How Long Does a Pond Pump Need to Be on Each Day?
A pond pump and a filter are necessary to maintain pond health. A well-maintained pond adds value to a home, and even though a large pond with fish requires more maintenance than a small pond, it is worth the extra effort, providing movement, color and a dramatic landscape element. A pond’s pump should run 24 hours each day to ensure the pond’s water circulates through the filter to keep the water clear.
Pump Function
A pond pump may be submerged in the pond’s water or sit outside the pond, depending on the pump type, but both types work in the same way. The pump uses spinning blades, known as impellers, to pull pond water through a screenlike intake and expel the water through an outlet pipe. Generally, a large pond has an external pump and a smaller pond or water garden has a submersible pump. Any kind of pump requires regular maintenance of its intake filter and screen to prevent clogging.
Pump Size
Before buying a pond pump, calculate your pond’s water capacity to determine the size of pump required to circulate all of the pond’s water through the pump every one to two hours. Formulas can help you determine your pond’s water capacity in gallons from pond measurements taken in feet. The formula for a rectangular pond is length x width x depth x 7.48 = gallons. For a circular pond, the formula is radius x radius x 3.14 x average depth x 7.48 = gallons. The formula for an irregularly shaped pond requires dividing the pond into easier-to-calculate shapes, figuring the water capacity in gallons for each of those shapes and then multiplying the total sum of those gallons by 231 instead of 7.48.
Operating Cost
A pond that has a pump or other electric equipment requires electricity, and so it will increase your monthly electric cost. Some pumps cost less to operate than other pumps. Reduce the cost of pump operation by using a pump that moves the necessary amount of pond water while using the least amount watts; a watt is a measurement of electrical usage. Calculate the cost of operating a pump by using this formula: Divide the watts by 1,000, and then multiply that figure by 24 hours, the number of days per operation and electricity cost. An example is: 300 watts/1000 x 24 hours x 30 days x 0.08 for electricity cost = $17.28 as the cost to run the pump for 30 days.
Other Considerations
Mosquitoes can be a problem when a pond is in the landscape, but mosquitoes lay eggs in only stagnant water. A pump can keep the pond water moving, deterring mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water. Even a small amount of moving water can prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. So if a pump is not feasible, add a fountain bubbler to keep water moving.
How Many Watts Would a 2.5 HP Pump Use?
A pump helps circulate and filter the water in a pool. A pump’s horsepower determines how quickly the pump can process all the water. The goal is for the pump to sufficiently filter all the water in an 8 to 10 hour period, according to Aquascapes. Depending on the size and volume of your pool, you will need more or less horsepower to filter the water in that ideal time frame. Horsepower can be converted to watts, giving you a guesstimate of what your energy costs might be to run your pump.
Math Conversions
One horsepower is equal to 745.7 watts. When you multiply 745.7 watts by 2.5 hp, you get 1,864.25 watts. Energy costs are calculated in kilowatt-hours, and to get kilowatt-hours, you multiply watts by hours and divide by 1,000. So, if you run your pool pump for 8 hours in one day, 1,864.25 multiplied by 8 and divided by 1,000 equals 14.9 kilowatt-hours. If you run your pump every day for an average of 30 days per month — 30 multiplied by 14.9 — your pump uses 447 kilowatt-hours in a month.
Natural Backyard Pond Irrigation
Pond Irrigation
Using a pond for landscape irrigation as opposed to a well or public water system has its positives and negatives. Pulling water from a pond to irrigate your lawn or garden can be an economical use of water as long as the pond is large enough, and self-sustaining enough through rainfall or underground springs to meet your needs. You still need a pump and piping, and you will definitely need a plan before you get started.
Planning
If the pond can provide enough water for irrigation, start with a scale drawing, showing all of your plants, where the pond is located and a rough sketch of either where the piping will be buried or how you plan to get the water from the pond to the plants. After you have a rough sketch, you need to make a list of the materials you will need including the pump, pipe, connecting valves and timers if the system is going to be underground. If the system is above ground, your work has just been cut in half. You also need to provide electricity to the pump or purchase a solar powered pump with a 24V battery backup system.
Tying Into Your Pond
Normally an irrigation system is tied to an outdoor faucet, your home’s water supply line or a brown water valve. Drawing water from a pond for irrigation involves incorporating a pump to pull the water from the pond and a means of directing the water to where you need it. A general rule of thumb is that a one acre pond can irrigate 10 acres of lawn. You can either use a submersible pump, or one that sits in a pump house to the side of the pond and pulls water and directs it through an appropriately sized pipe and control valves or hose.
