My goldfish pond

[CometKeith]

JW I'm not an expert on this but 170 watts x 24 hrs x 30 days a month equals 122,400 watts or 122 Kwh. At our rate of 0.06968 that comes out to $8.50 per month. That sounds pretty good. You can see if the watts of another pump were double at lets say 340 watts, then it would cost you $17/month or $100 a year more in electricity so it can add up. At the electricity rate we have it would pay for the pump in two years if it cut your watts usage in half.

 

[CountryEscape]

I love it when people are so "math" inclined! Thanks for the great description, CK!

 

[CometKeith]

ha ha, yes, but unfortunately you can't turn the math machine off when you like figuring stuff out. I just calculated it cost me 27 cents in electricity to watch the Bulls game in my man cave in the basement for the last three hours. We are switching to energy efficient light bulbs where ever possible to cut down on electricity costs and our bill is still over $100 a month. There is a light bulb that costs $27 that you can buy when you have a one year old child and it won't need replacing until he/she goes to college! I guess it pays for the high cost of it in the long run, but how many people are going to spend that much for a single light bulb?

 

[j.w]

Thanks for all the info and the figuring of the cost Keith and other peeps. Laguna said they would match the price of the $189.50 cost of the Ebay one if I called the phone # they gave me to talk to a certain guy. 3 yr manufacturer warranty. Sounds pretty good to me. And the cost of the electricity can't be beat it sounds like. Then I can use the old faithful pondmaster as a backup in case I ever need one.
The pondmaster uses: [size="-1"]Estimated Yearly Energy Costs (based on $ 0.10 per kilowatt hour and 12 month continuous use)[/size] 265W.....$232.14 per yr. So the Laguna would be less than half as much per yr than my pondmaster. Saves me some bucks!

 

[herzausstahl]

laguna pumps use different current at different times. they have circuitry to maximize efficiency. it adjust power draw according to its needs to maintain peak performance.
webbs on ebay is always great prices...and often give extended warranties

koiguy,
do you have a laguna pump? was looking at them for a replacement if my smartpond 5000 gph ever burns out on me since I don't see them listed on Lowes website anymore

JW I'm not an expert on this but 170 watts x 24 hrs x 30 days a month equals 122,400 watts or 122 Kwh. At our rate of 0.06968 that comes out to $8.50 per month. That sounds pretty good. You can see if the watts of another pump were double at lets say 340 watts, then it would cost you $17/month or $100 a year more in electricity so it can add up. At the electricity rate we have it would pay for the pump in two years if it cut your watts usage in half.

wow, keith I am jealous, our electric is around 0.122 per month, so yeah, I always factor in the good ol kwh math when i consider any electric for the pond, glad to hear that you liked my build, the part where you see my stream enter into the pond has been under at least a foot of water since I built it and no signs of leakage so far, so Addy's advice on how to connect the liners has been great so far and I will follow it again in the future

Thanks for all the info and the figuring of the cost Keith and other peeps. Laguna said they would match the price of the $189.50 cost of the Ebay one if I called the phone # they gave me to talk to a certain guy. 3 yr manufacturer warranty. Sounds pretty good to me. And the cost of the electricity can't be beat it sounds like. Then I can use the old faithful pondmaster as a backup in case I ever need one.
The pondmaster uses: Estimated Yearly Energy Costs (based on $ 0.10 per kilowatt hour and 12 month continuous use) 265W.....$232.14 per yr. So the Laguna would be less than half as much per yr than my pondmaster. Saves me some bucks!

jw,
that is about what my smartpond uses and it is a 5000 gph hour pump, but I was looking at that model of laguna to replace it if it ever died so I will be curious to see how it holds up for you

 

[j.w]

I'll let ya know if and when I do buy the Laguna how I like it and how it holds up. I think it is worth the savings in the electric usage and will give me more flow on the falls.

 

[CountryEscape]

I'm glad to hear about the Laguna, as that is what I bought last year when my main pump I bought for the first pond quit. Turned out it only needed to be cleaned out and has been working ever since. Bought the original one at Menards, can't remember the name brand, but wasn't one others on here would have recommended. So, when I looked for a back up, I got the 4200 Max Flo Laguna. It's waiting to be put into my new pond, will run fountain and bog and the skimmer will run the stream (and water wheel eventually in the stream). Glad to know that is why this Laguna was highly recommended when I was looking.

