Electric timer?

[GoldLexus]

We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with a
submersible pump.
We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
the fall/winter. We haven't
turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
fall is running our electric bill
triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump and
runs on I believe 220 power. Sorry,
I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
help a bit.

[George]

"GoldLexus" > wrote in message
...
> We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with a
> submersible pump.
> We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
> the fall/winter. We haven't
> turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
> fall is running our electric bill
> triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
> Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
> Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump and
> runs on I believe 220 power.

Wow. I can see why your electric bill triples. Are you sure you need this
large a pump?

>Sorry,
> I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
> bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
> our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
> out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
> help a bit.
>

I would think a 220 volt pump (which I assume is three phase) would produce a
prodigeous waterfall. How many amperes does it use? I don't know the
dimensions of your system or the pond, but if you are concerned about electric
costs, and can do without such a showy waterfall, you could always buy a smaller
pump, one that runs on 120 volts, single phase, that uses less amperes. Of
course, it will reduce the amount of water that flow over the falls. But if the
system can handle a smaller pump, and you can tolerate it, and can afford to buy
one, and rewire your outlet to 120 volts, I would think a smaller pump would be
at least as effective as using a timer. In fact, it could save you much more
money than a timer would. I have no idea where you would get a timer for a 220
volt circuit, although I have no doubt that there is an industrial grade timer
out there made specificially for 220. Look in the phone book in your area for
an industrial electric equipment supply company. I would contact a company like
that and ask them if they have timers for 220 volt circuits.

[Grubber]

"GoldLexus" > wrote in message
...
> We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with
a
> submersible pump.
> We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
> the fall/winter. We haven't
> turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
> fall is running our electric bill
> triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
> Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
> Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump
and
> runs on I believe 220 power. Sorry,
> I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
> bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
> our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
> out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
> help a bit.
>
>

Buy an external pump and replumb. Your electric savings will pay for the
new pump, plus you can use any el cheapo timer from Home Depot, Wally World
etc.

The Valuflow external pumps
here -http://www.azponds.com/new%20sequence.htm - are good deals.

[[email protected]]

be sure to have an aerator going at night to put air into the water then. at night
is when plants use up oxygen in the water. Ingrid

"GoldLexus" > wrote:

>We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with a
>submersible pump.
>We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
>the fall/winter. We haven't
>turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
>fall is running our electric bill
>triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
>Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
>Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump and
>runs on I believe 220 power. Sorry,
>I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
>bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
>our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
>out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
>help a bit.
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[GoldLexus]

Here is a link to some pics. of the waterfall

http://public.fotki.com/Nikkiekoala/our_garden/

I am assuming that it is plugged into a 220 outlet. The previous owner had
the pump plugged into a regular outdoor outlet by the back door. That plug
ended up catching on fire! So he had to have a specially wired box with the
right voltage. The previous owner is a Contractor for underground utilities
(sewer and water) so again I am assuming he knows how large a pump is needed
but than again he may have been going for the awe factor to which we have
grown to really like. If there is a smaller pump that draws less electricity
without losing that 'awe factor' we are game. Just can't do that this season
:( Will have to save up for that.
Please take a look at the pictures and let me know if a smaller pump will
accomplish the same result.
From what I know about the pond, the incline in which the water has to be
pumped (pond to top of falls) is about 14 feet. The pond is about 800-1000
gallons (a guesstimate). I may go out later today and get a rough estimate
of the dimensions.
Thanks!


"George" > wrote in message
...
>
> "GoldLexus" > wrote in message
> ...
> > We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline
with a
> > submersible pump.
> > We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off
in
> > the fall/winter. We haven't
> > turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
> > fall is running our electric bill
> > triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the
night.
> > Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
> > Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump
and
> > runs on I believe 220 power.
>
> Wow. I can see why your electric bill triples. Are you sure you need
this
> large a pump?
>
> >Sorry,
> > I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
> > bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
> > our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to
find
> > out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
> > help a bit.
> >
>
> I would think a 220 volt pump (which I assume is three phase) would
produce a
> prodigeous waterfall. How many amperes does it use? I don't know the
> dimensions of your system or the pond, but if you are concerned about
electric
> costs, and can do without such a showy waterfall, you could always buy a
smaller
> pump, one that runs on 120 volts, single phase, that uses less amperes.
Of
> course, it will reduce the amount of water that flow over the falls. But
if the
> system can handle a smaller pump, and you can tolerate it, and can afford
to buy
> one, and rewire your outlet to 120 volts, I would think a smaller pump
would be
> at least as effective as using a timer. In fact, it could save you much
more
> money than a timer would. I have no idea where you would get a timer for
a 220
> volt circuit, although I have no doubt that there is an industrial grade
timer
> out there made specificially for 220. Look in the phone book in your area
for
> an industrial electric equipment supply company. I would contact a
company like
> that and ask them if they have timers for 220 volt circuits.
>
>

[Mark Swinkels]

Is the pump external to the pond or submersed. If it is external there
should be a plate on the pump motor that says how many amps it draws. Many
larger motors can be wired for either 110 or 220, doubling the voltage cuts
the amps in half so the wires can be smaller. You can tell the outlet
voltage by the arrangement of the prongs, see
http://www.leviton.com/sections/techsupp/nema.htm for a list of the standard
plug configurations.

