Use indoor heat on Pond

I live in Milwaukee. that 500 watt heater is like 5 light bulbs running ALL the time
and the current calculation is @$10/100 watt light bulb per month if they are on all
the time. Given that we heat our garage (gas) and heat our spa (electric) the 500
watt heater doesnt rate. The temperature was set to 55oF. The temp actually went
below 55o on 1-06 (meaning the heater would be on ALL the time) and was above 55oF
2-26. Running a 1500 watt tank heater at the surface of an unprotected/uncovered
pond could easily cost 15- 100 watt light bulbs or $150 per month if it ran all the
time. Ingrid

(MC) wrote:
To keep a pond @ 55 degrees here in Chicago would probably cost around
$150-$200 a month in electricity.

wrote in message ...
piping water out of a pond is always risky business .... the pipe springs a leak and
drains the pond. in winter this is even more likely not to mention the water
freezing in the pipe. second, unless the piping is buried it will chill down on the
return trip and isnt efficient. I dropped a 500 watt heater into my pond, set it to
55oF and my pond stayed above 50 all winter except for one month jan 15-feb 15. my
pond is covered with plastic. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

There are several things that come into play:

-Outside temperature
-How protected the pond is (some people build plastic frames to
protect)
-The size of the pond

Out of curiosity, why did you pick 55 degrees? Isn't 40 degrees safe?
At 55 degrees I would imagine their immune system is more intact.



wrote in message ...
I live in Milwaukee. that 500 watt heater is like 5 light bulbs running ALL the time
and the current calculation is @$10/100 watt light bulb per month if they are on all
the time. Given that we heat our garage (gas) and heat our spa (electric) the 500
watt heater doesnt rate. The temperature was set to 55oF. The temp actually went
below 55o on 1-06 (meaning the heater would be on ALL the time) and was above 55oF
2-26. Running a 1500 watt tank heater at the surface of an unprotected/uncovered
pond could easily cost 15- 100 watt light bulbs or $150 per month if it ran all the
time. Ingrid

(MC) wrote:
To keep a pond @ 55 degrees here in Chicago would probably cost around
$150-$200 a month in electricity.

wrote in message ...
piping water out of a pond is always risky business .... the pipe springs a leak and
drains the pond. in winter this is even more likely not to mention the water
freezing in the pipe. second, unless the piping is buried it will chill down on the
return trip and isnt efficient. I dropped a 500 watt heater into my pond, set it to
55oF and my pond stayed above 50 all winter except for one month jan 15-feb 15. my
pond is covered with plastic. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

There are several things that come into play:

-Outside temperature
-How protected the pond is (some people build plastic frames to
protect)
-The size of the pond

Out of curiosity, why did you pick 55 degrees? Isn't 40 degrees safe?
At 55 degrees I would imagine their immune system is more intact.



wrote in message ...
I live in Milwaukee. that 500 watt heater is like 5 light bulbs running ALL the time
and the current calculation is @$10/100 watt light bulb per month if they are on all
the time. Given that we heat our garage (gas) and heat our spa (electric) the 500
watt heater doesnt rate. The temperature was set to 55oF. The temp actually went
below 55o on 1-06 (meaning the heater would be on ALL the time) and was above 55oF
2-26. Running a 1500 watt tank heater at the surface of an unprotected/uncovered
pond could easily cost 15- 100 watt light bulbs or $150 per month if it ran all the
time. Ingrid

(MC) wrote:
To keep a pond @ 55 degrees here in Chicago would probably cost around
$150-$200 a month in electricity.

wrote in message ...
piping water out of a pond is always risky business .... the pipe springs a leak and
drains the pond. in winter this is even more likely not to mention the water
freezing in the pipe. second, unless the piping is buried it will chill down on the
return trip and isnt efficient. I dropped a 500 watt heater into my pond, set it to
55oF and my pond stayed above 50 all winter except for one month jan 15-feb 15. my
pond is covered with plastic. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

most ponds are in the ground, and the temp is pretty constant. mine is 1600 gallons,
partially above ground (1.5 feet out of the 4 feet), and that portion is insulated
with foam board inside the frame.
the major way to save heat and energy is putting plastic over the top to trap warmer
water vapor and keep it inside. loss of heat by evaporation really cools the pond
down, the colder the more "steam" is seen leaving and taking heat energy with it.
55oF is temp of immune system AND temp I can continue to feed my fish, altho lightly.
apparently my in pond bucket filter works OK at that temp too, I did drop the heater
into the bucket filter. continuing to feed means they dont have to live off their
fat for sooooo long. It is a major stress and one of the major reasons so many fish
succumb to disease early in spring.

(MC) wrote:
There are several things that come into play:
-Outside temperature
-How protected the pond is (some people build plastic frames to
protect)
-The size of the pond
Out of curiosity, why did you pick 55 degrees? Isn't 40 degrees safe?
At 55 degrees I would imagine their immune system is more intact.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

most ponds are in the ground, and the temp is pretty constant. mine is 1600 gallons,
partially above ground (1.5 feet out of the 4 feet), and that portion is insulated
with foam board inside the frame.
the major way to save heat and energy is putting plastic over the top to trap warmer
water vapor and keep it inside. loss of heat by evaporation really cools the pond
down, the colder the more "steam" is seen leaving and taking heat energy with it.
55oF is temp of immune system AND temp I can continue to feed my fish, altho lightly.
apparently my in pond bucket filter works OK at that temp too, I did drop the heater
into the bucket filter. continuing to feed means they dont have to live off their
fat for sooooo long. It is a major stress and one of the major reasons so many fish
succumb to disease early in spring.

(MC) wrote:
There are several things that come into play:
-Outside temperature
-How protected the pond is (some people build plastic frames to
protect)
-The size of the pond
Out of curiosity, why did you pick 55 degrees? Isn't 40 degrees safe?
At 55 degrees I would imagine their immune system is more intact.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.