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  1. #1

    Water bills! How much do you use?

    Hello folks,

    Just got my water bill in, and it got me thinking about how much freshwater people are using in their ponds. I’ve never ran a trickle in/out, and only replace water from weekly filter cleans. That currently works out as 1000l a week, so only 5% of my pond. Conscious the water companies are raising bills…how much water do you change each week? Guessing we could see more people making an effort to reduce water consumption in the future. Bit like we saw with electric a few years ago.

    Anyone else notice the forum seems pretty quiet these days? I don’t think all the spam accounts and adverts are helping.


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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    I change a similar amount to you in the summer, but tend to change the same amount, but less frequently in the colder months. Seems to work ok, but it does mean my nitrates are probably on the higher side than they should be.

    Unfortunately I've recently developed the habit of doing a water change but then going away forgetting the tap is still running. 🫣One time I did that for 24hours, and more recently I did that for about 4 hours. So when our water bill came in recently it had shot up quite a bit more than normal, so I had to come clean to my wife and say hopefully it was a one, well two, off.

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    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

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    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion samp09's Avatar
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    I change around 10% every 7-10 days at the moment then less frequently in winter and probably less changed too. I don't feed below about 12 degrees in winter either so not quite so much ammonia etc.

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    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    20% around 2300 litres dechlorinated water in a week, but 4 times that @ 9200 liters in recycled RO back into the pond.
    so effectively 100% a week as trickle in/out

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  9. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Twhitenosugar View Post
    I change a similar amount to you in the summer, but tend to change the same amount, but less frequently in the colder months. Seems to work ok, but it does mean my nitrates are probably on the higher side than they should be.

    Unfortunately I've recently developed the habit of doing a water change but then going away forgetting the tap is still running. 🫣One time I did that for 24hours, and more recently I did that for about 4 hours. So when our water bill came in recently it had shot up quite a bit more than normal, so I had to come clean to my wife and say hopefully it was a one, well two, off.

    Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk
    Mate I did the exact same thing Water bills! How much do you use? suspect that contributed to my latest water bill. Need to think about a float stop somehow..


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  11. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by samp09 View Post
    I change around 10% every 7-10 days at the moment then less frequently in winter and probably less changed too. I don't feed below about 12 degrees in winter either so not quite so much ammonia etc.
    Nice one mate, tbh I think I could cut back on the cleaning a bit once temps start to drop and I back off the food.


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  13. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by davethefish1 View Post
    20% around 2300 litres dechlorinated water in a week, but 4 times that @ 9200 liters in recycled RO back into the pond.
    so effectively 100% a week as trickle in/out
    Wow Dave that’s quite a turnover of freshwater! What have you found to be the benefits? Cheers


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  15. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Twhitenosugar's Avatar
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    The other thing that has increased my water usage is my drum is cleaning so frequently at the mo.

    I think I need to give the mesh a good clean as I suspect it's got a little clogged up.

    Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk
    13,000L fibreglassed raised pond with window

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    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    I change 1000 - 1500 litres every fortnight or so.

    I top up on average 100 litres a day (drum usage, using pond to water garden, and possibly a leak but I think its leaking every year then the level stays the same in winter so who knows).

    According to my water bill I use just under 900 litres per day and am the biggest user in my area. I have no idea how I'm getting through that much.

    Water bill direct debit is £122 per Month plus I'm in £750 of arrears (I keep asking them to increase DD and they keep saying current DD amount is fine, yet the arrears keep building).

    I get a non-return to sewer allowance where they deduct my pond usage from the wastewater charges, works out about £45 saving every 6 Months).

    One of my kids can spend 1.5 hours in the shower, then fill up the bath to relax for another hour. She works for a water company and offers people free egg timers to encourage them to have 4 minute showers! She once got in trouble at work for leaving a tap on in the toilets all weekend!
    Last edited by RS2OOO; 04-09-2024 at 09:54 AM.

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  19. #10
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion davethefish1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrucePondsteen View Post
    Wow Dave that’s quite a turnover of freshwater! What have you found to be the benefits? Cheers


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    all down to the recycle RO really.
    good growth, phosphates below 0.25pm, nitrates below 5ppm, soft water KH around 1-2.
    good metals removal. and 99% of most of the other contaminants that get past the dechlorinator.

    edit: slight mis calculation there
    3600 litres of RO a week, so about 50% total trickle in-/recycle ro /out a week, not 100%
    Last edited by davethefish1; 04-09-2024 at 07:19 PM.

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  21. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by davethefish1 View Post
    all down to the recycle RO really.
    good growth, phosphates below 0.25pm, nitrates below 5ppm, soft water KH around 1-2.
    good metals removal. and 99% of most of the other contaminants that get past the dechlorinator.

    edit: slight mis calculation there
    3600 litres of RO a week, so about 50% total trickle in-/recycle ro /out a week, not 100%
    Interesting!


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  23. #12
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    I don't trickle, but if I do a water change it's about 7000l which is to the bottom of the window. Given a guess at £2.25/m3 or 1000l, that's 7*2.25 ~£7.

    The drum runs every 45 minutes on the shortest rinse so I'd approximate 160l/day. I could cycle water through the pond then use the clean side for the drum. That may be an option moving forward as a greener version. Maybe I could make a solenoid that alternates between washing the drum with pond water and washing the drum with chlorinated water.
    So 365days*160l = 58,400 litres, so 58.3m3 or £132/year.

    Our loo has a slight leak into the bowl so that would definitely be the culprit Need to sort that out with a new washer etc - I may do that today.

