Pond Pumps

When constructing a water garden pond or a fish pond it is necessary to make sure that the pump selected is the right size of pump and will do the job. First one has to determine the pumping capacity required. This advice can best be picked up from the pond supplier that is if one has bought all the pond material from one supplier. If one has shopped around and done their own pond design then some consultation and advice would be necessary and an expert is the best source for this. However here are some basic guidelines that can help. What is required first is to determine the capacity of the pond as the water in the pond must be circulated once every 2 hrs anything slower will cause stagnation so if the pond capacity is 500 gallons one would need a pump that will pump 250 gallons per hour. To determine the pond capacity one needs to know the pond size. This is done by measuring the length and breadth and average depth of the pond for a rectangular pond or kidney shaped pond. Let’s assume that the length of the pond is 9 feet and the breadth is 4 feet and the average depth is 3 feet the pond capacity would be:

9 X 4 X 3 X 7.5 = 810 Gallons

For a circular or oval shaped pond the pond capacity would be 3.14 multiplied by radius by radius by average depth. So for a circular pond that has a radius (radius is half the diameter) of 4 feet and an average depth of 3 feet the pond capacity would be:

3.14 X 4 X 4 X 3 X 7.5 = 1131 Gallons

So after determining the pond capacity now it becomes easier to work out the pump required. Half the gallon capacity of the pond must be circulated every hour.

Now the next thing is to work out the dynamic head pressure which is the total pressure that will be put on the pump when it is in operation. For this one need to know is the height of the waterfall, the total length of tubing, the number of 90 degree bends in the tubing and other reducers and any other adapters. The pump supplier can guide one once he can determine the head pressure required. To get an even spill of water a rule of thumb is that one will require pushing 125 gallons of water for every inch of the spillway. The spillway is the total breadth of the waterfall.

So with this information now one can select the correct size of pump for the pond. It is better to buy an oversized pump then a reduced size pump. Fish pond pumps will require to circulate more water and this will depend on the number of fishes one has in the pond.

There are a number of pumps available in the market and there are a lot of opinions regarding pumps by different manufacturers. Here it is recommended that one should read up on pond pump reviews and pond pump faqs before making a decision. If one is looking for aeration pumps for ponds and lakes then it is best to consult with an expert for guidance. If one has a koi fish pond it is best to look at koi pond pump recommendations before making a choice. Tsurumi pond pumps are a good line of fish pond pump and garden pond pump makers. If one has a Laguna pond pump and requires a replacement impeller for a Laguna pond pump it is best to look for a local dealer or order directly from the manufacturer.

Selecting a garden pond pump, a pond waterfall pump or a fish pond pump will require some research before one can know exactly which the correct pump to select for their pond.