On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 15:59:46 GMT, Simon Avery wrote:

RP I had a look at screwfix and their pumps are from 200 to 300
RP watts and shift 7500lph. Yes they are cheaper to buy but
RP even the 200 watt one costs an extra =9C25 per year to run and
RP over the life of the pump it can more than cover the
RP difference.

F'sure, I have their 200watt pump which is lovely. Maybe my maths is a =

bit rusty, but I budgeted 50-60ukp/year running 24/7. Hard to notice
in the general noise though.

How long do they last and do they still use a shaft driven impeller? My
neighbour used to use this type of pump but made by Lotus (not the
current range). They had the shaft sealed by a rubber gasket and that
only seemed to last for a couple of years. By the time enough moisture
got in to trigger the trip the motor was too rusted up to repair. These
new pumps normally have a three year guarantee as well so I'd expect
them to last for five years at least. I had an Eheim filter for the
aquarium that had a magnetically driven impeller and that lasted for at
least ten years so it would be nice if these last for a similar time.

I didn't actually calculate the cost to run, I saw it on a web site
somewhere that it was half the wattage per year. I think I'd better get
my bill out and work out how much the electricity does cost :-) it
certainly won't be anywhere near what the freezer costs to run.

One thing you tend to learn the hard way is to keep the electrical
connection close to the pump, at least if you've buried the supply,
and to use decent re-usable connectors. Quick job to replace a broken
pump then, instead of having to rip up half a patio...

Agreed, we use the waterproof plugin pond pump connectors in a hole
(with a drain) by the side of the waterfall, it's covered by a stone
and looks part of the landscaping. We got one of the Hozelock
connectors last year but they don't have a cover like the screw ones so
you can't leave it unconnected. The spring in the release mechanism
also sticks now so it looks as though a Blagdon one will go in soon if
they have a screw on cover.

--
Regards - Rodney Pont
The from address exists but is mostly dumped,
please send any emails to the address below
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