The Answer and cost to run it

[B.Scott]

Tom, If you break it down like that it doesn't seem like much but you know as well as I that it all adds up. Frighteningly so. Unless you have a little jar there and actually drop the money into it, it's going to come back at the end of the year and bite you in the a'ss.

I never have smoked thank goodness. But it makes me laugh when a colleague will call me nuts for paying $1000 for a fish but find in normal that his two packs a day cost him $4800 a year with nothing to show for it but bad lungs. Wish I had money like that! I could go skiing and diving every year!

[Tom C]

You guy's are great. I look at things just about like you. If it didn't spend the money on the pond it would be spent in other ways. My Mom tells me I'm crazy for the cost of the pond and the cost to run it. But then she tells me how she went to bingo four times this week, $40 a shot. Then add another $20 a week for lotto tickets. I'm sure over the last 10 years she has spent more in those two things then, me on the pond. OH lets not forget all the times she goes out to eat. This must be 5 times a week. All I tell her is it sounds like fun. On the other hand let add up the times I go out to eat, maybe once a week. I don't drink much, I don't smoke, I don't do drug, I don't do a lot of thing because I would rather spend that little extra money on my hobby. :0)

I wish I could have used large settling tanks on my filtration. If I could have I would have. But for me the answer was the Nexus units because of room. I do wish I didn't have to use these Answer and save that money, but I can't because of my set-up. One thing I can say for the Answer is it look like a well built unit. The other things I like it is, it uses clean water to clean the unit. Some products use the same dirty water to clean the screen. This was there way of saving people money on the extra pump, but you putting the same junk right back into the pond.

Tom

[Akai-San]

[quote=Mike T]What's really nuts are the guys who live in Hawaii where the water comes from the mains as pure as it can be, and I still see people buying cases of water… Did you know that at a retail store, water is more expensive than a soft drink... Go figure..QUOTE]

I'm with you MT, living in Hawaii, buying bottled water or better yet renting the water dispensor and buying water in bulk...IN HAWAII!

In fact, if my math is correct? Gallon for Gallon, bottled water even costs more than gasoline! !

I even looked at my electric bill and found out that Hawaii people pay between 17-19 cents /KWH. Is that good or bad?

[B.Scott]

Akai-San

Quote: ...people pay between 17-19 cents /KWH. Is that good or bad?

Depends on whether or not you own stock in the company

[JasonS]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tom C ...snip... One thing I can say for the Answer is it look like a well built unit. The other things I like it is, it uses clean water to clean the unit. Some products use the same dirty water to clean the screen. This was there way of saving people money on the extra pump, but you putting the same junk right back into the pond. Tom

Tom, you are referring to the Pressurized VMS from W.Lim, right? As you know, I got one of those. I was puzzled by the piping being 'unfiltered' before the actual screen. However, in taking apart the thing I noticed that there is a little screen BEFORE the 'jets' water, so nothing gets in there to plug up the jets. In addition if the screen starts backing up and that little screen isn't clogged then more water will go to the jets to clear the screen.

A clever feedback loop design, I think. And with Mr. Lim's new design the screen should float nicely.

ON THE OTHER HAND, it is just bad pond filtration design to put the mechanical filtration after the pump. So any settlement chamber beats that!

Here is a question: can you easily replace the pump used for the Nexus? Why not try a lower wattage pump and see how well it works?

[B.Scott]

Jason, What is a VMS?

[JasonS]

Ooops... my bad. The name changed, I guess. I confused the VMS for vortex chambers (http://www.wlimproducts.com/vtx-m.htm) with the pressurized settlement tank (http://www.wlimproducts.com/pre-f.htm)

For some reason 'pressurized settlement' sounds like an oxymoron to me. You know, like 'military intelligence'.

[Mike T]

My understanding is that 17-19 cents is on the high side, however, if you figure that we don't have to pay for heating oil in the winter, and only use the AC during hot August nights... I think we're doing OK...

A friend of mine moved to Kona, from the Denver area, and feels that Hawaii's a bargain...Can't understand the 25-30% COLA that you welfare recipients who work for the Fed Govt. get, and tax free no less...

He says his total living expenses are cheaper here than when he lived in Oregon, Colorado and N. Carolina…

Of course, like me, he’s retired and wears shorts, tee shirts and rubber slippers all year round, except when we have to go out to a fancy restaurant, then we put on Aloha Shirts…sometimes sport shoes...

Don't tell the haoles about this, we're already too crowded...
Aloha! The other Hapa

[bekko]

I will go look again, but swear we only pay 14 cents per kwh. It may be an ag rate or something. Still high by mainland standards. Gasoline is at least 25 cents higher than the mainland, but then you can't drive very far without running into the ocean.

My primary source of income is a gov'ment pension check from the mainland (haole, and proud of it) plus some small federal industry development grants. Thank you all - I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Hawaii does not tax retirement funds - got to love it. The general excise tax on gross farm revenues is 0.5% - I can handle that too.

In our area, nobody has AC. We've known it to get hot in the house, but its never been hot in the shade of the monkey pod trees. The only heaters we own are for aquaria. A heater wouldn't help anyway because most of our windows do not have glass - only screen. One thing about Hawaii is that on those rare evenings when it gets down to 62F (18C), its 62 everywhere. You don't bump up the thermostat if your feet get cold. I have a pair of socks to wear on cold winter nights and a pair of long pants for special occasions. Tried to put on a pair of shoes a few years ago, but they hurt my feet so I threw them away. Never found a place where a clean pair of slippers is not acceptable footwear.

steve
Hakipu'u

[shiromujigirl]

However much you pay, thats as much as nearly three 100 watt light bulbs!

May I remind all that settling tanks run free of charge, no toothbrush cleaning is required and do not mire up while you are away. Still...... boys and their toys.......