A Low Cost Submersible Well Pump Or Sump Pump Makes A Bad Pond Waterfall Pump
Do Not Use A Submersible Sump Pump As Your Chosen Pond Waterfall Pump
You will often see unscrupulous retailers advertising sump pumps (basement pumps) for use as a pond waterfall pump. They are more interested in their profit margin than you as the customer. Let me explain why I say this ...
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Sump pumps, some times referred to as dirty water pumps are designed specifically to remove water from basements, wells, cellars and even to empty fish ponds of water. They are however not designed for continuous operation and tend to overheat. They are extremely noisy and expensive to run as they consume a lot of electricity.
They are able to shoot water up to quite a high height, often 10 feet high and above, which is where the connection between waterfalls and sump pumps comes together, in a retailers mind. This coupled with the low purchased price is a reason why many retailers will advertise a sump pump for use as a pond waterfall pump. The initial small purchase cost will soon fade into distant memory once you receive your monthly electricity bill.
As stated above, a typical basement pump has been engineered to run in intermittent bursts and will typically last about 10,000 hours (1 year). After about 1 year the water seal will fail, allowing water to enter the pump, causing the pump to fail.
In a pond environment this is a disastrous state of affairs. Do you really want to risk electrocuting your Koi and other pond fish or starving the nitrifying bacteria of much needed oxygen? Remember that these nitrifying bacteria need a constant supply of oxygen to break down ammonia and to survive. How is this possible with a sump pump that runs in intermittent bursts?
How Do I Know If I Am Choosing A Submersible Sump Pump Or A Fish Pond Pump?
There
are some helpful clues, such as the design for one. A typical sump pump will
have an upright design and may even come with a handle at the top of the pump
for carrying it around ... see the picture opposite.
A second give away is the location of the inlet pipe; it will be at the base of the pump, making it ideal for emptying cellars and basements. Sucking up dirt and debris off the pond floor is exactly what you do not want a submersible pond pump to do! For this reason the intake to the pump will be positioned at the top or the side of a garden pond pump.
Take a look at the power consumption. If it is very high and the model fits the descriptions above then chances are you are looking at a sump pump. Sump pumps typically have wattage of 250 watts or more.
Another give away is the price of the sump pump; they are usually cheaper to buy than many submersible pond pump models.
Your average basement pump or sump pump uses 300 watts of electricity and will be capable of pumping 1300 gallons of dirty water to a height of 9 feet; height is often referred to as pump head. You can equate this to running three one hundred watt light bulbs 24/7. Hopefully you will now realize that the low cost pump that you thought you were getting a bargain with is actually costing you a lot of money to run. Most sump pumps (dirty water pumps) only come with a 1 year guarantee.
A more economical selection of waterfall pond pump is a reliable, energy efficient model, specifically designed to provide high head heights. There are plenty of models to choose from … take a look at the available pond waterfall pumps reviewed here.
Tip! You can save yourself money believe it or not by running 2 pond pumps in your fish pond; one for the waterfall (which can be switched off as and when) and a second pump to supply oxygen rich water to your pond biofilter. Remember that a pond pump needs to supply your biological fish pond filter with oxygenated water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
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