Timers for 220 can be found at plumbing stores, they are used to turn off
electric hot water heaters at night to save on standby losses. For example:
<http://www.growinglifestyle.com/article/s0/a1376365.html>.

From the width of your waterfall I'd guess you're getting somewhere around
1500 gph over the falls (a very rough guess). A sequence external pump could
provide this while using about 300 watts. See
http://www.azponds.com/new%20sequence.htm for details. This would cost $200
dollars or so a year to run. An energy efficient pump like this can pay for
itself very quickly.

-- Mark

"GoldLexus" > wrote in message
.. .
> Here is a link to some pics. of the waterfall
>
> http://public.fotki.com/Nikkiekoala/our_garden/
>
> I am assuming that it is plugged into a 220 outlet. The previous owner had
> the pump plugged into a regular outdoor outlet by the back door. That plug
> ended up catching on fire! So he had to have a specially wired box with
the
> right voltage. The previous owner is a Contractor for underground
utilities
> (sewer and water) so again I am assuming he knows how large a pump is
needed
> but than again he may have been going for the awe factor to which we have
> grown to really like. If there is a smaller pump that draws less
electricity
> without losing that 'awe factor' we are game. Just can't do that this
season
> :( Will have to save up for that.
> Please take a look at the pictures and let me know if a smaller pump will
> accomplish the same result.
> From what I know about the pond, the incline in which the water has to be
> pumped (pond to top of falls) is about 14 feet. The pond is about 800-1000
> gallons (a guesstimate). I may go out later today and get a rough estimate
> of the dimensions.
> Thanks!
>
>
> "George" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "GoldLexus" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline
> with a
> > > submersible pump.
> > > We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off
> in
> > > the fall/winter. We haven't
> > > turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when
the
> > > fall is running our electric bill
> > > triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the
> night.
> > > Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
> > > Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big
pump
> and
> > > runs on I believe 220 power.
> >
> > Wow. I can see why your electric bill triples. Are you sure you need
> this
> > large a pump?
> >
> > >Sorry,
> > > I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
> > > bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
> > > our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to
> find
> > > out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
> > > help a bit.
> > >
> >
> > I would think a 220 volt pump (which I assume is three phase) would
> produce a
> > prodigeous waterfall. How many amperes does it use? I don't know the
> > dimensions of your system or the pond, but if you are concerned about
> electric
> > costs, and can do without such a showy waterfall, you could always buy a
> smaller
> > pump, one that runs on 120 volts, single phase, that uses less amperes.
> Of
> > course, it will reduce the amount of water that flow over the falls.
But
> if the
> > system can handle a smaller pump, and you can tolerate it, and can
afford
> to buy
> > one, and rewire your outlet to 120 volts, I would think a smaller pump
> would be
> > at least as effective as using a timer. In fact, it could save you much
> more
> > money than a timer would. I have no idea where you would get a timer
for
> a 220
> > volt circuit, although I have no doubt that there is an industrial grade
> timer
> > out there made specificially for 220. Look in the phone book in your
area
> for
> > an industrial electric equipment supply company. I would contact a
> company like
> > that and ask them if they have timers for 220 volt circuits.
> >
> >
>
>

[Michael Shaffer]

220 is single-phase, or "split-phase" in the US. 3 phase is rare.

George wrote:
> "GoldLexus" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with a
>>submersible pump.
>>We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
>>the fall/winter. We haven't
>>turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
>>fall is running our electric bill
>>triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
>>Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
>>Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump and
>>runs on I believe 220 power.
>
>
> Wow. I can see why your electric bill triples. Are you sure you need this
> large a pump?
>
>
>>Sorry,
>>I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
>>bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
>>our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
>>out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
>>help a bit.
>>
>
>
> I would think a 220 volt pump (which I assume is three phase) would produce a
> prodigeous waterfall. How many amperes does it use? I don't know the
> dimensions of your system or the pond, but if you are concerned about electric
> costs, and can do without such a showy waterfall, you could always buy a smaller
> pump, one that runs on 120 volts, single phase, that uses less amperes. Of
> course, it will reduce the amount of water that flow over the falls. But if the
> system can handle a smaller pump, and you can tolerate it, and can afford to buy
> one, and rewire your outlet to 120 volts, I would think a smaller pump would be
> at least as effective as using a timer. In fact, it could save you much more
> money than a timer would. I have no idea where you would get a timer for a 220
> volt circuit, although I have no doubt that there is an industrial grade timer
> out there made specificially for 220. Look in the phone book in your area for
> an industrial electric equipment supply company. I would contact a company like
> that and ask them if they have timers for 220 volt circuits.
>
>

