Considering buying a home w/ existing koi pond

[Insomniak79]

Thanks Sissy! I made sure to test every door, outlet, cupboard and everything you can imagine on the inside, but unfortunately didn't test a single thing outside, which will be my next project when I visit again. I already have copies of literally all of their utilities for the last several years, so I know the exact cost of running the place. Mortgage/insurage/taxes weren't an issue, but I had a bit of a sticker shock when looking at the utilities. When you intentionally deprive yourself for years living in a cheap 1 bedroom apartment to afford something nice like this, it certainly has an effect on you. I'm just making sure I cover every detail.

 

[Insomniak79]

Yep, that's exactly why I'm going in right now Sissy. I want to buy while both home prices and interest rates are still close to historic lows and they're both moving up quickly (depending on the area). I'll make sure to keep an eye on all of the possible issues that you mentioned. What would you consider a reasonable $ amount for maintaining a small koi pond on a monthly basis? I'd be doing all the maintenance myself.

 

[sissy]

check as there may not be enough insulation in the attick or walls .Even double or triple pane windows would help or storm windows .My electric bill al electric house 2440 sq. ft. 2x6 stud walls cost 119 dollars last month .I do have a heat pump and a well .A well insulated sealed house may cost up front but saves you lots in the end .LED bulbs or CFL bulbs I used rock wool insulation as it does not settle does not attract bugs and does not get damp or get moldy .My attic has 5 feet of insulation and an automatic attic fan .Believe me it helps a lot to do all this extra stuff .

 

[Insomniak79]

No doubt, I checked the power bills on this place and it almost made me completely give up on it. Since I'm still early in the bidding process, the only thing I know is that the house is owned by an older, retired couple. I see this as an advantage, especially since they've provided detailed maintenance records and utility costs for the last 3 years. The primary warning sign is their electric costs, which are as low as $100 during winter and as high as $375 during summer. This is a 4 bed, 2000 sq foot home built in the 1970's, so I can only assume they're blasting the AC/heat 24/7.

I'm still looking for some answers at this point since the windows look good, but suspect the attic isn't well insulated, Fortunately, everything else important checks out so far. New appliances included for both kitchen and laundry, and the gas, water heater, electric, and everything else looks good so far. Still trying to find if something is being hidden.

 

[dieselplower]

For what its worth, I've found that once you have paid for all the parts to properly set up the pond, the cost to maintain it on a monthly basis is not significant. I imagine, as you said, the high electricity cost is from A/C. Maybe you can seal around windows, doors, attic, and add some insulation to save in the long run. My main concern about the pond is that there is no water in the stream. Maybe that pump is just off... No idea.

 

[slakker]

That's what I'm finding as well... It was quite the investment to build the pond we wanted, but once done cost is relatively minimal. The only electricity I'm using is for a pump running 85W. The food is relatively cheap and I'm using Hikari. And depending if you're on metered water or not, that could be an extra cost... can be reduced with some rain barrels.

I suspect this is down right cheap when compared to the SW tanks you use to keep. It's definitely cheaper than my 100G reef, the lights alone are 500W Halides!

 

[sissy]

could be the air conditioning unit is not working correctly it may need freon and a tune up or capcitor and motor may need to be checked out to see if they match .could be they are trying to save on the utility bills and next time you go see if you can check out the pumps name and check on line how many watts it runs .

 

[sissy]

one thing I have to give you credit for thinking ahead and finding us on here as it shows you want to take the time to learn more now that you have seen this house and pond and good luck with whatever you decide

 

[mtpond]

Sorry insomnik79 if you don't want comments on things don't bring them up!

 

[Insomniak79]

Slakker - Please don't remind me about those lighting costs, it took years of therapy to get over that. I do thank you though for explaining how Koi can be a relatively 'cheap' hobby from our perspective.

Diesel - Thanks for your feedback, this is exactly what I'm thinking also. I'm expecting my utility costs to be lower, but am still budgeting them based off the current owner to be safe. According to the seller's agent the stream has no issues and is well maintained, which would be consistent with what I've observed from the rest of the property so far. Of course, you can't exactly trust these people, so I'll be looking for an independent inspector that has experience with these things.

 

[slakker]

LOL... yep, reefs are different level of expensive!

I run the water plumbing in a simlar way... I have a skimmer box which acts as a surface skimmer and I use it like "sump". I put my return pump in there and bio-mechnical filtration. Also you can put a ATO in there but I fill manually, so I drilled it to be an overflow to control high water level.

If you don't have one, you may consider putting it in retro active.

 

[Insomniak79]

Mtpond - I do want to hear what you have to say. I apologize if I didn't phrase my comments properly, but I'm seeking advice on my current situation, which would be maintaining a koi pond at a possible new residence. I'd love to discuss the intricacies of reef or saltwater tanks in another thread.

 

[Insomniak79]

Slakker - I've heard people using pond water as fertilizer for their yards whenever they do water changes. Do you happen to know if this is a good or bad practice?

 

[slakker]

I've been using it and it definitely doesn't do any harm. If there's high nutrients, then it would be good. But I just over flow mine so it's more a run-off when I do water changes.

I do the same with my reef, instead of taking water out then adding it back in. I just add water in to dilute. I think the bad thing is that it's not as drastic a change and uses up more water to get the equivalent "change". The good thing is that it is very "gentle" to the system... reef or pond.

 

[JohnHuff]

Slakker - I've heard people using pond water as fertilizer for their yards whenever they do water changes. Do you happen to know if this is a good or bad practice?

This is excellent practice! I have an small pump in the pond, it drains to a very long hose with small holes drilled into it which I place around the plants I want to water. When I want to do water changes, I turn the pump on and presto!, instant fertilized water, much better than the clean water which is going into the pond!