Reliability, simplicity and efficiency in trading for skimmer profits
Tom Barthel’s article “Pulling the Envelope” in the May 2007 issue of Water Garden News has motivated me. In it, he said: “Technological innovations for skimmers and filter drop products have leveled off recently. Instead, units utilizing creative features and meeting customer need for durable, low-maintenance products sold at competitive prices are increasing.” “.
He is confirming the truth of what I have been preaching for over ten years. The real reason sales of line skimmers and drop filters have leveled off is because their underperformers are coming back to “bite” the skimmer scammers in the bottom line. These skimmers are designed for profit, not for filtering ponds.
The so-called pond experts operate like the pharmaceutical industry. They advise consumers on the so-called benefits of the very products they produce and sell, in this case skimmers. Pharmaceutical companies sell products that often mask the actual symptoms of a disease and, in the process, further upset the balance of the body. This creates a new need for another drug to mask another symptom.
If the skimmer’s engineering and design is not effective in providing adequate water filtration, it will not only require regular cleaning, but will demand another “drug” or Band-Aid. So, another innovation sweeps the planet, and this engineering marvel is designed to solve yet another water garden ailment. Some of the “drugs” used to treat ineffective filters are what I call “flim-flam filter drops,” “bio-ball filter drops,” “ooh-la-la cha-ching filter drops.” cha-ching”.
Here are some of the sales pitches you may hear from purveyors of miracle potions for your ailing water garden: “Oh, poor thing, your pond is turning green, your water has body odor. (the fish are exhibiting evolutionary behavior, for trying to leave the water and live on land.) Here, we’ve got something for those two symptoms. It’s called ‘Green Be Gone,’ only $32 a pint and we recommend you buy a gallon. Then add three bottles of our ‘ safe for fish’ (we’re not sure about turtles) and safe for plants, ‘Stink Be Gone’.To get your fish back in the water where they belong, we recommend our own private label, ‘Home Sweet Home pH Up And if that doesn’t work, for another $39 a pint, try our ‘Home Sweet Home pH Down.’
Oh, and I have bad news for you. My technician just got back from his house call and found out that his leaky pond is due to a big fat rat poking a hole in it. Sorry, our warranty doesn’t cover that, only factory defects.
This is why pond liner experts recommend lining the bottom of your pond and the inlet of your pondless waterfall with rocks. It’s to give you extra surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow that is not provided by the low-cost, expensive-to-buy, state-of-the-art, Berkeley-designed, MIT-created, Rubber Maid-approved, maintenance-laden products. , lucrative grotesque skimmers, scum vacuums, and wonderful plastic gadgets that clean up falls!
I don’t pretend to be political, but I pretend to be right. Because? Because “a man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with arguments.” After building over 1,900 concrete ponds and waterfalls over 26 years without cracks or leaks, my experience speaks for itself. I have always wondered why I have no competition in the area of professional concrete ponds and waterfalls. The answer is simple: everyone is wearing liners. Because? Why are they cheaper? No! It’s because the ocean liners industry has spent millions on advertising that they are cheaper.
They never mention all the negative aspects of siding construction, such as rodents, tree roots, sharp objects, the weight of rocks, etc., which can poke holes and cause leaks. Let’s compare the cost differences in the construction and long-term maintenance of concrete and liner ponds.
Let’s look at the facts, rather than water garden hype, industry tent renaissance terminology and biased opinions from the disciples of the transatlantic messiah, toy skimmer and filter salesmen. To be fair to my comparison, I’m not going to use the Aquasacape “messiah” pond liner as my example, even though everyone knows they really are the “Microsoft” of the liner industry.
I am going to use someone who claims to be the best in the industry. Proof of this is that it suggests you to Google “Pondless” and you will find it at the top of the first page. He also states, “My skimmers, filters, and pumps are the best in the entire water garden industry.” His statements are now in the public domain as they can be found on his website.
So let’s use Russell Water Gardens for our comparisons between two ponds: one built with a rubber liner and the other professionally built with concrete, rebar and quality, highly efficient equipment.