[George]

"GoldLexus" > wrote in message
.. .
> Here is a link to some pics. of the waterfall
>
> http://public.fotki.com/Nikkiekoala/our_garden/
>
> I am assuming that it is plugged into a 220 outlet. The previous owner had
> the pump plugged into a regular outdoor outlet by the back door. That plug
> ended up catching on fire! So he had to have a specially wired box with the
> right voltage. The previous owner is a Contractor for underground utilities
> (sewer and water) so again I am assuming he knows how large a pump is needed
> but than again he may have been going for the awe factor to which we have
> grown to really like. If there is a smaller pump that draws less electricity
> without losing that 'awe factor' we are game. Just can't do that this season
> :( Will have to save up for that.
> Please take a look at the pictures and let me know if a smaller pump will
> accomplish the same result.
> From what I know about the pond, the incline in which the water has to be
> pumped (pond to top of falls) is about 14 feet. The pond is about 800-1000
> gallons (a guesstimate). I may go out later today and get a rough estimate
> of the dimensions.
> Thanks!

Check out this web site for waterfall pumps. There are six sizes. It also
lists the power usage (in watts and amps). Unfortunately, it doesn't say
whether they are 120 volts or 220. It also lists the flowrate for particular
head heights. You could call or e-mail the guy to get specific spec on pump
that you are interested in. I would assume that the largest ones listed are
220, but I could be mistaken. I would look at the plate on the pump you already
have, to find its specifications, then compare them with these pumps to see if
you can get a similar output with less power usage. Some pumps are simply more
efficient than others. And some pumps are simply overkill.

http://www.justliners.com/supremewaterfall.htm

> "George" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "GoldLexus" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline
> with a
>> > submersible pump.
>> > We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off
> in
>> > the fall/winter. We haven't
>> > turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
>> > fall is running our electric bill
>> > triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the
> night.
>> > Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
>> > Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump
> and
>> > runs on I believe 220 power.
>>
>> Wow. I can see why your electric bill triples. Are you sure you need
> this
>> large a pump?
>>
>> >Sorry,
>> > I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
>> > bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
>> > our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to
> find
>> > out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
>> > help a bit.
>> >
>>
>> I would think a 220 volt pump (which I assume is three phase) would
> produce a
>> prodigeous waterfall. How many amperes does it use? I don't know the
>> dimensions of your system or the pond, but if you are concerned about
> electric
>> costs, and can do without such a showy waterfall, you could always buy a
> smaller
>> pump, one that runs on 120 volts, single phase, that uses less amperes.
> Of
>> course, it will reduce the amount of water that flow over the falls. But
> if the
>> system can handle a smaller pump, and you can tolerate it, and can afford
> to buy
>> one, and rewire your outlet to 120 volts, I would think a smaller pump
> would be
>> at least as effective as using a timer. In fact, it could save you much
> more
>> money than a timer would. I have no idea where you would get a timer for
> a 220
>> volt circuit, although I have no doubt that there is an industrial grade
> timer
>> out there made specificially for 220. Look in the phone book in your area
> for
>> an industrial electric equipment supply company. I would contact a
> company like
>> that and ask them if they have timers for 220 volt circuits.
>>
>>
>
>

[Barbara2245]

"GoldLexus" > wrote in message >...
> We have pond with a waterfall. The water fall is at a 14 ft. incline with a
> submersible pump.
> We run the waterfall only during the spring and summer and shut it off in
> the fall/winter. We haven't
> turned it on yet this season due to some leaking issues. Anyway when the
> fall is running our electric bill
> triples! We run it 24/7 but we would like to shut it off during the night.
> Where can I get a timer for this purpose?
> Would it hurt the pump turning it on and off everyday? It is a big pump and
> runs on I believe 220 power. Sorry,
> I don't know much about this we 'inherited' the pond/waterfall when we
> bought the house and no very little about it. Last year was
> our first year with it and it was very expensive to run. Just need to find
> out how we can lower our electric bill thought a timer would
> help a bit.
It would be good to make sure the pump is a pond pump and not a sump
pump. Sump pumps take a lot of power and are not designed for
continuous use. There are a lot of pond suppliers on the net such as
Aqua Mart, E.Z. Ponds and Drs. Foster & Smith. Good luck.