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This pump features a dry rotor (sealed),… |
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Submersible dry water pump for koi fish… |
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Supreme Pondmaster Filter with 500 GPH Pump… |
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Rated Voltage:120v/60Hz. 46 Watts. 6 Foot… |
Whether you have a koi pond or just simply a water garden, you need to install a pump if you want to keep the water clean and clear. A good pump will keep the water in your pond circulating, which oxygenates it, prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs in it, and helps to retard algae growth. You will also want the pump in coordination with any filtering system or water feature that you have in place. If you have a smaller pond, the best, easiest type of pump for you to install is a submersible pond pump, like those pictured on the right.
Advantages of Submersible Pond Pumps
You have two choices for installing pumps for you pond, you can either install a dry pump, a pump that you place outside of your pond, or you can install a submersible pump, which you place inside of your pond. Submersible pumps work the best with a smaller preformed pond that is in many backyards, and there are several advantages to installing it over dry pumps.
First, pond submersible pumps are incredibly easy to install. All that you have to do to install one of these pumps is plug it in and drop it in the deepest part of your pond. Then, as long as you have the intake and outtake tubes correctly installed, there’s nothing left to do on your part.
Since they’re submerged, underwater pond pumps also run quiet, unlike dry pumps which can make a great deal of noise sitting outside your pond.
The main disadvantage of a submersible pond water pump is that if the seals surrounding the pump break, it can leak oil-based coolant into your pond. This can seriously harm the aquatic or plant life that is in your pond, so make sure that you thoroughly inspect your pump every time that you remove it for cleaning.
Choosing the Best Submersible Pond Pump
The major specification that you have to consider in choosing a pump for your pond is the flow rate and this will depend on three things: the size of your pond, the size of any water features that you have, and any filters that you have in place.
For great looking water in your pond without the use of pond dye, your pump should turn over the water in your pond at least once every two hours and ideally once every hour. This means that if you are using the pump just for circulation, you should choose a pump with at least the same GPH rate as the size of your pond. Remember, you can always dial down the output, but you can never increase it.
When you’re choosing a pump, you also need to match it with any filtration systems that you have in place, particularly if you have a pond UV light in place. If these lights are installed in a pump the pushes water through too fast, they won’t get the chance to kill all the microbes and algae that they can and you won’t end up with the same clarity of water that you would have had if you matched the two together.
But, by far the hardest part of choosing any submersible pump is finding the right one to power any water features that you have in your pond. For most water features, there should be direction on the package with how much flow the fixture needs. But as a rule of thumb, you need around a flow of a minimum of 100 GPH for every inch in a waterfall fixture. With a 10 inch waterfall, you will need to have a pump with at least a 1,000 GPH flow rate.
But this is just your base number, you also need to calculate it to include the length of tube you plan to run and the height for the water fixture. To do this measure the distance from the top of your pump to the top of your water fixture. Write down this number and then also measure the distance the tube needs to travel. For every 10 feet that the tube travels, add another foot to the first number, this is the head height of your water fixture.
The final step here is to look at the “power curve” on the pump manufacturer’s website. It should show the rate of flow of the pump at various level of head height. The higher the head height, the less water the pump will push through. Make sure to get a pump that has the right flow with the right amount of head height for you.
Getting a submersible pond pump is a great way to keep your pond clean, filtered, and even run some decorative water features. If you’re looking for a quality pump to include in your pond, start your search by looking at these pumps that I recommend.
