The pump is to most water bodies what the heart is to the human body. It is responsible for oxygen, circulation of water and even the filter action. The pump is one of the most important features in a water garden or Koi pond, along with things like pond cover nets to protect any fish from any lurking cats and herons. Choosing a pump for your pond is a big deal; the wrong pump could ruin your pond and undermine your purpose of setting your water feature. This informative guide will provide you with the two most important factors to consider when selecting a pump for your pond.
Know Your Flow Rate
Before you consider buying any pond pump, you should first know your desired flow rate for your pond. The following factors will help you determine your pond flow rate.
Pond Size
The size of your pond is the first step to determining the flow rate of the pond. If you have a water garden with plants and maybe goldfish, you need to get a pump that can circulate at least half of the pond’s entire volume.
So if you are having a total volume of 3000 gallons, your pond should be pumping at least 1500 Gallons Per Hour (GPH). This ratio also applies for bigger ponds, although they might get away with lesser pump rate because of extra aeration from air pumps.
Effects
For visual effects like the trickle effect, you need to get a pump that has about 50 GHP per inch for the small size and about 200 GPH per inch for ponds with heavy flow.
If you have the fountain or waterfall effect, you need a pump of about 120-150 GPH per inch fall close to the waterfall width.
Other Equipment
As you already know, the pump works together with other pond equipment like the filter, theUV clarifier, Pond Liners and even the skimmer. So when buying a pump, cross-check all other equipment to make their maximum or minimum rating from the manufacturer matches with that of your pump.
The Type of Pump
There are different types of pump designed for various water features. These pumps come with there own unique features, advantages, and disadvantages. The four basic types of the pond are:
The Direct Drive Pump
This type of pump has the impeller joined directly to the shaft of the motor. The primary advantage of the direct drive pump is its high power. The pump provides high flow rate and requires little or no maintenance. It’s only con is the high cost of purchase.
Magnetic Drive Pump
The Magnetic drive pump has its impeller connected to a magnet. This magnet rotates when the pump is in operation and allows the impeller to spin too. Magnetic drive pumps are excellent as the pump have low energy consumption because they are used for low-head situations. The pump lasts long too, and can be easily serviced.
Asynchronous Pump
This type of pump also has the same mode of operation like the magnetic drive pump. The only difference is that the impeller is not directly linked to a magnet. The formation Is more complicated and more effective than the magnetic pumps. The only major con to this pump is that it requires more maintenance time to ensure it is always in good shape.
External Centrifugal Pumps
The external centrifugal pumps comes in different types, shapes and flow rates. The external pump requires extra piping and plumping. They are expensive but provide much more power and energy efficiency than the three above.
Hope this was helpful?
