Pond Pumps
When it comes to ponds, number one is to have some sort of a pump to circulate the water.
Water in your pond needs to be moved about to avoid stagnation and to help with the overall health of your water feature, regardless of size or form.
A pump gives you the ability to add a water feature such as a waterfall or fountain but does so much more.
It lets you add filtration such as a biofilter, pressure filter, or even a DIY bog filter if that’s your style.
The water in your pond should be kept moving all the time and a pond pump is the best way to do this unless you have access to a stream or watercourse that flows through your garden – I wish I did…
When it comes to pumps for a pond the most popular is a submersible pump. This sits at the bottom of your pond and pumps water through a flexible hose out into a filter, which is then pushed back into the pond via a feed pipe.
Most pond owners start with this type of water pump as its the easiest to install and get up and running without much expense and are very popular with beginners and water garden enthusiasts.
They nearly all come with some sort of built-in filter caged to the end of the pump to keep heavy solids out of the pump workings.
Another option for pond pumps is a dry pump. This type of pump is plumbed directly into the pipework – usually pressure fitted pipes and connects to a skimmer or a bottom drain if you have one installed. It’s called a dry pond pump because it sits outside the water. If you have ever seen a pump for a swimming pool in somebody’s garden you will know what I’m on about.
When you start researching pond pumps you will be bombarded with an endless supply of options. Some temptings cheap and some very expensive, but how do you know which one to choose from?
Choosing pumps for ponds
The first thing to work out is how much water you are going to have in your pond. Everything is worked out from this number.
To calculate the water volume in your pond you can use the followings simple maths:
For a rectangular pond, you multiply the length by the width by the depth. so if your pond is 2 meters long by 2 meters wide and a meter deep it’s 2 x 2 x 1