| When I started in the waterfall and pond | | | | innocent and unsuspecting clients. |
| design & construction business in January of | | | | |
| 1982, I was asking the same question. I had | | | | These easy-to-install, easy-to-make-a-killing |
| a slight advantage over most when it came to | | | | liners that come with a 20-50 year warranty |
| answering the question, "Which pump do I | | | | (against factory defects only) are actually a |
| use?" | | | | meal down the road to a burrowing gopher, |
| | | | rat, mouse, ground squirrel, chipmunk or |
| I came out of the energy conservation field, | | | | muskrat. |
| so I was already savvy about energy | | | | |
| consumption topics. | | | | How do I know? I replace liners with |
| | | | concrete and rebar for a living and I ask if |
| It was a challenge in the seventies, when I | | | | the customer if the liner salesman told them |
| was trying to convince people that they | | | | the pros and cons about the liner. (Most |
| should buy the Mitsubishi compact fluorescent | | | | cons don't!) |
| bulb to save energy. This was the first of | | | | |
| its kind and it retailed for $12 to $14. Its | | | | Besides a sump pump costing twice as much to |
| lumen or light output was equal to a 60-watt | | | | operate than a high efficiency, centrifugal |
| incandescent bulb, which sold for $ .60 in | | | | pump, they plug up easily. (By the way, the |
| most stores. I needed to convince the | | | | liner guys changed the name to a "submersible |
| engineer at Betty Ford Hospital that a $12, | | | | pump" and they are now using the term |
| 12-watt bulb would save the facility $35,000 | | | | "waterfall pump.") Concrete and rebar |
| a year in electrical costs. I did so, and it | | | | constructed ponds with bottom anti-vortex |
| did! | | | | drains seldom, if ever, plug up. |
| | | | |
| Pumps are no different when it comes to | | | | In the industry magazine, Water Garden News, |
| performance vs. energy consumption. The rule | | | | the vice president of product management for |
| of thumb is: If an electrical appliance was | | | | the Aquascape Company stated, |
| engineered to be used only occasionally, as | | | | |
| opposed to continually, rest assured, it is | | | | A lot of the time, the more energy efficient |
| not engineered or built with the highest | | | | the [sump] pump, the less solids and debris |
| industry standards in mind. | | | | it can handle. So often the consumer is |
| | | | excited the pump will only cost them $10 a |
| Sump pumps were designed to be submerged | | | | month to run, but what they did not know is |
| underwater and pump that water to a different | | | | that they are going to have to be out there 3 |
| location. Their most common uses are in | | | | times a week, cleaning the intake of the |
| basements, bunkers, bilges, and that sort of | | | | [sump] pump to keep it going. |
| thing. These pumps would only come on by | | | | |
| demand, when a float control indicated a high | | | | Water Garden News is a trade magazine that is |
| water level. | | | | for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers |
| | | | in the water garden industry. This |
| Sump pumps were cheap to buy because they | | | | information was not meant for the consumers' |
| were built cheaply. It did not matter that | | | | eyes. Until now! |
| they consumed more energy than the more | | | | |
| expensive centrifugal pump, since they only | | | | Read my article entitled Pondless Waterfall: |
| came on occasionally. | | | | Concrete vs. Pond Liner ; I cover the |
| | | | subject in depth, and expose the truth about |
| These pumps turned out to be perfect for the | | | | pond liner promoters. All of the costs |
| get-rich-quick liner pond industry for three | | | | involved in building a pondless waterfall are |
| major reasons: | | | | analyzed by comparing the two techniques: |
| | | | using concrete & rebar or a rubber liner. |
| They were cheap to buy, as were the liners; | | | | |
| | | | The difference in the cost of energy |
| They were simple to install; and | | | | consumption between a 5700 gallon per hour |
| | | | sump pump and a 5800 gallon per hour |
| They were easy to hide. | | | | high-efficiency centrifugal pump is |
| | | | staggering. The sump pump uses twice as much |
| One major drawback of sump pumps that the | | | | energy, costs $171 more to purchase, and its |
| liner pond industry does not share with their | | | | warranty is 6 months less! Look before you |
| clients is that they are literally energy | | | | leap and research before you weep. |
| sponges. But then, that is not the only | | | | |
| thing they forget to mention to their usually | | | | Happy koi, peace and joy. |