Calculating Water Need
It can be a bit difficult calculating the amount of water you have with how much water you need. While the calculations are all very scientific, an Evapotranspiration or ETO valve or irrigation controller can help make the calculations for you, but it is generally not very accurate. The formula to determine the number of gallons needed per day is: (ETO x PF–plant factor x SF– square feet to be irrigated x 0.62) / IE–irrigation efficiency = gallons of water per day. Your local extension service may also provide ETO data for your area.
Pond Irrigation Tips
Never invest in an expensive pump, pipe, valves, timers, sprinklers hoses or anything else until you have a design plan and can accurately determine if the pond can actually meet your needs. You need this information in order to know why type of pump to buy. If you live in a dry area where you really can’t rely on the pond to provide a sufficient water supply when you need it, you can also back fill the pond from a well or cistern if necessary, but this does require another pump and more pipe.
How to Determine the Size of a Fountain for a Pond
How to Determine the Size of a Fountain for a Pond
A water fountain in the middle of a backyard pond not only adds an interesting feature, it also helps aerate the water. Pond fountains are rated by flow rate and labeled as GPH, the number of gallons of water the fountain rotates in an hour. The GPH of a pond fountain, along with the height of the water spray, are the most important features to consider when determining what size fountain you need for your pond.
Determine the volume of your pond. If you have installed a preformed pond, refer to the owner’s manual for the total volume your pond holds. Otherwise, calculate the volume by measuring the length, width, and depth of the pond in feet and multiplying these numbers together. Then multiply the result by 7.47 to get the number of gallons your pond holds.
Measure how high you want the pond fountain to be. Measure from the bottom of the pond where you will place the fountain to the spot above the water that you would want the maximum height of the fountain to reach.
Measure the maximum diameter you would want the water spray to hit; the water should fall inside the pond and not outside it.
Read the specifications on the boxes of the pond fountain available at a pond or garden retailer. On the box you will see the fountain’s GPH rating and height of the fountain. Choose the fountain that best fits the gallons of your pond and is the right height or choose one that is rated for a pond smaller than what you have; choosing a fountain for a larger pond can make the water flow too fast for the fish in your pond. Also note how the water will spray. Fountains that have water falling straight down can work for any pond, but if the fountain sprays outward, compare the diameter to your maximum diameter measurement.
Most Efficient Pond Aerating Fountains
Most Efficient Pond Aerating Fountains
An efficient pond aerating fountain keeps your pond clean and clear by putting oxygen back into the water, which keeps algae growth to a minimum. It also inhibits the breeding of mosquitoes, while promoting a healthy aquatic environment for fish and visiting wildlife. Another bonus is that it also prevents odors normally associated with stagnant water.
Definition
Aerating fountains, pond and pool aerators, water circulators and even pond de-icers are names often incorrectly used interchangeably for a device used to add oxygen back into pond, lake or pool water. Water circulators and de-icers move stagnant water, primarily to prevent ice damage, but are not designed for aeration. Pond aeration is the addition of oxygen to standing water due to depletion as a result of aquatic, algae and plant life consumption.
What to Look For
A one-quarter horsepower or hp aerating fountain will efficiently aerate up to a one-fifth acre pond. A one-quarter to one acre pond should have a one-half hp aerator. Aerators are also available in three-quarter, one and two hp. When purchasing an aerator, the package will list the appropriate hp for the size of pond you have. To determine the size of aerator you need, use a pond sizing calculator, don’t guess. If you choose an aerator too small for the pond, the efficiency is greatly reduced, so always err on the side of greater hp.
How to Determine Efficiency
Efficiency is determined by the oxygen transfer rate, which is based on the volume of water in your pond and the amount of horsepower of the aerator. An efficient aerator transfers 3 pounds of oxygen per horsepower per hour. The aerator should remain efficient even when the water level drops, though it is not wise to operate the unit in less than 12 to 15 inches of water. The constant circulation of shallow water ultimately stirs up sediment from the bottom of the pond, which eventually clogs the filter, drastically reducing the aerator’s efficiency.
Recommended Maintenance
To improve the efficiency of your aeration system, it’s a good idea to follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and procedures. Because the unit is sitting in water 100 percent of the time, proper installation and maintenance not only keeps your warranty intact, it also prolongs the life of the system. Never enter a pond with an operating aerator, because of the potential for shock if the cord has degraded in any way.
