Pond Pumps

A pond water pump can serve many purposes whether purely for aesthetics or for a specific function. Some transfer water to feed other ponds, streams, waterfalls and fountains. Some help to aerate the pond water while others recirculate the water through filters or water treatments.

Need help choosing the right pond water pump?

Not all pumps are the same.

Sounds obvious and yet we see it all too often that people buy  a sump pump to run their water feature.

Why do I make this point?

The sump pump is designed to run for short bursts.  Many are built to a lower price point compared to a quality dedicated pond pump.  The quality is reflected in its relatively inefficient high power usage, poor quality bearings and seals.  The Sump pump may last for years when installed and used in the way that it was designed for (short bursts).  But if you were add up how many hours it actually runs for per year, it wouldn’t normally amount to much.

If you then use this type of pump in a pond to run a filtration system that needs to run 24/7, it may overheat and burn out.  Good investment?

Don’t make the mistake and assume that if you have two pumps with the same power output, that they will have the same water flow output.

For example, we often come across pond installations, where the label on a cheaper pump says that it uses 120watts of power and pumps 1000 litres per hour. These pumps often don’t have thermal protection.  What this means is that if it is allowed to accidently run dry, it simply heats up and burns out.  The pump breaks down and there may be no option but to replace it with a new one, as there are no serviceable parts.  Quality is important, as is the serviceability and lifespan of your pump.  A more expensive pump (with a five year warranty) may also pump 1000 litres per hour, but will often only need half the power to do the same job. The savings in purchasing the cheaper pump, will end up costing you in the long run through higher operating costs and serviceable life.

Pond water pump sizing is important, as oversized equipment can cost much more, through excessive power consumption.  We often see cheap oversized pumps installed in waterfeatures, only to have a tap installed to slow down the flow, because it’s too powerful.  This is such a waste of electicity.

As a guide, we recommend that for a natural looking water fall, you need to allow 2000 litres of water per hour for every 10cm in waterfall width. Therefore, if you want a waterfall 50cm wide, then you need a pump that produces 10000 litres of water per hour.

Pumps designed for waterfalls are different to those designed for fountains.

Waterfalls generally need pumps that move large volumes of water, but not very high pressure, whereas pumps for fountains often need lower flow rates but the ability to push the water out smaller jets or nozzles that requires higher pressures.

Fountains and water jets have specific needs to get the correct look. You need to look at the height that you wish the jets to push up to and then the flow rate required for the outlet. These specifications are found on manufacturers reference charts.

When Choosing a pump and comparing prices remember to always factor in the running costs, because that is where the real savings are made.