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Thread: Pond Heater Advice
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10-01-2021, 11:37 AM #1
Pond Heater Advice
Following the recent cold snap , I`m seriousely considering installing a heater for my 2500 gallon pond .
My pond got as low as 4 degrees , and although the fish look ok , I wouldnt be happy for it to go much lower . I recently heard a rumour (and hope thats all it is !!) that were in for another cold spell at the end of the month - so want to prepare - just in case !
I`m only looking to heat up to maybe 5 or 6 degrees , and dont want to break the bank , as my lekky bill is already high what with people working from home ect ect .
I notice , from the pond temp thread , that one or two have started using aquarium heaters of around 600w . Just wondered if anyone can reccommend one ? Ive been having a quick look around , but noticed they only seem to be temperature controllable from around 16 degrees . Are these ok to use , and is it possible to add a seperate thermostat to control lower temperatures .
Just wonder what everyone else is using for this kind of low level heating , and what your thoughts are on heating costs , fish welfare ect .
Thanks in advance
Colin
2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber
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10-01-2021, 11:57 AM #2
I am using 600W floating heaters (4 of them). I can't comment how effective they would be in static water because mine are in a dedicated filter "outlet chamber" with good constant water flow.
If you could tether the heater near an outlet this could give a similar outcome.
For this application I would always use a separate thermostat.
The cheapest way to build an accurate controllable heating system like this would be to use:
600W floating heaters (I bought 4 for about £72 in total)
STC 1000 digital thermostat (about £10 with temp probe)
20A Delay Off relay (about £8)
For under £100 I have a system with a switchable varying heat output of 600/1200/1800/2400W. A 600W system would only be £40 and so on.
I can adjust temperature calibration, on/off differential, etc, etc.
In the warmer months I simply unplug the heaters and put them away.
You can see more here:
https://www.koiforum.uk/koi-carp-cha...-solution.html
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10-01-2021, 12:10 PM #3
I bought a 650 watt heater just to help with the chill these last couple of weeks, mine was pre set to 20c but with my current set up was only ever going to raise things a little when on full time with the conditions we have been having.
If I'd been going to leave it in full time I have a separate thermostat with temp probe and a socket that could turn it on and off as required. Its supposed to be rated to 2.2kw but I think I'd be reluctant to load it that high.
That works for me, but if I was serious about heating in the long term I'd go with UKZEROs advice.
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john1 Thanked / Liked this Post
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10-01-2021, 12:13 PM #4
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hidom-Sub...Cclp%3A2334524
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elitech-U...Cclp%3A2334524
Hi Colin, these would be fine,if you need a hand wiring up let us know.John
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arceye Thanked / Liked this Post
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10-01-2021, 12:44 PM #5
I'm doing the same as you hippo.
I went for a shego titanium heater, following advice from people on this forum.
Apparently the glass heaters eventually get condensation inside. And reviews of some of the cheaper metal drop in heaters suggest that the seal where the cable enters the heater at the top can perish, sometimes in a short space of time.
In terms of stat I went for a hummingbird ITC 308 stat, but I'm sure the elitech ones are just as good.
Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window
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10-01-2021, 02:03 PM #6
Thanks for the advice , guys . Much appreciated . I`ll have a look at later at all your suggestions , and take it from there
Colin
2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber
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10-01-2021, 05:36 PM #7
This set up looks pretty straightforward , John . If you could describe the wiring that would be good . Does it need permanantly wiring , or would I be able to fit a plug ?
Spotted this one . Looks even more straightforward . What do you think ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electroni...IAAOSwO8VfwFEGColin
2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber
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10-01-2021, 05:41 PM #8
The STC 1000 is what I use because it was already in my system before adding heating, but it needs an additional relay to add delay to prevent rapid cycling (has a delay built in for cooling, but not heating).
The second one you found has delays for both and at that price looks ideal at first glance - and no wiring to do
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10-01-2021, 06:31 PM #9
That one you found and linked to is actually identical to the one I have, its even come down in price a bit from when I bought one a couple of years ago.
I first got it to run a home made tobacco kiln which it did well and its a handy thing to have. I was just wary as to if it would genuinely handle the load it is rated for but that's probably just me lol.
The only problem I have had from mine is when I pulled it out of my shed a week ago incase I wanted to use it with my heater, is that after sitting for several months it failed to come on, however a half hour on the radiator and it came back to life. That though was more a fault with the way it was stored than with the item.
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hippo Thanked / Liked this Post
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11-01-2021, 03:45 PM #10
Hi, I’m very curious to know more about these individual heaters and there cost to run, it’s sounds like you have popped them in your bio chamber with your moving bed of k1 ?? Why do you need a temp probe ? My pump runs from my bio to my shower then returns to my pond would this be ineffective for my setup ?? I’m running my variable pump at 10000 would you slow it down for more heat exchange ?? Ball park on cost if you don’t mind for heating ?? Thanks I’m advance
1200 gallon
Bottom drain
Filtereau mini 10000 max 15000
75 litre bio chamber
Shower
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11-01-2021, 04:08 PM #11
My floating heaters aren't in my bio chamber, they are in a separate outlet chamber in my system, but I can see no reason why you couldn't place them in a bio chamber if it is big enough.
