There are important factors to consider when you are planning out your pond project. The fish pond pump is the most crucial piece of equipment because it is going to provide the essential circulation to your filtration and any Accessories you may want to install (E.g. Ultra Violet Sterilizer, decorative fountain, etc.). Not only does your pump have to be powerful enough to circulate the proper amount of flow through the filter, it must also be able to supply your waterfall with enough water pressure to give the desired cascade. The factors you need to consider when deciding on your pond pump are as follows:
Circulation
Ideally, your pump should circulate the entire pond volume once per hour or more
Skimmer
If you are going to install a skimmer (highly recommended), then you need to size the skimmer appropriately for the pump. In other words, the skimmer must be able to handle the amount of water the pump is going to circulate.
Head Height
How far and how high are you going to be pushing the water? From where the pond pump is sitting, how many feet vertically to the top of your waterfall? For every 1 foot of vertical height = 1 foot of head height.
How far away from the pump is the farthest point that it must push water? (E.g. the distance from the pump to the beginning of the waterfall or stream) For every 10 feet of horizontal distance = 1 foot of head height
Check the head height chart on the pump specifications. If your total head height is 6', and you need a pump that circulates 2000 gallons per hour, then you will want a pump that can still circulate 2000 gallons per hour at 6' of head height.
Waterfall Cascade
If you are going to have a water fall or stream, you will need to estimate the amount of flow this will take away from the overall circulation per hour. You will need to size your pump accordingly to make up the difference. A good estimate of water flow is 100 gallons per hour per inch of waterfall width to create a 1/4" sheet of water.
Accessory Equipment
It is recommended to run a smaller pump to run any accessory equipment or decorative touches you may add to your pond. This also allows you to turn off the Accessories, without interrupting your filtration and main water circulation.
Energy Consumption
Your pump will run 24 hours per day for the entire pond season, so power consumption is a definite factor to consider. Some of the most energy efficient pumps on the market are also the most costly, but at the end of the day the energy savings more than make up for the additional pump costs.
To determine your monthly costs use this formula:
Watts divided by 1000 x kWh x 24 hours a day x 30.4 days per month
So a 2500 gallon per hour pump running at 250W will cost on average:
250/1000 x Body.0629 x 24 x 30.4 = .47 per month
When in doubt, it is always best to oversize your pond pump than be disappointed with the flow rate. Most stores do not like to refund pumps that have been used. So it is important to choose wisely in the beginning. As I mentioned in the energy consumption section above, a more expensive energy efficient pump will pay for itself in the long run. There are several different styles of pumps on the market with different price points and features. Planning out your pond size and additional features in advance will help you to pick the right pump for the job.
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