Submersible pump question

[SilkShaker14]

OK so I just got my aeroponics diy kit set up and running, I have seeds germinating. It just occurred to me, and I find myself really stupid for not considering this before, how much electricty is the submersible pump running all the time going to use? Will my bill be greatly affected?

 

[sparkafire]

OK so I just got my aeroponics diy kit set up and running, I have seeds germinating. It just occurred to me, and I find myself really stupid for not considering this before, how much electricty is the submersible pump running all the time going to use? Will my bill be greatly affected?

If it costs you more than a few dollars a month i would be shocked. Its the lights that kick your ass!

Good luck and welcome to Hydroponics

 

[SilkShaker14]

What are we talking for lights? I am only running 1 250 HPS and two 18 watt Flouros.

 

[sparkafire]

What are we talking for lights? I am only running 1 250 HPS and two 18 watt Flouros.

There is some spread sheets out here somewhere but from what i have seen people put up Your only going to be 30 40 bucks max and i am guessing that's going to be high. Your running low wattage think 2 100 watt light bulbs in a lamp by the couch not a whole lot there.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

how much electricty is the submersible pump running all the time going to use? Will my bill be greatly affected?

If your pump draws more than 10-20W, I'd be very surprised.

To calculate your electricity cost, multiply the power draw in kW by your kWh rate. In example, a 1000W light running for 1h is 1kWh; a 250W running for 4h is also 1kWh.

So, how much for a 250 running 12/12 for flowering when your power rate is 15c/kWh?

0.25kW x $0.15 = $0.0375/hour; $0.0375 x 12h = $0.45/day; $0.45/day x 30 days = $13.50/mo.

 

[SilkShaker14]

thanks Al.

Man I gotta say from what I have read of yoru posts, I am astounded by your knowledge.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

heh, thanks, SS. I just pick stuff up and it gets filed away for future use.

 

[SilkShaker14]

lol...i hear ya.....my problem is it gets filed away, then I hit the blunt and the files are lost


Hey man i got another question for a intelligent,ghostly indidviual such as yourself.

I have a aeroponics setup, will a submersible pump with 75 gph sufficient?

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I actually prefer aero systems which don't use water pumps at all. You get a finer mist from an air stone/bubble curtain in the bottom of a tank of nutes, as the bubbles break the surface.

Systems which pump water through a spray aperture have a tendency to clog and do more splash than mist.

In terms of sufficiency of a 75 gph water pump for your application, and even without knowing anything about your system, I'll take a stab and guess it's way more than you need. That sounds like 2 bathtubs per hour. How many hundreds of plants are you running in this system?

 

[Zhu]

I have a 100gph pump and it just was not enough for my aero (10 plant system). I upped it to a 780 gph pump ( Rainbow Quiet One Aquarium Pump 3000 ) and it woops the ass. I tried a 3400gph pump (pontec psp 3400) but the hose blew off a hour later and sent water 12 feet high so yeah lol.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

Wow, Zhu, I wou'd not have expected that much pump would be needed. I could see having a pump that develops a lot of pressure so to be able to get a fine mist from a small spray aperture, but I would not have anticipated such high volume requirements.

 

[Zhu]

I tried the 100gph for a while and it just wouldnt build enough pressure to get a fine mist. It also couldnt clear any debris at all if it got in the tips. I was in a constant struggle clearing the tips. It worked great as a drip pump but other than that I didnt like having no pressure. I even went as far as modifying a automatic sprinkler system and it couldnt even clear the holes on that. with the 780gph I can make such a fine mist and it never clogs. I am also using bio filters and such which help with res buildup etc. Maybe I just have bad luck iono.

 

[Zhu]

actually it is a 159gph pump ( Amazon.com: Mini Jet 606 Pump: Kitchen & Dining ) I also have a cheng gao at-501b-1 50 gph and a tetra bioflo mini.

 

[fitzyno1]

I have a 100gph pump and it just was not enough for my aero (10 plant system). I upped it to a 780 gph pump ( Rainbow Quiet One Aquarium Pump 3000 ) and it woops the ass. I tried a 3400gph pump (pontec psp 3400) but the hose blew off a hour later and sent water 12 feet high so yeah lol.

Only 40watts.

Zhu, yesterday weediscool was looking for a pump that size, if you want to drop him a post...
https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/110244-reliable-water-pumps.html

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I tried the 100gph for a while and it just wouldnt build enough pressure to get a fine mist. It also couldnt clear any debris at all if it got in the tips. I was in a constant struggle clearing the tips. It worked great as a drip pump but other than that I didnt like having no pressure. I even went as far as modifying a automatic sprinkler system and it couldnt even clear the holes on that. with the 780gph I can make such a fine mist and it never clogs. I am also using bio filters and such which help with res buildup etc. Maybe I just have bad luck iono.

ah, so it is the pressure difference and not so much the flow rate which has made the difference for you. That's more like what I would have expected.

The usual centrifugal aquarium pump is not very good at making pressure. They're mainly designed to flow large volumes into fairly nonrestrictive plumbing. I'm betting the 780gph pump has a much larger diameter impeller chamber and probably much closer impeller to chamber tolerances than the small pump, allowing it to make some better pressure working into a restrictive load like a spray nozzle.

 

[Zhu]

oh yeah shes a beast.

 

[SilkShaker14]

So Al what you are saying is....DWC is what you prefer...or am i somehow misinterpreting what your saying....


and i am only looking to grow 5 plants in flower at a time max

 

[Al B. Fuct]

So Al what you are saying is....DWC is what you prefer...or am i somehow misinterpreting what your saying....


and i am only looking to grow 5 plants in flower at a time max

No, I prefer flood systems. They're much more reliable than DWC and not dependent on a 24/7 air supply. A power failure lasting more than a couple hours can kill a whole DWC grow. Aero systems are somewhat more tolerant of a power failure as they don't keep the roots submerged, but they're still not the best choice for a new grower.

A small flood system is easy to build & maintain, especially for new growers.

 

[SilkShaker14]

i was referring to when you said you prefer aeroponic systems without an submersible pump but rather with air pump and air curtain.....my question was is what you are describing a DWC? or am i not understand ing something

 

[Al B. Fuct]

i was referring to when you said you prefer aeroponic systems without an submersible pump but rather with air pump and air curtain.....my question was is what you are describing a DWC? or am i not understand ing something

The main difference between a DWC & aero is the water level!

Aero uses a low water level to make space for roots above the nutes, DWC (obviously) uses a higher water level as the roots will be in the soln all the time.