 

[sissy]

energy meter you can get at lowes home depot or any hardware store .I had fun plugging each thing in to see if it was energy efficient .They are usually under 30 dollars ,mine was on sale and got it for 18 dollars and then mail in rebate for 5 dollars to help with buying something with more energy savings .

 

[HARO]

Reading the discussions on Laguna pumps, and I'd just like to put in my two cents' worth; I sell the Laguna line in my part-time job at a garden centre, and have used their pumps for some time, so I believe I know what I'm talking about. The older line of Italian-made pumps are among the best available, with few problems. These are sold under the names Max-Flo (pump only) and Power-Jet (pump with diverter valve, fountain heads, and a few other items). In the last several years, however, Laguna has introduced several Chinese-made pumps, up to about 500 or 600 gph, and these have severe reliability problems with their impellers. I had to replace one customer's impeller three times in a three-month span, and his was only one of several! I refuse to carry these pumps in the store, and have made our sales rep aware of the problem, and am monitoring the situation. There is absolutely no problem with the main line, and I've had an older 2000 model (926 gph) running non-stop for about seven years with only occasional cleaning, I still highly recommend these pumps, but would advise against the Chinese-made line!
John

 

[j.w]

Thanks for the heads up John and noticed you said you had a 2000 model. Is that the year you bought it? Good to know the 4200 is still a good one to get. China is really irritating or I should say our country is really irritating allowing all this crap to be brought here and sold! Guess it's really up to us to stop buying it!

 

[CometKeith]

Haro, That's interesting. I hope my 600 gph isn't Chinese. How could I tell? Before we bash all Chinese made things I know people that manufacture good products there. They carefully monitor all the raw materials and go there on a regular basis to make sure the labor is done correctly and everything is made to specifications. The workers there make $2/hr instead of $20/hr here. Hopefully as the middle class grows in China their wages will go up too and we can bring manufacturing back here and still be competitive. I was told that as oil prices goes up it keeps making the equation for US manufacturing better because of shipping costs on a lot of items.

 

[HARO]

Yes, Keith, apparently the good folks at Laguna took all the precautions, and these pumps work very well out of the box. However, every impeller I've replaced had the same problem: the plastic seems to be too soft, and the little rib that connects to a matching rib on the magnet wears out prematurely. Too bad, because the rest of the pump seems to be very well made. If they can fix this one problem, I'll gladly recommend these pumps, but until then, be forewarned! BTW, the bottom of the box will tell you where the pump is made, and the largest Chinese pump is rated at 526 gph, smaller than what most folks on here would be looking at!
Johnl

 

[HARO]

Thanks for the heads up John and noticed you said you had a 2000 model. Is that the year you bought it? Good to know the 4200 is still a good one to get. China is really irritating or I should say our country is really irritating allowing all this crap to be brought here and sold! Guess it's really up to us to stop buying it!

No, j.w., up until maybe eight or nine years ago the Laguna pumps sold in Canada were named for their litre per hour capacity @ a head of one meter, hence the 2000 litre designation. The maximum gph is actually 3,500 USG. Confusing, I know!
John

 

[herzausstahl]

Yes, Keith, apparently the good folks at Laguna took all the precautions, and these pumps work very well out of the box. However, every impeller I've replaced had the same problem: the plastic seems to be too soft, and the little rib that connects to a matching rib on the magnet wears out prematurely. Too bad, because the rest of the pump seems to be very well made. If they can fix this one problem, I'll gladly recommend these pumps, but until then, be forewarned! BTW, the bottom of the box will tell you where the pump is made, and the largest Chinese pump is rated at 526 gph, smaller than what most folks on here would be looking at!
Johnl

Thanks for the info John, I have been considering Laguna's for any future pumps I need, you said the highest chinese made is 526 gph, and that any that say "Max Flo" or "Power Jet" are fine? Probably what I would be looking at anyway. Thanks for the info. I would probably buy online so I would not be able to check the bottom of the box until it arrived. I like that the ones I have looked at are all solids handling and have great wattage usages.

 

[CometKeith]

My first casualty of the year A pretty reddish orange comet with a white nose that I found wedged in between some rocks by the waterfall. I took a good look at it and it had no blemishes whatsoever on it. Also I didn't notice any unusual behavior beforehand. Did it die from getting stuck in the rocks or am I moving around the bad bacteria by netting out leaves on the bottom of the pond and that made it sick? I had to actually move a good size rock just to get it out. The rest of the fish look okay.