The Right Pump for The Backyard Water Garden Feature

Whether you have a liner or preformed pond, stagnant bodies of water attract mosquito infestations. Definitely a nuisance, mosquitoes are also undesirable due to the recent outbreaks of West Nile virus. Therefore, a pond pump that circulates your body of water is a paramount component of any water garden feature.

External Or Submersible

Available in external (out-of-pond) and submersible models, a submersible pump is a more economical and practical option for the smaller pond (up to 1,000 gallons of water). Submersible pumps, placed directly in the pond, require relatively little installation. And in addition to being free of distracting noise, they can easily be used to drain a small pond (just hook up a hose to the output flow).

One of the main disadvantages of submersible pumps in the old days was that the pump seal could rupture and release oil coolant into the water. However, that isn’t the case nowadays. The reason for this is that the newer, magnetic-driven pumps no longer require coolant. Although slightly more expensive, these mag-driven pumps have the added advantage of consuming less electricity.

Gallons Per Hour

Sized by gallons per hour (GPH) output at one foot of lift or height, pump manufacturers usually offer charts breaking down the power of each size pump according to incremental heights of 1 foot. Since it is recommended that you circulate your body of water at least once every 2 hours, you will need to size your pump to ensure that it has half the GPH rating as the volume of your pond in gallons. For instance, you will require at least a 500 GPH pump if you have a 1,000 gallon water feature.

However, because you must estimate your waterfall’s height, it is a bit trickier to calculate the proper pump for your water fall. First of all, measure the vertical height from the top of your pump to the top of your waterfall, adding another foot of height or lift for every 10 feet of hosing you will be using, thus allowing for loss of volume from resistance within the hose. A general rule of thumb when calculating the required pump GPH is that each inch of width of the channel will require an extra 100 GPH. For example, you will need a pump that produces an excess flow of 1000 GPH at your waterfall’s height, if your stream or waterfall spillway is 10 inches wide.

Fish

Since fish rely on the oxygen in the water to survive, if you plan on having fish you’ll need to install a proper pump for a fish pond. By doing this, you’ll be ensuring that extra oxygen is both introduced into and distributed throughout the pond. If you plan on raising fish, the general rule of thumb is that you must double your pump GPH. Available on the market are special pumps that have oxygen intake valves and a unique air/water air mix system which effectively increases the oxygen concentration in your pond.

These special fish pond pump kits are both low-maintenance and magnetic-driven and they contain a sealed unit with a large enclosure that prevents debris from clogging the water intake. This special line of pumps starts at 200 GPH, and increases up to 660 GPH and come complete with a telescopic riser, diverter, and 3 fountain heads.