Pond building how to select the right equipment Pond building ... how to select the right equipment
Most professionals who create ponds are in fact not all that well equipped to provide the ideal and best advice ... perhaps they can landscape gardens, choose and place plants well but pond keeping is far more than that. You need to take charge of equipment selection ... by understanding how to select the right products
In this short chapter I will try to give you a feel for what are important topics to consider in looking at your pond project. It does not matter whether you are building a new pond or contemplating improving your present pond. It is a sad fact of life that many retailers offering products for use in ponds recommend products that are totally unsuitable for the use intended. In fact it goes beyond that. Some retailers will sell products that should never be sold for use in ponds.
The best example of this is the selling of a pump that was designed to work in a clean water environment and indoors. This type of pump is often exemplified by having a short cable and the cable would have only 2 wires. Such pumps are fine indoors and in aquariums or concrete fountain ornaments for example. However for outdoors use not only are they unsuitable but they may be prohibited by law from being sold for use outdoors. Such pumps in a pond could be unsafe.
Do yourself a favor ....
It is simpler, cheaper, better and quicker to use pre-formed ponds ideally made from fiberglass in natural rock finishes with matching waterfalls or streams as you can see in the picture ...
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The only reason retailers sell such items I presume is that these pumps are cheaper than pond pumps and the retailer assumes the customer wants a cheap item.
In pond keeping cheap items have a habit of becoming expensive items quickly because they will not work and will need replacement shortly after installation in a pond. On the other hand good pond items need not be expensive at all.
When you consider purchasing items for the pond project always bear in mind that you will need to connect items together (pipes to filters is one example) and that you will need electric power at the pond to be able to run the pump and ultra violet clarifier. If you plan well for this the work of installation will go well. If not you may find yourself making frequent trips to the hardware store or garden centre.
You will do yourself a favour if you make a simple sketch of your intended pond and work out approximate positioning of the items to be installed. This will allow you to determine the lengths of hose you will need, and the number of fasteners or connectors. If you want a fountain and a waterfall buy a pump that includes the fountain as a free extra. Bought later as a separate item the fountain will often cost an arm and a leg.
Electricity and water can be dangerous take extreme care when installing electrical equipment and follow all instructions exactly.
Always use waterproof connectors should you want to join cables.
Do NOT use tape as you might indoors.
Do NOT cut the pump cable - this will invalidate the guarantee.
Always connect to an earth leakage system.
Provide an extra power connection point for later possible use - you might want to install underwater lighting for example or a spot light or a second pump and so on. Plan ahead!
Quite simply when it comes to electricity my advice is spend a bit more money and employ an electrician to do all the electrical work for you.
When you buy piping for the joining together of various pond items always buy pipe with the maximum internal diameter you can - do not use less than 25 mm internal diameter normally. This is an area where I can criticise almost all pump manufacturers.
Manufacturers rarely make the outlet from the pump big enough and so create an automatic restriction to water flow if the pump is to be used only for a waterfall.If you find this to be the case in the pump you buy then I would suggest you buy a hose adaptor to increase the outlet diameter to 25 mm and to which you will attach the pipe. Also use the shortest length possible and do not allow the pipe to kink. Avoid using t-pieces or sharp bends if you can.
Be careful and be aware before buying any pond pump. It is an area where a lot of money can be wasted and I mean lots since a pump consumes money (unless your electricity is free) every day it runs.
Before you buy pond equipment take a few moments to read the information on the box, or on the label attached to the product. If you find the information lacking then take care and ask questions of the retailer. Even ask the person to take the product out of the box for you and show you its features.
Do not hesitate to do this if the information on the outside does not satisfy you. Be suspicious of equipment with poor information on the box or label. In particular look for and check the guarantee and also the retailers attitude to the guarantee which is often more important than the guarantee itself. This is particularly true for pond pumps. Never buy a pump for a pond that has only a 1-year guarantee. Ask the retailer what will happen if your pump breaks down and what is NOT covered by the guarantee. Few if any pump manufacturers guarantee impellors so do not expect to get one free if yours breaks.
Take note that most pond pumps cannot be repaired with the exception of replacing the impellor. The retailer must be able to check the pump for you. Do not accept the statement that the pump has to be sent away for checking - it may in the end need to be sent away but the initial responsibility is for the retailer to check the pump in your presence and advise you after this inspection. Some retailers do not like to do this and often pass the buck BEWARE.
You should know that most pond pumps generally are designed in such a way they cannot be repaired electrically for safety reasons.
Consequently if the motor is not working and all the connections to the pump are correct then almost certainly the pump will have to be replaced. This is the time you will need to depend upon your retailer and his supplier offering no hassle guarantees. A ONE year guarantee means the pump is probably incapable of standing up to the rigors of an environment as difficult as that in an outdoor pond.
This web page is an extract from Tony Roocroft's "The Complete Pond Solver" ... you can read more about it at http://www.really-useful-books.com
