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I've been testing out one of these heaters (the DIY heater element) on acutus pond. There is a big problem with these. I had a pump stop and the heater element melted. I didn't know until I got a shock from it. It's a very cold day and I'm thinking the pipe that is housing the element never heated up enough for the thermostat to shut it down. I hope the croc is ok.

Also the pond is about 2500 gal. The 4,000watt element that costs me about 40 cents per hour to run only produces about a 3F raise in the return water. This isn't much on a cold night.

For my application the lowest cost solution is leave the well water running. On another test pond I was able to maintain a temperature as high as the 4kw heater at about 8gpm flow.

John

Hi John,

Thanks for the input. what you mentioned is something of a problem. They need water flowing nonstop or what you mentioned will happen everytime.

>>Also the pond is about 2500 gal. The 4,000watt element that costs me about 40 cents per hour to run only produces about a 3F raise in the return water. This isn't much on a cold night.
>>

How long have you had the heater running? I think 4000 is a little short for 2500 gallons. As an example the 1200 gallon pond I use a heater on 4000watts works pretty well. I have an adjacent pond directly beside it that is unheated. The difference in water temps is 15-17 degrees. I have found the real trick is when I know a cold front is coming I turn the pumps on 2-3 days before and let them run. 4000 watts is just not enough energy to heat 1200 gallons quickly. But given enough time they do the job. We just had our coldest nights of the year the last 2 days and my water temp never dropped below 68 in the heated pool. But went to about 50 in the unheated pond.

>>For my application the lowest cost solution is leave the well water running. On another test pond I was able to maintain a temperature as high as the 4kw heater at about 8gpm flow.

That sounds correct. Our water comes out of the ground here at about 72-74 degrees. For larger ponds it is a better option. For smaller ponds the heaters have been very helpful.

One other problem I've encountered is making sure no grass is sucked up to the heater element as it tends to tangle.

On another note in my grow out pools I'm able to get the water into the 90's and have to put the unit on a timer so as not to overheat the crocs.

Lots to learn here.
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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

I have been running the heater non-stop to keep my water temps up. There is a lot to heating a pond. Surface area, wind, cover, etc all have to be looked at. A solution to the burn out problem is to install a flow switch to turn the heater on when there is flow from the pump. Without this you there could be a fire, etc. At 8,000 watts we are talking about $20/day to heat one pond. Not to mention the 100amp @120v load. This is really not worth it. A CFCI breaker is also a good idea here.

John Paner

Hi Jon your correct, There is alot to heating a pond. That is why I'm continually looking for new ideas that work. Of course all the factors you mentioned have to be looked at not to mention depth, location, amount of direct sunlight, and on and on. I take those as givens when determing what works and what doesn't.

I like the idea of a flow switch. It is very practical.

I have never had any problem with breakers. As previously mentioned I had it built for this purpose. I don't find $20(I don't pay that by the way) a day all that objectionable from my standpoint given what I do with my animals. Everyones situation is different, what works for me may not be something you wish to do. At most in the coldest months my heaters run maybe 5-10 days a month. I use them as a safe guard rather than a primary heat source. I'm making sure my animals don't get cold and drown. I'm not looking to ensure that they eat. I'l let the natural temps do that for me.

The exception is on the smaller croc pools. I use them for 1-3 hours a day on cool nights. They don't cost much. My power bill arrived yesterday it was $282.33.

For next year I think I will keep this system on my smaller to moderate sized ponds but am interested in adapting a system I found just yesterday for the croc pools. This is a new idea and we'll see if it goes anywhere. The link is below and they have an exterior model.
Water heating

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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

I am SOOOOO moving to Texas or Florida! Hell, I can run up 282.33 without the reptiles up here! Got room for one more Chris?!? (I mean human, not croc..lol)

Chris

>>Hi Jon your correct, There is alot to heating a pond. That is why I'm continually looking for new ideas that work. Of course all the factors you mentioned have to be looked at not to mention depth, location, amount of direct sunlight, and on and on. I take those as givens when determing what works and what doesn't.
>>
>>I like the idea of a flow switch. It is very practical.
>>
>>I have never had any problem with breakers. As previously mentioned I had it built for this purpose. I don't find $20(I don't pay that by the way) a day all that objectionable from my standpoint given what I do with my animals. Everyones situation is different, what works for me may not be something you wish to do. At most in the coldest months my heaters run maybe 5-10 days a month. I use them as a safe guard rather than a primary heat source. I'm making sure my animals don't get cold and drown. I'm not looking to ensure that they eat. I'l let the natural temps do that for me.
>>
>>The exception is on the smaller croc pools. I use them for 1-3 hours a day on cool nights. They don't cost much. My power bill arrived yesterday it was $282.33.
>>
>>For next year I think I will keep this system on my smaller to moderate sized ponds but am interested in adapting a system I found just yesterday for the croc pools. This is a new idea and we'll see if it goes anywhere. The link is below and they have an exterior model.
>>Water heating
>>
>>-----
>>CDieter
>>'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'
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U.A.P.P.E.A.L.
Uniting A Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League
www.uappeal.org

Im thinking of buying a solar panel for water heating., not sure how they work... but i have a freind who heats his whole house as well as his swimming pool.. i know there expensive., but you could prob heat 3-4 ponds with it..

Anybody have some thoughts on this??

You can't really use the solar pannels that are for a pool, but you can build your own. The problem is the tube size is very very small that water must pass though. Unless you filter you wanter and add clorine these are going to plug up in no time. Another idea is to use black material (shade cloth?) and spray a film of water over it before the water returns to the pond. You will also need a something to control this so it doesn't run on cool days (basically you need to monitor in and out temps of the system)

My electric bill was insane last month. Here is the break down on the heater.
4,000watt X 9 cents per kwh, plus another 250 for the pump is 38.25 center per hour or about $10 per day. I've been running the heater almost all the time as the acutus it's on is not eating. Two 4kw heaters would be $20/day.

A better design would be a flow switch and relay to kill the heater if the pump stops. Also it's really important to use a GFCI breaker on this (for you and the animal).

I tried to use a thermostat from a DHW tank. It works fine but couldn't cut off the heater fast enough (housing didn't heat up enough.

Another thought would be to contact your electric company about different rates and service plans. We are going with a time of day service with different rates for peak and off peak - This will save about 50% on winter bills, and 25% on summer (as we still run wells for water changes)

John Paner