Questions regarding electric/water bills...

[aaronb]

My 40 and my sink faucet are about the same level, so I can only drain the top 20% with the water off, but the rest needs the water running. I like the idea of just hanging it out a window and "watering" with it though, especially since then it can be lower than the tank. I only wonder, is there a "method" to making sure your bell-thing isn't bashing all over the place, sucking up sand substrate while you're outside doing that part? Can't do buckets since I can only physically lift the small 2gal ones, but nothing heavier :[

I start the siphon with the faucet attachment and then disconnect the hose and put it in the bathtub or outside. It's way more efficient letting gravity do the work then trying to overcome it with a python.

 

[cideon]

I thought about doing this, but I've been paranoid about the hose getting soap residue from shower floor, then contaminating tank when I fill it from the faucet. However, based on all this bucket advice, I suppose I could just put the hose in a bucket, on the shower floor so as to keep it "clean", but still much lower than the tank. Thanks much!

I will give it my best shot at doing the math, but I live in my parents' house, so I might just have to compare my own house bills when I move out (but at least then I'll know what lights are what, and I'll be the only user of electricity/water). Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Cicho]

When I lived in an apartment I used to use a 6' extension hose to get my python pump to the shower and then put the pump into a 5 gallon bucket or waste paper basket. I did this primarily because with that tank I was vacuuming up sand and I didn't want the apartment maintenance guys on my butt for putting sand down the drain and the bucket acted like a sand trap and fell to the bottom of the bucket.

 

[brich999]

Yep did the math, power is super cheap in NH( thanks nuke plant) and found because I bought efficient pump, hammerhead gold, And LEDs, my 500g is only maybe 10% of my bill. It's really just the heaters, a couple thousand watts of heaterS can make the meter move lol

 

[ShroomMastap]

For my 125 I pay about .18 per kwh and to have the pummp running 24/7/365 and it comes out to about 13.60 a month for everything Ive got hooked to it.. but i dont use a heater water is covered under my rent so its not too expensive for me!

 

[Lusus_Naturae]

I sometimes will start my imitation Python using the sink, and then take it outside to the flower beds and trees to drain out. It still is much faster to hook up the intake end at the tank to a powerhead and push water out, you don't even need to use a faucet hook up this way either (we couldn't find an adapter for the bathroom faucet either).

Also, there are probably quite a few people that have tanks below the level of their sink that can't syphon without some type of push. I have a double tank stand, the bottom tank sites about 2 inches off the floor.