Natty_Dread wrote:
I know this is a stupid question, but I just don't know: Are water
feature
pumps, like those installed in small fountains, waterfalls or ponds,
supposed to be left running all the time? I'm assuming they are, in
order
to prevent stagnation and the development of algae. If so, are they
much of
an impact on one's electric bill?

The tiny pumps for small fountains use 4 or 5 watts of power. You'd have
to run more than a dozen of them to equal the power consumption of a
single 60 watt lightbulb. The huge pumps for water features with
waterfalls may consume in the 20 to 40 watt range. You're getting into
some pretty significant hardware to get up to the range of consuming as
much power as a lightbulb.

They can be run all the time, or you can put them on timers. I have one
run on a water feature that has a leak someplace, and if I leave that
pump on 24 hours a day, I have to refill the feature daily. My other
water features generally need water added once a week in the summer,
lest often in the cooler months. Evaporation takes it's toll, so if you
leave it on -- or even have it on a timer -- you need to visually check
it often enough that the pool it's pumping from doesn't drop too far.
Fountains that spray water have greater evaporation, too.

The other factor is that eventually pumps wear out. The more they run,
the sooner they rack-up a life's worth of hours. If you're talking about
a small fountain pump next to your front door, $20 to replace every
couple of years isn't that much. If you're talking about a big waterfall
pump in your back yard, you may not want to spend upwards of $150 more
than once a decade. On the other hand, your waterfall, steam and pond
may be a mini-ecosystem that can't deal with the water stopped for long
periods of time.

So it's not a stupid question. It's a fairly complex question that
requires consideration of many variables to answer. But in my opinion,
the impact on the electric bill is the least of the factors to consider.

--
Warren H.

==========
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response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
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