How To Choose The Correct Pond Pump
Choosing a pump for your pond or fountain is a crucial step to ensure you maintain proper water movement. Failure to keep the water adequately circulated can result in stagnation, algae buildup, and mosquitoes. In addition, if you have fish, plants, or other aquatic life in your pond, you must keep the water healthy by evenly distributing the oxygen levels and other nutrients.
Types of Pond Water Pumps
There are two main types of pond water pumps: submersible and external (out-of-pond), also known as centrifugal pumps. Depending on the application, each pump offers specific advantages.
Submersible Pond Pumps
Submersible pumps are designed to be fully submerged underwater at the deepest part of the pond. They are placed directly into your pond or in a skimmer box or pond vault. Submersible pumps range in size from 50 to 5,000 gallons per hour. They are easy to install and are sometimes a more economical solution for smaller ponds (up to 1000 gallons of water). They are also quiet and can also be used to drain your pond. If you have fish or other aquatic life in your pond, you may want to consider a model that does not use oil because there is a danger of the pump seal breaking and oil coolant leaking into the water.
Centrifugal Pond Pumps
External or centrifugal pond pumps are a reliable, energy-efficient option. They are installed in a dry location near your pond. External pond water pumps are suitable for larger ponds (over 1000 gallons). Compared to a submersible pump, they are typically louder and more complicated to install; however, they are easier to maintain.
When selecting a pond pump, it’s essential to keep in mind that pumps have different cord lengths. Ensure the cord is long enough to go through the pond and plugin far away from the water. Some electrical codes specify that the outlet for water features must be at least 6 feet away from the water. Therefore, it is recommended that you avoid using an extension cord. However, if you must use one, make sure it’s suitable for outdoor use and plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) so that it will immediately shut off if there is an overload.
How to Size a Fountain or Pond Pump
Pond pumps are sized by gallons per hour (GPH) at one foot of lift or height. Larger capacity pumps are rated by horsepower (HP). To determine the size pond pump, first, you need to calculate the volume of water in the pond. To calculate the volume of water in gallons, multiply the length x width x average depth x 7.5.
Water Circulation Factors
It is recommended that pond water is circulated at least once per hour. For example, if you have a 500-gallon pond, you need a pump that runs 500 gallons per hour at the discharge height. If your pond has a pressurized filter, you ideally want to turn the water approximately once every two hours. For example, if you have a 1000 gallon pond, you need a pond pump rated at a minimum of 500 GPH. If your pond has a skimmer or waterfall, the water should be turned approximately once every hour. Therefore, if you have an 1800 gallon pond, you will need an 1800 GPH rated pump.
Calculating Head and Lift Height
Two of the most critical measurements in sizing a pond or fountain pump are the maximum head height rating and maximum lift. Head height means the vertical height the pump raises water above the surface of the pond. The pond fountain pump’s top height can lift the water to is called “Maximum Head” or “Max Head.” The “Head” is measured straight up from the water level of the pond. Its length then measures any horizontal/diagonal flow, and 1’ of “Head” added per 10’ of horizontal/diagonal distance. To calculate the lift, you need to measure how far the water in your fountain has to travel from the pump’s location in your rush to the top of the fountain where the water comes out. Then you need to select a pump that lifts higher than that measurement. For example, if that distance is 24”, than you will need a fountain pump that lifts at least 36” tall. The “maximum lift” is the maximum height that the pump will raise the water.
Selecting the Proper Pond Water Pump Tubing
It is also essential to use the correct tubing size because it directly affects the pond pump’s maximum lift capability. If you use smaller tubing than specified, you will limit the pump’s maximum lift and the amount of water circulated.
Choosing the right pond water pump for your pond or fountain requires careful consideration and a little upfront research. However, doing so will go a long way toward keeping your water clean and healthy and your pump operating efficiently.
Benefits of Having a Garden Pond
Having a garden pond is a dream for many homeowners. While creating a garden pond ecosystem can be a lot of work, there are many long-term benefits of building one. A garden pond provides aesthetic beauty to your house or commercial premises and can help you impress your neighbors and visitors. Below are some of the benefits of building a garden pond.
Natural Calmness and Beauty
A garden pond ecosystem provides a natural scenic beauty and natural calmness to your garden. It acts as a relaxing retreat from all the busy work life worries. Having a garden pond provides a very positive effect on the mind and body. Spending some time amidst your garden pond ecosystem can rejuvenate your mind and increase focus, creativity, and sleep quality, reducing stress and anxiety. Having a positive effect on the mind will also improve physical health.
