A reliable pond water pump is one of the most important pieces of equipment in a well functioning ecosystem pond. Not only does the pump drive thefiltration system, which is vital to keeping your pond healthy, but it also makes waterfalls, rivers and streams possible. The pump needs to be reliable enough to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without having problems or needing to rest. It also needs to be energy efficient so that the electricity costs to run the pump remain reasonable.
Choosing a pump happens to be one place that people often go wrong - either picking an incorrectly sized pump, a pump that’s unreliable, or a pump that’s an energy hog. Often people will try to save some money up front when choosing a pump, but it’s usually a big mistake since the running costs of a pump can far exceed the initial price of a pump over time. The most important features of a pump are reliability and efficiency.
The first step in choosing a pond or water garden pump is deciding how much water you need to pump per hour.
As a minimum for proper biological filtration, your pond water pump should be able to pump the entire contents of your pond in one hour. That means if your pond contains 2000 gallons of water, as a minimum you’ll want 2000 gph (gallons per hour) flowing through your filter.
If you’re planning on having a waterfall in your pond, it’s important to consider the flow requirements of the waterfall as well. As a general rule, we recommend a minimum of 100 gph per inch of waterfall width.
So if you have a 24” waterfall, that would equal 2400 gph. For a waterfall with more punch, try increasing the flow from 100 gph per inch up to 200 gph per inch. This means that your flow rate now becomes at least 2400 gph, which will keep your 2000 gallon pond even cleaner.
The next step is to calculate your head pressure, and then find a pump that can produce your flow rate at your head pressure.
Before choosing a pond water pump, it is very important to know what kind of head pressure you’re dealing with first.
Head pressure is the combination of forces your pump must overcome to pump water from one end of the system to the other.
For example, having a 5 foot rise in elevation (in the case of a 5 foot waterfall for example), will add 5 feet of 'head' to the system.
Other things that increase head pressure include the length of pipe, pipe fittings, and equipment like filters and UV units. As you can see in the head pressure charts for the pumps below, the flow rate of the pump DECREASES as the head pressure increases.
If you don’t take head pressure into consideration, the actual amount of flow coming out the end of your pumping system could be much lower than you initially planned for.
A submersible pond water pump is actually placed inside of the pond, below the surface of the water, usually inside of a skimmer. This is traditionally the most popular method of plumbing decorative ponds, mainly because of ease of installation. Just plop the pump in water and turn it on with no priming necessary.
However, what submersible pumps make up for in simplicity, they lose in efficiency. A good external pump, which sits outside of the pond on dry land, can often pump the same amount of water as a submersible pump, but will use less electricity doing it. To calculate the cost of running a given pump per month, see our Pump Electrical Cost Wizard.
We can’t stress enough how important an efficient pump is! External pumps are usually a little more expensive to purchase initially, but after looking at the energy savings, the money can easily be made back over time. Therefore, if your pumping requirements are over about 2500 gph, then we would recommend getting into a good external pump, like the Sequence 4K series mentioned above. Do you have less than 2500 gph? Go for a quality submersible like the Alpine Cyclone or the ShinMaywa.
A priming pot allows you to fill the pump & pipe with water.
Pumps with built-in priming pots make install quicker.
Flood suction occurs when the pump is below water level.
Pumps cannot pump air, because of this, a priming pot is needed to fill the pump and pipe with water before turning the pump on.
If the pump and pipe naturally fills with water (see diagram) then a priming pot is not needed, however a priming pot is still beneficial as it collects damaging debris before it has a chance to reach the pump. When in doubt, a priming pot is always a good idea.
A Check Valve prevents water from draining out of the pipe back into the pond, it is recommended on all ponds. If you have a filter or a skimmer a check valve will stop the debris from being pushed out into the pond when the pump is turned off.
Below you will find our Pond Water Pump Recommendations by Flow Rate. After running the pump selection wizard above, use the calculated flow rate numbers to choose a pump below! We only recommend the most reliable, energy efficient submersible pumps.
Oase Waterfall Pond PumpS
Small / Medium Submersible Pumps: 1000 - 5000 gph
The Oase waterfall pond pumps are small, energy efficient pond pumps for small to medium sized ponds.
High-quality stainless steel, high power submersible pumps that have excellent energy efficiency. We can say they are one of the most reliable submersible pumps available on the market. They're not as efficient as a good external pump,since externals often use less watts for the same flow rate.
High quality, external pumps from Sequence are extremely durable, often lasting twice as long as comparable submersibles. Although a Sequence pump will likely cost more to purchase, you will save money on operating costs because they are so efficient. Saving could be between 25% to 50% depending on the size of pump and flow rate. Have a look at the 'watts' column in the below chart and compare to the submersible pumps above for more info.
Sequence 750 Series
Small to Medium External Pumps
The Sequence 750 series pumps are small external pumps meant for low to medium flow rates. They are extremely reliable and energy efficient pumps with a 3 year warranty. Meant for ponds with a total head pressure of 12' or less, they are meant for powering ponds and waterfalls needing a flow rate between 1200 to 3000 gph.
The Sequence 4K series pumps are medium sized external pumps meant for flow rates over 2500 gph. They are extremely reliable and energy efficient pumps with a 3 year warranty. Meant for ponds with a total head pressure of 22' or less, they are meant for powering ponds and waterfalls in medium head pressure situations.
When we encounter a pond or waterfall application that needs very large amounts of water flow in high head pressure situations, our go to pump is the Power Series by Sequence.
A priming pot allows you to fill the pump & pipe with water.
Pumps with built-in priming pots make install quicker.
Flood suction occurs when the pump is below water level.
If the pump and pipe naturally fills with water (see diagram) then a priming pot is not needed, however a priming pot is still beneficial as it collects damaging debris before it has a chance to reach the pump. When in doubt, a priming pot is always a good idea.
A Check Valve prevents water from draining out of the pipe back into the pond, it is recommended on all ponds. If you have a filter or a skimmer a check valve will stop the debris from being pushed out into the pond when the pump is turned off.
PRIMING POTS / STRAINER BASKETS
Sequence Priming Pot / Strainer Basket
Piiming pots greatly simplify the process of priming an external pump. As well, each unit contains a strainer basket to filter out leaves and other debris from entering the pump. A priming pot is only needed when the pump is placed in a location that is higher in elevation than the pond surface. The priming pot allows the pump and lines to be filled manually with water before beginning operation.
Easy-to-install submersible pump, designed to be installed directly in the pond, making it a perfect choice for ponds without a skimmer. This magnetic-drive pump offers exceptional energy efficiency, allowing you to minimize power consumption while maintaining optimal performance. It's important to note that this pump handles lower head pressure, so it's crucial to determine your head pressure before hand. Take advantage of our user-friendly head pressure calculator to accurately assess your pond's head pressure. By understanding this important factor, you can select the right pump and ensure efficient operation in your pond. Use our head pressure calculator to determine your head pressure.
Although hiding a submersible pump inside a skimmer is our preferred way to install a submersible pump, sometimes it's not desired or possible to use a pond skimmer. In these cases, pump vaults and pump socks are great ways to conceal a submersible pump in a pond, while keeping debris, solids and fish from being sucked into the pump.
If you plan on keeping fish in your ponds, you may want to read our page onfish pond pumps, which outlines a few extra requirements for your swimming friends. Another more specialized type of pump is asolar-powered water pump, which we currently have mixed feelings about due to reliability.
A pond water pump is also commonly referred to as a garden pond pump or water garden pumps.