Page 57 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 19

HEATING YOUR the current time and date, also the outside ambient
KOI POND
David Brown
With colder nights reminding us of the onset of
winter and constantly rising fuel bills, perhaps it’s time
to review the way we heat our Koi ponds.
Heat Pumps have become a popular option over the
IT’S NOT last few years and the Air Source Heat Pumps are the
most efficient way of heating your Koi pond. But it’s not
A CASE OF just a case of going on the internet and finding the
GOING ON THE cheapest, not all Heat Pumps are suitable for heating
Koi ponds.
INTERNET AND Heat Pumps come in a range of sizes and prices to suit
FINDING THE the individual needs of each pond, but the overall
benefit is that they are extremely efficient and modern
CHEAPEST inverter driven models can deliver up to 13 kW of heat
for every 1 kW of electricity input.
How Air Source Heat Pumps work
An Air Source Heat Pump extracts heat from the
outside air in the same way that a refrigerator extracts
heat from its inside. It can get heat from the air even
when the temperature is as low as –15ºC. Air is drawn
into the Heat Pump through a grille of copper pipework
where the heat is collected and piped through a
constantly circulating refrigerant gas. This gas then
passes through a compressor where its temperature is
increased, it then transfers its higher temperature
through a heat exchanger to heat your pond.
The heat extracted from air is constantly being renewed
naturally, saving you on fuel costs and reducing harmful
CO 2 emissions.
Heat Pumps are developing with technology and have
options to control them via an app on your phone to
control and monitor: the current temperature of the
pond water, the mode (e.g. heating or cooling), whether
the timer function has been set, if the fan is operating,
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temperature. You can check if there is a fault, and a
fault code is displayed to explain the problem. You can
even display a graph of the temperature of the pond
over a period of time so that you can see how the pond
temperature is being maintained or show a graph of the
power consumed by the Heat Pump over time.
We all know our Koi are a lot happier if their water is
kept warm over the winter months, it keeps their
immune system working and helps them resist those
problems which can occur when temperatures are low
or fluctuating. But using your Heat Pump to heat your
pond has other advantages too! Remember that hot
A HEAT PUMP summer in 2018 when temperatures rose in some
smaller ponds to over 30ºC. This is another time your
CAN BE PUT Heat Pump can come into its own and if set up
correctly, can be put into reverse mode and act like
INTO REVERSE your domestic refrigerator to cool your Koi pond.
TO COOL
As I mentioned earlier, Heat Pumps have to be selected
to do a specific job for each individual Koi pond and it
YOUR POND
isn’t a case of assuming one size fits all. Also, covering
your pond over the winter months will significantly
reduce your heating costs as will insulating the sides.
I suppose it’s a case of looking at the current cost of
heating your Koi pond, looking to see what is on offer
and calculating how much time it will take to get your
money back. Perhaps your latest gas bill or the high
pitched whine of your electric meter will have some
influence on your decision.
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