Anywhere where they can fit in the system with water flowing will be equally effective unless your showers are exposed to the external cold air - in which case you may lose the heat you have just added before the water gets to the pond - in this case I would add them to the disturbed water where the shower flow returns to the pond.
Flow rate, unless very very slow, will make no difference to the performance as the heat they will give out will be unchanged and the passing cold water will maintain the required temperature differential for maximum heat transfer.
I use the heaters as a fish safety device only in that they always keep the water at or above 4-5C. With this in mind I have an electronic thermostat (hence the temp probe) which, in case of very cold temps in the water turns on the heaters (and also turns on a soil heating wire wrapped around the mains water supply and a fan to bring warm air from the house into the filter room via ducting).
Because I am not trying to heat any higher than 4-5C the heaters are needed very rarely and during this last cold spell have only been on for a couple of hours in total. This is because my pond was deliberately designed to be fully in-ground and uninsulated (and uncovered) to make the most of ground heat - only of use if you don't want to maintain higher temps - in which case insulation would be better.
Running costs would depend entirely on:
How warm you wanted to heat your water.
How well insulated is the pond.
Is the pond covered.
Pond volume.
The floating system I use would cost no more or no less in electricity than any other type of system, it's just much cheaper to install and flexible.
As a rough guide, assume each 600W heater will cost about 9-10p per hour to run.
You can see where I installed my heaters here: https://www.koiforum.uk/koi-carp-cha...t=cost+heatingLast edited by Ukzero; 11-01-2021 at 04:11 PM.
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11-01-2021, 07:17 PM #12
Hi Colin,
That looks spot on and just plug and play,I used the Elitech as that is all they had at the time but yours looks good.
Get a stainless heater I use 2 x 500 watt on my grow on and they are fine just remember to turn the hand temp knob to max so you control it on the digi temp.John
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11-01-2021, 10:18 PM #13
I've just set my heater up. Pond measuring 5.6C and have set it to 6.5C to start off with. Shouldn't be too difficult as air temp in the shed was measuring 8C.
Quick question. What heating differential do people generally set their stat at. My stat had a default setting of 2C. But that seemed too high. I've set it to 0.5C.
My understanding of the differential is it stops the heater clicking on or off as the heat fluctuates around the target temp. Is that correct? So in my set up it keeps heating until it hits 6.5C, then switches off until it drops back to 6C. Is that right?
Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window
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11-01-2021, 10:37 PM #14
Nice one mate. Yeah your spot on with what the differential is. I have mine set to .2 this works well for me.
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11-01-2021, 11:59 PM #15
Thanks Mike.
I'll check the temps in the morning to see if it's done anything.
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12-01-2021, 12:59 AM #16
Finest-Filters Floating Pond Heater for Koi Fish Pond Anti Ice Winter 150/300 / 600w (600w) £25 Amazon Prime
off Amazon
Just bought one of these with a guard to protect the fish, has taken the chill off the water this last week and only added £1.25 ish a day hard to tell as heating in house has been full on due to ice/snow here in S Yorks1000 gal
2 x Hozelock 6000ltr 9W UV
Allpond Spin Filter 8000 11W UV
Blagdon pond oxy 640 ltr/hr
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12-01-2021, 01:36 AM #17
You will loose the heater quicker than you can try and heater your 2500 gallon pond with 600watt heaters
better to just buy a heater designed for your pond ,
mine is for sale on here £180 3kw elecro temp controlled for very low to high .
if your pond isnt well insulated , then best to get it insulated and poly carb cover
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arceye Thanked / Liked this Post
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12-01-2021, 02:47 AM #18
We'll tell you all about it when it happens, but winters in Japan are cold too, especially this year. Unlike professional breeders who have to keep a lot of tosai, less than 5% of us hobbyists have a heating system. Most of us are happy to leave them alone in the winter as long as they are well fed and nourished in the summer. That's the mainstream view.
https://tsuri-suru.com/wp-content/up...uion_graph.gif
1月 is for January and 12月 is for December.
So the point at which you have to compensate is the two months of summer. I think you'll make more progress if you focus on this side.
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12-01-2021, 07:18 AM #19John
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12-01-2021, 10:28 AM #20
I have mine set at .2 as I wanted to keep the water as stable as possible without it switching on and off constantly.
.5 would be fine though, my heater is over powered (3kw) on 300g so I have no issues maintaining any temp. When it runs it normally takes around 3 mins to raise the temp back up once it clicks in.
I ditched the analogue stat on the heater and made an external.
I have a thread here, issue I had was I needed a stat that was 3kw capable
Digital thermostat help needed
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app
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Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...