So, you’re thinking of getting a pond pump, but you’re worried about the running costs, right?
Well, I can tell you straight away that pond pumps do use a decent amount of electricity, but you might be surprised to find that it’s actually less than you’d think.
How Much Electricity Does a Pond Pump Use?
In order to work out how much electricity your pond pump will use, you’ll need to know two things:
-
The wattage of the pond pump.
-
How long you’ll be running the pond pump for each day.
The wattage of the pump is usually printed somewhere on the pump itself. Sometimes it’s on a label, and sometimes it’s engraved into the body. On rare occasions, it might be printed on the power cord, so check there if you can’t find it anywhere else.
As for how long you’ll be running the pump each day, it really is up to you. However, I would advise that you don’t run the pump all day and night, as it’s best to only have the pump running for about half of each day.
Why Half of Each Day?
The main reason why you don’t want the pump running all day and night is that it can cause a lot of wear and tear on the pump.
You see, pond pumps work by sucking water in through their intake, and then channeling it through an impeller in order to push it out through the other side.
The thing is, water is fairly abrasive, and it’s constantly in motion. This means that, over time, it can wear down the impeller, causing your pond pump to become less efficient, and eventually break down.
By giving your pond pump a rest during the night, you’ll not only save a lot of electricity, but you’ll also increase the lifespan of your pump. It’s a win-win situation.
So, How Much Electricity Does a Pond Pump Use?
If you’re into numbers, then you can work it out with this formula:
wattage × hours per day ÷ 1000 = kilowatt-hours per day
To work out how much this will cost you per day in electricity, you’ll need to know the cost of electricity in your area. You can find this out on your latest electricity bill.
Simply multiply this number by the kilowatt-hours per day that you just worked out, and you’ll get the cost per day.
To find out the cost per year, multiply that by 365.
