How To Calculate Flow Rate For Waterfall Pond-Pumps To Save Money

Save Money And Select The Correct Waterfall Pond-Pump

The pump flow rate is either the quantity of water needed to supply your waterfall so that you get the desired effect and or the level of oxygenated water that needs to be pumped through your biofilter. The trick is to choose pond-pumps that are capable of delivering the required water flow, over the waterfall, to suit your requirements. In other words the amount of pond water flowing over the waterfall depends upon the lip or waterfall edge. The wider the lip, the larger the quantity of water required to flow over the edge. If you require only a trickle then you don't need such a wide lip. As a general rule you need 250gph of pond water per inch of overflow edge.

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Flow Rate of WaterfallA Pond Pump Needs To Circulate Pond Volume Every 2 Hours

If you have a pond without a waterfall then skip to the bottom of the page to see how to calculate the pump flow rate. Using the above rule of thumb means that if your waterfall lip measures 10 inches across then you would need a pond pump that can deliver 2500 gallons of water per hour i.e. 250gph x 10".

The majority of biological pond filters require a pump that is capable of circulating the pond water every couple of hours, which equates to 12 times a day. For example if you have a fish pond that has a volume of 1000 gallons then you need a pump with a flow rate of 500gph.

If you already have pond-pumps in use but you want to adjust the level of water flowing over the lip edge then all is not lost. You can always try one of the following:

How To Adjust The Flow Of Water Over The Waterfall Lip

  • Reduce the width of the overflow point by placing some stones or pebbles near the overflow edge. This action will help to make the water flow look better
  • Reduce the length of the hose running from the pond-pump to the waterfall and increase the diameter of the pipe
  • Use 2 Submersible Pond-Pumps ... the smaller pond pump can be used to supply the pond filter system. Click this link to find out how you can actually save money by running 2 Pond Pumps.

how to calculate flow rate for waterfall pond-pumps

  • Find yourself a container that holds a known volume of water and a timing device.
  • Place a hose pipe into the inlet of the waterfall.
  • Mess about with the flow through the hose pipe until you get the desired effect.
  • Leave the hose running and fill the container at the desired flow rate from the hose pipe.
  • Record how long it takes to fill the container.
  • The necessary flow rate is quite simply the volume of the container divided by the length of time taken to fill it.
  • If you don't get the desired effect using a single hose pipe then try using two hose pipes.

How do I calculate the pond pump flow in a pond without a waterfall?

In this situation the pump flow is determined predominantly by the pond filters oxygen requirements, in particular the oxygen required to allow the beneficial bacteria to perform the Nitrogen Cycle effectively. A good starting point would be to know the actual pond volume. This will help you ...

Little Giant WGP 65 Waterfall Pump

A pond pump whether it is used solely to supply oxygen to your biofilter or if it is also used to power water to the top of a waterfall, will need to be running continuously 24/7 days a week so that the beneficial bacteria living on your pond filter receive a regular supply of oxygen ... Energy costs in this scenario should be a major consideration in pond waterfall pump selection. Making a wrong choice may save you the initial cost in buying the waterfall pump but will cost you heavily in the long term.

If you are looking for energy efficient waterfall pumps or stream pumps then take a look at the extensive range of energy efficient, industry leading pond pumps reviewed on this site ... click here for waterfall stream pump reviews in the USA & UK ...

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