I. 12′ x 14′ x 4.5′ deep pond (no rocks)
Russell Water Garden Equipment and Material Prices:
1. 25′ x 27′ liner (required for 12′ x 14′ x 4.5′ pond) $675
2. 25′ x 27′ underlayment material $675
3. Hydro Centrimax HC-050 4500 gph, 6.5 amps, 2 years. warranty (Russell’s own pump) $650
4. “Piper” Hydroclean Skimmer (Russell’s own) $560
5. Dolphin Hydro Vortex Filter (Russell’s Own) $830
6. 100 ft. 2″ PVC hose $260
7. 80-Watt UV Light $764
8. 10 20-watt underwater lights $600
TOTAL (with everything still in the box) $5,014
II. professional concrete pond
Material prices available to contractors and/or homeowners, including labor:
1. 5 yards of concrete (3500-7000 psi) with stealth fiber $525
2,426 m2 foot of rebar (8-10″ on center @ $2 per square foot including materials and labor $852
3. Concrete pumper: 5 yards (between $175 and $200) $200
4. Concrete labor (3 men @ $35/hr. x 3 hrs) $225
5. 3 Thoroseal bags plus labor $150
6. Sequence Pump (#5800SEQ23 with leaf basket; 5800 gph, 3.1 amps, 3 year warranty) $423
7. Ultima II 4000 Aqua Ultraviolet Filter $855
8. 100 feet of 2″ flexible PVC pipe $143
9. Emperor Aquatics 80-Watt UV Light with Wiper $629
10. Skimmer (Professional Concrete/Gunite Pond, with Renegade Low Valve Waterway) $87
11. 10 20 Watt Underwater Lights – Alpine $240
TOTAL cost of materials and labor (completed project) $4,329
So far, I have shown a difference between the costs of two types of ponds, except for the important fact that labor is not included in the first example but is included in the second. Now a bit of information on construction methods and bombs.
1. Method of construction
Coating: These manufacturers only warrant against manufacturing defects, not against heavy, sharp rocks, gnawing mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers, chipmunks, groundhogs, tree roots, sharp objects, claws of animals such as raccoons, dogs, etc Concrete (3500 – 7000 psi rebar with stealth fiber) – When professionally built, concrete ponds and waterfalls can carry a lifetime warranty, something no liner can do.
2. Pumps:
Most lined ponds use sump pumps, which use 50-60% more energy than a high-efficiency centrifugal pump and have a shorter warranty. In the comparison above, the Sequence pump costs 35% less than the Russell pump and pumps 25% more water per hour for 1/3 less energy and with 1/3 more warranty than the Russell pump. In six years, if you were to replace Russell’s pump every two years (the length of the warranty), the cost of the pumps plus electricity would be: $1,950 (3 pumps) + $4,853 (cost of energy running 24 hours a day , 7 days a week for 6 years) = $6,803. On the other hand, with the Sequence 5800SEQ23 pump, there is a 3-year warranty; Over 6 years, the cost of the pump would be $846 (2 pumps) + $2,314 (24/7 energy cost, 6 years) = $3,160.
So the total energy cost for the Hydro Centrimax pump plus six year warranty replacement cost is a whopping $3,643 more than the Sequence pump!
NOTE: Russell’s website publishes the following statement: “You will find that Hydro CentrimaxTM pumps are the best value of any centrifugal pump on the market today.”
Russell also brags that his skimmer is the best. Twenty bucks worth of plastic he sells for $560—let’s see if they really are the best.
Here are your instructions for cleaning your “HydroClean Pond Skimmer”:
1. “Lift the skimmer lid and pull out the skimmer net at the front.”
2. “Shake the skimmer net to remove debris.” [Try not to get any on you.]
3. “If there is algae on the skimmer net, hose it down as needed.”
4. “Replace skimmer net in front of skimmer unit.”
5. “Behind the net is a brush rack, a bar with large brushes hanging from it. Lift up the brush rack and shake it to remove debris.” [Be sure not to splatter any of the pond scum, fish waste, worms and parasites on yourself.]
6. “Put the brush holder back into the skimmer behind the skimmer net.” [Be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly when you are finished.]
7. “If the skimmer is not cleaned, the water flow can be slow and put pressure on the pump. It can even cause the pump to overheat and burn out. Check the skimmer often for maintenance.”
Now, let’s compare Russell’s $560 messy, maintenance-intensive skimmer to the Waterways Renegade Professional Concrete Pond Skimmer at just $87.
Here are the maintenance instructions:
“Lift lid, remove basket, dispose of debris, replace basket, close lid. It is not necessary to check the skimmer frequently. If the basket fills up, the pump will not be affected, even if the water level in the pond falls below the skimmer.This skimmer has a special float valve system that bypasses the skimmer in case of neglect or low water level.
Russell’s biofilter is very similar to your skimmer in design. While it’s basically a molded vat, Russell claims his “Hydro Vortex” filter supports a larger number of fish than other brands of biological filters. However, there are several manufacturers of biological filters that can easily overcome this simple, elementary and inexpensive design. It’s the same as comparing an economy car with a high-performance luxury model.
Only in this case, you’re comparing an inexpensive filter to a state-of-the-art, high-performance filter designed and maintenance-free (a simple turn of a handle to clean) for only $25 more.
In short, I repeat: “A man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.” The pond I described is my pond.
I have the Sequence pump, Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light, anti-vortex drains, professional skimmer, and four times more fish than the so-called experts say I should have. My pond is crystal clear, my fish are healthy and I have not lost a fish to disease in the four years I have had them. The only chemical I have recommended to any of my 2000+ clients in their professionally built concrete pond is rock salt, which controls algae and aids in the slime coating on fish.