    Moving forward I may do a 50% water change 2-3 times a year.
    14000l, my mutts: 2010 Chargoi, 2022 Doitsui/Tancho/Kujaku/Hi Utusri, 2023 Agasi/Doitsui

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  25. #13
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrucePondsteen View Post
    Interesting!
    Main issue with RO is you need an input below a total dissolved matter threshold. That is typically filtered drum, then multiple sets of fine filtering before it gets to the RO.
    14000l, my mutts: 2010 Chargoi, 2022 Doitsui/Tancho/Kujaku/Hi Utusri, 2023 Agasi/Doitsui

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  27. #14
    Senior Member Rank = Mature Champion smartin's Avatar
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    trickling in aound 1000 litres a week(10% pond volume) which from memory is a cubic metre so around £2.50 per week for this, plus the drum is cleaning every 40 minutes for two full drum revolutions so approx 252 cleans per week, unsure of water usage on this especially as i have an inline salamander pump which boosts water pressure through the spray bar, £80 a month DD so not too major this is the house and pond...
    2200 gallons,infinity window,
    Evolve 4k combi,spindrifter,
    2x20k pumps, BD,Skimmer,
    Shower, ASHP

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    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Oops:


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    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai KiOgon's Avatar
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    Hi Steve, Presuming you're with South East Water as I am, I looked on their website and found my usage, but can't get as up to date a reading as your's - my latest is September 2023 - at 508L/day, can't see how to get a screenshot now though.

    Bloody confusing with their payment details - monthly DD £59 - monthly usage £59.88 but 'I'm paying the right amount' and £361 in credit can't make sense of it, just keep paying the bills and taking the pills

    My little hose meter says I use about 350L each filter clean - 3 times a week.
    Latest: Sansai Budo Goromo Yamabuki, Nisai; ShiroUtsuri OchibaShigure,Tosai; Beni Kikokryu,KinMuji

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  33. #17
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KiOgon View Post
    Hi Steve, Presuming you're with South East Water as I am, I looked on their website and found my usage, but can't get as up to date a reading as your's - my latest is September 2023 - at 508L/day, can't see how to get a screenshot now though.

    Bloody confusing with their payment details - monthly DD £59 - monthly usage £59.88 but 'I'm paying the right amount' and £361 in credit can't make sense of it, just keep paying the bills and taking the pills

    My little hose meter says I use about 350L each filter clean - 3 times a week.
    When you log in there should be some tiles near the bottom and one says something like "My water usage", when you click on that the chart is there.

    As things stand we've had no water since yesterday due to a burst main at the end of our road. Did get water back briefly but it was coming out the tap brown. Pond needs a top up as well.

    Mine was saying "I'm paying the right amount" as well, even despite my £750+ debit.

    Your DD is half of mine!
    Even deducting my daughter's showers my usage is pointing towards a pond leak!
    Last edited by RS2OOO; 06-09-2024 at 04:25 PM.

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  35. #18
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Adult Champion NickK-UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KiOgon View Post
    Hi Steve, Presuming you're with South East Water as I am, I looked on their website and found my usage, but can't get as up to date a reading as your's - my latest is September 2023 - at 508L/day, can't see how to get a screenshot now though.

    Bloody confusing with their payment details - monthly DD £59 - monthly usage £59.88 but 'I'm paying the right amount' and £361 in credit can't make sense of it, just keep paying the bills and taking the pills

    My little hose meter says I use about 350L each filter clean - 3 times a week.
    This is what I call fraudulent use of direct debit. Over charging on direct debit so that your account is in credit and they pocket the interest on that credit but never refund it.

    I would place strongly worded letter to the water and financial ombudsman indicating that this is fraudulent consistent overcharging.

    It's why my mrs refuses to do direct debit and pays monthly.
    14000l, my mutts: 2010 Chargoi, 2022 Doitsui/Tancho/Kujaku/Hi Utusri, 2023 Agasi/Doitsui

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  37. #19
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickK-UK View Post
    This is what I call fraudulent use of direct debit. Over charging on direct debit so that your account is in credit and they pocket the interest on that credit but never refund it.

    I would place strongly worded letter to the water and financial ombudsman indicating that this is fraudulent consistent overcharging.

    It's why my mrs refuses to do direct debit and pays monthly.
    I promise you, where south east water are concerned it is not calculated fraud.
    Just incompetence.

    As mentioned, I'm with them too and in loads of debt, and they still keep telling me I'm paying the correct direct debit amount.

    They told me I could log in and change the direct debit amount myself, though I cannot for the life of me find the option to do so.

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  39. #20
    I’m chiming in too. For my tiny 1000g or 4500l pond, in growth months I change water 30-50% per week. I used to change 50-80% per week but this season I plugged in a DD heater to try to maintain temp at 21 degrees and if I do a massive water change temp drops to 18 and it takes 2 days for it to go back to 21 d.

    I always notice a big change in fish appetite immediately after a water change, and this leads me to believe the pheromones really need to be removed regularly, either by tricking or large water changes.

    In winter I do a big 50% water change each two weeks. It helps to bring temp up from whatever pond temp to around 12d temp of tap water.

    My semi annual bill from SES Water is £500 or so. I delay paying them by 2-3 months - not that I can’t afford, but I really hate that company as they kept sending me letters and calling me to chase - eventually I logged a complaint with ombudsman and I still delay my payment by 2-3 months just to show them as a consumer I CAN

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