| There are important factors to consider when | | | | you will need to estimate the amount of flow this |
| you are planning out your pond project. The fish | | | | will take away from the overall circulation per |
| pond pump is the most crucial piece of equipment | | | | hour. You will need to size your pump accordingly |
| because it is going to provide the essential | | | | to make up the difference. A good estimate of |
| circulation to your filtration and any accessories | | | | water flow is 100 gallons per hour per inch of |
| you may want to install (E.g. Ultra Violet Sterilizer, | | | | waterfall width to create a 1/4" sheet of water. |
| decorative fountain, etc.). Not only does your | | | | Accessory Equipment |
| pump have to be powerful enough to circulate the | | | | It is recommended to run a smaller pump to run |
| proper amount of flow through the filter, it must | | | | any accessory equipment or decorative touches |
| also be able to supply your waterfall with enough | | | | you may add to your pond. This also allows you |
| water pressure to give the desired cascade. The | | | | to turn off the accessories, without interrupting |
| factors you need to consider when deciding on | | | | your filtration and main water circulation. |
| your pond pump are as follows: | | | | Energy Consumption |
| Circulation | | | | Your pump will run 24 hours per day for the |
| Ideally, your pump should circulate the entire pond | | | | entire pond season, so power consumption is a |
| volume once per hour or more | | | | definite factor to consider. Some of the most |
| Skimmer | | | | energy efficient pumps on the market are also |
| If you are going to install a skimmer (highly | | | | the most costly, but at the end of the day the |
| recommended), then you need to size the | | | | energy savings more than make up for the |
| skimmer appropriately for the pump. In other | | | | additional pump costs. |
| words, the skimmer must be able to handle the | | | | To determine your monthly costs use this |
| amount of water the pump is going to circulate. | | | | formula: |
| Head Height | | | | Watts divided by 1000 x kWh x 24 hours a day |
| How far and how high are you going to be | | | | x 30.4 days per month |
| pushing the water? From where the pond pump is | | | | So a 2500 gallon per hour pump running at 250W |
| sitting, how many feet vertically to the top of | | | | will cost on average: |
| your waterfall? For every 1 foot of vertical height | | | | 250/1000 x $0.0629 x 24 x 30.4 = $11.47 per |
| = 1 foot of head height. | | | | month |
| How far away from the pump is the farthest | | | | When in doubt, it is always best to oversize your |
| point that it must push water? (E.g. the distance | | | | pond pump than be disappointed with the flow |
| from the pump to the beginning of the waterfall | | | | rate. Most stores do not like to refund pumps |
| or stream) For every 10 feet of horizontal | | | | that have been used. So it is important to choose |
| distance = 1 foot of head height | | | | wisely in the beginning. As I mentioned in the |
| Check the head height chart on the pump | | | | energy consumption section above, a more |
| specifications. If your total head height is 6', and | | | | expensive energy efficient pump will pay for itself |
| you need a pump that circulates 2000 gallons per | | | | in the long run. There are several different styles |
| hour, then you will want a pump that can still | | | | of pumps on the market with different price |
| circulate 2000 gallons per hour at 6' of head | | | | points and features. Planning out your pond size |
| height. | | | | and additional features in advance will help you to |
| Waterfall Cascade | | | | pick the right pump for the job. |
| If you are going to have a water fall or stream, | | | | |