its a 3155gallon indoor pond its a work in progress but i need to know how many watts the pond heater should be its for my rtc and my rtc/tsc hybrid mainly but i already picked out the little giant skimmer S5000 for it but i need the heater that away i have all i need aside from the water
what size pond heater should i get
- Thread starter biggie6996
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http://www.kernsanalysis.com/HeaterCalculator.cgi
This is actually for aquariums but as long as the pond is above grade this will be far more accurate than any "watts per gallon" rule of thumb. Use "acrylic" and "wood bottom" in the calculator as they will most closely approximate the heat transfer characteristics of anything I can imagine you would build the pond from.
This is actually for aquariums but as long as the pond is above grade this will be far more accurate than any "watts per gallon" rule of thumb. Use "acrylic" and "wood bottom" in the calculator as they will most closely approximate the heat transfer characteristics of anything I can imagine you would build the pond from.
Oh, I would love to see pics of your indoor pond! Seriously, it's over 3000 gallons, indoors? Don't tease us, we need a visual. 
Have you thought about a loop off your water heating system?
Pex for the loops in the water and a thermostat controlled pump.
Pex for the loops in the water and a thermostat controlled pump.
This calculator is wayyyy off. I just entered what it would take to heat my 770 gallon tank (120" x 36" x 48"H) 20 degrees above the room temperature of 50F and it gave me a result of 56 watts for break even temperature and recommended minimum wattage of 62 watts. I doubt a measely 62 watts will heat my tank by more than 1 degree F. The following calculator will give you a better estimate of the wattage you will need:http://www.heatingyourpond.com/submersible-heaters.html
The general rule of thumb is 1KW per 1,000 gallons of water for every 10 degree increase you are looking to achieve.
I will pretty much guarantee that the calculator on that site isn't very applicable to an above grade indoor pond, since it makes no provision for either above or below grade or different materials used in constructing it. These two factors will greatly effect heat loss and therefore the amount of input needed. Although the OP calls it a pond, it's really an aquarium from the practical standpoint of heating it.
