"G & K Meyer" wrote in message
...
We would like to cut back on the electric bill. We have a total of 5
pumps and usually run 3 of them, 2 go to the water falls and 1 goes though
the UV and over lower rocks, and 2 more are used to add extra flow and
sound only on special gatherings, we are thinking we could maybe run the
waterfall pumps only a few hours rather than 24/7. What do you think?
What time of day would be more beneficial during to have on and running
daylight or over night?
Have about a 1200gal system and fish and plants. We are in Colorado.
Starting to see some growth from the plants we over wintered in the pond,
and fish are starting to come out also. Did lose one of our big Koi.
Well thanks for any info.

For a 1200 gal pond, you sure do have an awful lot of pumps. If you add up
the wattage of each pump, you might find that a single large pump might
provide the flow rate you need and consume less energy. Consider Little
Giant Pump Company's Mag Drive Pond Pump, 1000 GPH, which draws 160 watts,
with 1200 gph with a 5ft head, which should be enough for your non-party
flow rate.

For example, why does the UV filter need it's own pump? Why not put the UV
filter inline with a waterfall pump? If you need a lower flow rate for the
UV filter, T off the waterfall line, run it through the UV filter then
discharge into the waterfall as well.

At night you could run just 1 waterfall pump all night long, or in 1 hour
on-off cycles. Letting the water go stagnant overnight is a bad idea,
because the biofilter will die if they're deprived of oxygen, additionally
plants consume oxygen at night, instead of producing it.

-S