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Here is a second set of photos that show a little more detail about the actual heating apparatus. The orange bucket in the pool holds the pump(purchased at Lowes) and keeps the pipe secure.

The other photos are of the actual heating unit. The heat is provided via a hot water heater element placed inside the iron pipe. Water is then pumped over the element and back into the pool. The temperature is regulated by the lead of a waterbed heater that is taped onto the side of the pipe.

As previously mentioned I will add a second heating unit to the pipe to increase the amount of heat available, especially for a hard freeze. It is also possible to connect a filtration device directly to the pipe and have a 2 in 1 unit.

I also may extend the 90 angle of the inflow until it is submerged as I likely lose a little heat as the water passes through cold night air however brief the exposure may be.

The Ultimate Guide to Crocs in Captivity

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

Chris -
That's a very nice setup you have. Any idea on what the cost to run this is? Electric Heat is not cheap and a couple KW of heat doesn't go very far. We went with propane heaters to keep our croc's water temps at about 70F. This is the first year we are running them so I don't know what the cost will be. Upfront it is a lot more than what this setup will cost. Do you cover the pond at all? Any idea what your water temps would be without this heater?

Is there anything to prevent it from overheating? If the pump should stop there could be a big problem.

John Paner

Hi John,

I don't run the pump/heater 24-7 only as mentioned overnight or on cold days. However last year we actually had snow in Houston and down the Gulf Coast. I ran the unit continously for over a week and had the water temp up to over 80 degrees. The electric bill was a little higher but nothing I considered really alarming.

The pond is not covered at all. It is all open air. I have considered putting greenhouse panels over the pool to increase the heat energy entering the pool during the day but think this would be negligible as the pool sits in direct sunlight as it is. This pool has an added benefit of being submerged and thus insulated, so it loses heat much slower than an elevated pool.

In regards to water temps minus the heater I can only say much lower. On 50 or even high 40 nights I don't worry much. I keep Niles and as long as the day previously was sunny the water holds the temp pretty well overnight. However on overcast days where the pool doesn't 'charge' I run the pumps. Last year during our snowstorm water in other pools dropped into the 40's while the heated pond was 40 degrees warmer than that. It wasn't as large as the pool in the photos however.

>>Chris -
>> That's a very nice setup you have. Any idea on what the cost to run this is? Electric Heat is not cheap and a couple KW of heat doesn't go very far. We went with propane heaters to keep our croc's water temps at about 70F. This is the first year we are running them so I don't know what the cost will be. Upfront it is a lot more than what this setup will cost. Do you cover the pond at all? Any idea what your water temps would be without this heater?
>>
>>Is there anything to prevent it from overheating? If the pump should stop there could be a big problem.
>>
>>John Paner
-----
CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

Also - one other thing. I took a look at homedepot.com and the element is like 5500watts/240v. That's 30amps/240v - you need a min of 10 awg wire and a 30 amp 2xpole breaker. How is this working with the water bed thermostat? Do you have a relay there?

John Paner

Hi John,

I'd have to go and look at the element but I think it's only 120volts. I could be wrong though. It is just a small, standard hot water heater element. I am using no relay. The water bed thermostat is attached with the lead taped against the pipe.

The lead from the water bed lays against the pipe itself, as the lead heats the thermostat controls the temperature. When i place a second heater on the line I may experiment without the thermostat on really cold nights. I usually have the thermostat turned up to 100 but of course the water volume prevent that from being reached on cold nights.

>>Also - one other thing. I took a look at homedepot.com and the element is like 5500watts/240v. That's 30amps/240v - you need a min of 10 awg wire and a 30 amp 2xpole breaker. How is this working with the water bed thermostat? Do you have a relay there?
>>
>>John Paner

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

I looked, it's 120v.

We put another one together today, also 120v.
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CDieter
'Reason, observation, and experience; the holy trinity of science.'

Hey there Chris. Sorry it has been so long since I have said hello. Been in Iraq and haven't really had internet service. Glad to see that heater is still working for you. I am amazed the original is still working after all this time. Just out of curiosity, how are those specs' I gave to you doing? Any chance you could post some pics of them for me? I would really appreciate it. Talk to you soon.
Chris
P.S. My last name is Fowler. lol

Do you know how many watts the heater you are using is? Maybe I'm just looking at ones that are too large.

John Paner