Garden Fish Pond Waterfall Pumps And How To Specify Pond Pump Flow Rate
Pond Waterfalls Need Correct Pump Flow Rate To Create The Right Look
In a garden fish pond with a waterfall, the pond pump flow rate refers to the amount of water required to give you the desired water fall effect. You will need to know the correct pond pump flow rate and the desired pump head for your application.
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If you use a pump that is under powered then your waterfall will simply not look like a waterfall but more like a dripping tap. On the other hand too much water will create quite a noise and cost you more in electricity costs.
Always choose ribbed hose as the pond hose type when connecting pond keeping equipment together; ribbed pond tubing does not kink and allows water to flow around bends and curves, commonly found in garden fish pond applications. The aim is to reduce the flow restriction to the minimal possible.
When you are looking to purchase a pond pump you will normally see the maximum pump flow rating, printed on the outside of the packaging. This to all intent and purpose is not practical as this figure describes the particular pond pump’s ability when it does not have any pond hose connected to it. A decent pond pump will always show the volume that can be pumped at different head heights. Beware of misleading information printed on pond pump manufacturers packaging.
This web page showing a simple pond pump selection table for any type of pond or pond and waterfall pump combination will help you to make an informed buying choice ...
What Is Pond Pump Flow Rate?
A pond pump flow rate is the amount of pond water that can be pumped through your pond system to get the waterfall effect you're looking for. The pond pump flow rate must also take into consideration your pond filter system. If you have a fish pond, without a waterfall then a good flow rate for your pump would be about half the fish pond total volume every hour.
For a 2000 gallon garden fish pond, without a waterfall you would be looking for a pond pump that can pump between 800 and 1200 gallons per hour. If you are unsure about volume then follow the pond keeping golden rule “If in doubt always go one size bigger”.
If you are running a waterfall in your garden pond, you'll need to determine the pump head before selecting a pump. As a quick summary, pond pump head is the height (measured from the SURFACE of the water) to the inlet of the waterfall. In other words, this is the height to which the water must be lifted in order to operate the waterfall.
Hint! Instead of using a single pump to control the pond water flow to your bio filter and waterfall use 2 pond pumps to save money. Use one which you leave switched on permanently to power the pond filter and use the other one to power the waterfall. You can periodically switch the pond waterfall pump off at night for example. This will cost you more initially but over a few months will benefit you in electricity savings.
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