Choosing a Pump

Having water movement in your pond helps to maintain a healthy, well-balanced pond by circulating and aerating. Pumps also create an aesthetically pleasing environment. Even if you want to have a natural looking pond it is ideal to have a pump as it prevents stagnation and having that aeration can help to prevent algae growth and inhibit pests such as mosquitoes. You generally want to turn over the litres of the pond per hour as a very minimum requirement, but more is better.

The main things to consider when purchasing a pond pump are:

• Reliability – The pump is very important as it basically is the heart of the pond. It’s the thing that’s going to give you the desired effect you want.
• Power Consumption – Pond pumps are designed to run 24/7 so the running cost is an important issue. All pumps will have a wattage or power consumption on their packaging and the unit itself. The following formula will allow you to see approximately how much it will cost to run.

Wattage x 2.6 = Approx. dollars to run 24 hours / 365 days.

Example: 30 Watts x 2.6 = $78 a year to run

• Use of Pump – You will need to figure out what you want the pump to do. For example, do you want a simple daisy spray or do you want the pump running to an external filter? Is it going to be running water down a spill or stream?
• Tubing Size – To get the best performance out of your pump you will need the correct tubing size. If you have too small a size you will put back pressure on the pump which will shorten its life span. The following is the size tubing you should be using for the litres per hour.

Flow Rates and Head Heights

The labelling of pumps tell you the max head height and the max flow, it doesn't mean you will get that flow from that height. The maximum flow is straight out of the pump and the closer you get to the maximum height the less flow you will get. Generally the pumps box will have a chart showing you the approximate flow you will get at certain heights.

Types of Pumps:

Water Feature Pumps

Water Feature Pumps are used in small self-contained features that have no fish. You can also use them for hydroponic set-ups. These pumps are not ideal for pond set-ups as they have no filtration to stop particles from getting into the impellor, which can block the pump and burn out the motor. 

Fountain Pumps

Fountain pumps come with an assortment of fountain nozzles, this normally includes a standard spray, double daisy and a mushroom/bell nozzle. The majority of pumps come with a tee piece, which allows you to run the fountain plus another feature or external filter, but this will depend on the size of your pump. Anything below a thousand litres per hour will generally be too small to do two things.  Fountain Pumps come with a pre-filter inside their caging which can be upgraded for a larger sponge filter.

Dirty Water / Filtration Pumps

Dirty Water Pumps are a high volume pump and are ideal for anyone wanting a pond with minimal maintenance. These pumps are best when paired with an external filter, they can pick up to 8mm particles and send them straight through the pump and then to the filter without clogging.

Please contact us or come see us in store for more information on what pump may be right for you!