Frequently Asked Questions
Is a water feature expensive to install and run?
Construction costs
Water features range in scale from small self-contained bubbling features costing perhaps a few hundred pounds or less, up to large complex pool features costing tens of thousands of pounds, with a whole spectrum inbetween.
In general, the more work required around the pool edge (expanses of paving, or specimen rocks), and the more soil that needs to be moved, the more the feature will cost. Simple wildlife ponds without fish may require little or nothing in the way of pumps and filters, whereas large specialist koi pools can have intricate filter and plumbing systems costing as much as the rest of the pool.
Maintenance
When it comes to running a pool, any given area of pond is likely to require as much attention as a similar area of planted garden – benefitting from a tidy and trim of plants a couple of times a year, with a spot of weeding inbetween, and a more major clean/tidy perhaps every five to ten years.
Running costs for fish
Feeding a couple of dozen adult goldfish in an outdoor pond with a good quality pond pellet food might cost in the region of twenty pence per day – fish do not need to be fed during the winter. (see When and How should I feed my fish?)
Running costs for pumps
Pond pumps have become more efficient over the past ten years, but it will always require a fair bit of power to move substantial volumes of water.
As a guide, electric costs for…
- A small spouting frog ornament --- 5p per day
- The very smallest in-pond filter/UV system --- 7p per day
- A 55watt UV lamp --- 20p per day
- A medium sized waterfall --- 47p per day
- A powerful (30,000 lph) cascade pump --- £2.30 per day
- as a general rule ....
- For every 100 watts of power consumption --- 36p per day
This is based on running the pump 24 hours per day, at 15 pence per unit. Some suppliers may charge less or more than this figure. © www.aquapic.com
Saving electricity
Although filter systems generally need to be run year round, 24hrs per day, savings can be made by running other water features through an appropriate timer. For example, running a fountain from 7 - 9am in the morning and 5 - 11pm in the evening, five days a week, and from 8am – 11pm at weekends would give a 58% saving over running the pump full time, and could also prolong the life of the pump.
Solar-panel driven pumps are currently only capable of driving the smallest fountain/trickler pumps and cannot always run reliably over a 24 hour period, even with battery storage. If running costs or environmental impact are of especial importance to you we can design your pool system to suit – Contact Us to discuss your requirements.
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