Less pollution
Garden equipment machinery emits high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides. When a pond occupies space in your garden, it automatically reduces the space available for plants and grass. This leads to less use of lawnmowers and garden equipment machines, leading to lesser production of gas and other air pollutants. It also helps in reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Reduced usage of fertilizers helps to reduce the levels of toxicity in the garden. It also leads to cost savings on garden machinery and fertilizers.
Safe sanctuary for local wildlife
While ponds can be filled with beautiful fish, such as Koi and goldfish, they also attract and provide a sanctuary for local wildlife. Aquatic plants can be grown in ponds, which can attract different types of birds and frogs. The growth of algae also attracts tadpoles and other small aquatic animals. A garden pond can lead to an entire ecosystem of flora and fauna of local plants, birds, and small animals.
Financial benefits
We already discussed building a garden pond to save costs on garden machinery and fertilizers, and pesticides. But the most significant financial benefit of having a garden pond is it can help increase the overall value of your property. A garden pond makes your property far more attractive to prospective buyers. Having an already present garden pond means your potential buyer will have to spend money to build a new one, plus it gives your property that premium feels and helps command a larger price.
Our experts with years of experience can quickly help you plan and build a garden pond according to your needs.
Water Pumps for your Garden Pond
Water Pumps for your Garden Pond
Water pumps are one of the most crucial features of the garden pond. Although a static garden pond pump isn’t an absolute necessity, a pump is required when we install a fountain, waterfall, and filter. A water pump helps to keep the circulation of water. Water circulation helps to keep the fish and plants healthy. Water circulation helps in the prevention of algae build-up, breeding of mosquitoes, and stagnation of water. Water circulation also helps in the proper distribution of oxygen levels throughout the garden pond system.
Choosing a correct pump for your garden pond is very essential.
There are following types of pumps for Garden pond
Submersible Pond Pumps
These pumps are fully submerged under water normally at the deepest area of the pond. They are a very economical solution for a small size pond and make a perfect fit for garden ponds. Submersible pumps are excellent for ponds with fish as all the electrical parts are well isolated from water, thus reducing the risk of oil spill or an electrical accident. The water intake pipe attached to filter helps to clean the water before it is delivered to the pool by the outlet pipe. These pumps come in many different sizes.
External or Centrifugal Pond Pumps
These pumps are installed outside the pond usually in a dry location. They are easier to maintain. These pumps are suitable for larger ponds. Compared to submersible pumps they do make a lot of noise.
Selecting the right pump for your Garden Pond
Garden pond pumps are measured by Gallons Per Hour. It’s recommended that the pond water is circulated every hour. So, if you have a pond with a water volume of 1800 gallons then you would require a pump with 1800 Gallons Per Hour. However, if your pond has fish and other aquatic animals you may have to select a larger pump with a capacity at least twice the volume of water in the garden pond.
Choosing the right kind of pump for your garden pond will help to keep your pond clean and healthy. We at Aquascapes can help you to select a pump that’s the right fit for your Garden pond needs with our expertise and experience. You can also check various water pump products in our catalog here.
Garden Pond Care in Winter
Appropriate pond care in winter is extremely important. As the winter season now commences in full swing, things in your garden pond come to a halt. The fishes go into hibernation mode. You shut down your pumps and filters. However, the debris that was collected during the pre-winter months continues to decompose releasing gases into the water. These gases also fuel algae growth. Adding to the complexity, a sheet of ice forms over the water trapping the fish and water beneath it. As the oxygen level decreases due to fish consuming it, the level of toxic gases goes on increasing due to the debris, creating an extremely harmful environment for the fish.
One of the ways is to provide an air hole on the surface of the water so that the fish can survive in winter. Even though the fish go into hibernation in the winter months, they still need oxygen to survive the winter season. If you turn your filters off for the winter, you’ll need to supply oxygen with a pond aerator or a small recirculating pump. Such an aerator should be ideally placed on a shelf in the pond. It will help to maintain the hole on ice while adding oxygen to the pond. Aquascape provides the best in class pond aerator kits for your garden pond.
If you live in an area where climates are colder for a longer duration of time, you may have to use a de-icer along with an aerator. This will help to maintain the hole on surface ice which allows the gases to escape from the water.
When the temperature drops below 50 degress F , the metabolism of the fish drops. Hence, it’s ideal to stop feeding the fish below this temperature as it may prove very harmful for the fish. Following the above guidelines will definitely help you in pond care in winter.
