we have been able to continue feeding we still have mature biological filtration - we don't have to go through the process of 'Starting Up' our systems at the beginning of each season ...

So there is no doubt in our minds that eventually we shall all get round to heating our Koi Ponds and tanks .... it need not cost the earth ...... and the overall costs are well worth it !

pondy · 07-01-2009, 08:34 PM

another thought is do you get a heater just big enough to heat your pond ie 3kw for a 3000 gal pond which comes on alot more to keep the pond heated or do you go for a dearer, bigger Kw heater that doesnt need to run as long to keep it heated but costs more when it is on?

hi utsuri_jp · 07-01-2009, 11:04 PM

I would say that there was not much in the differance but the other costs to go over 3 kw would count agaainst it I.e. dedicated socket bigger cable to the socket and the fuseboard in the shed.

i think its more the case of how fast the pond looses water rather than how big the heater is suppose to be. but if the above was not an issue then i would say bigger is better.

pondy · 07-01-2009, 11:06 PM

good words from the Electrician, cheers mate.

koimaster · 07-01-2009, 11:08 PM

welcome to the site your view is taken on board

gazjack0 · 07-01-2009, 11:51 PM

welcome to the to the nut house

flipp · 08-01-2009, 12:08 AM

'Welcome to the nut house'.

We are escorted out every Thursday pm for a trip to the local shops, as long as we don't grab the natives we are tolerated

ogawa only · 08-01-2009, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hi utsuri_jp

I would say that there was not much in the differance but the other costs to go over 3 kw would count agaainst it I.e. dedicated socket bigger cable to the socket and the fuseboard in the shed.

i think its more the case of how fast the pond looses water rather than how big the heater is suppose to be. but if the above was not an issue then i would say bigger is better.

spot on chap , welcome to the forum/nut house

i run mine on a diffrent pump , as you want the water coming out the heater to be warm , not tepid , as it will take forever to heat your pond , i used to run a smaller air pump from the house as did want to put cold air in
.

Eclipsar · 08-01-2009, 06:06 AM

Heating is the only way to go if you ask me, cheapest method is to add the pond on to your house boiler.

Regards
Chris
Eclipsar
ACM KOI

nishikiboy · 08-01-2009, 06:33 AM

do you know we have about 3 or 4 threads running on this at once ?
As I said on the other one of Mark's, I think heating is a MUST if you want to keep koi.
and no point in buying high grade koi without heating, in my opinion !
I just wish someone would invent a solar panel or wind turbine strong enough and cost effective enough to help heat a Koi pond !
Peter.