You might contemplate giving your favorite outdoor water fountain a good cleaning and inspection as spring approaches and outdoor decorations mount in storage. A crucial step in ensuring optimum water movement in your pond or fountain is selecting the right pump.
Maintaining the water’s health by dispersing nutrients and oxygen is crucial if your pond supports fish, plants, or other aquatic life. If the pump is no longer functioning, you can still enjoy the water feature by replacing it with a high-quality one from PumpBiz.
But you need to determine the size and type of pump you need. Here is a guide to choosing the best pump for a fountain.
Circulation-Related Elements
Pond water should be recirculated at least once every hour. For instance, a 500-gallon pond requires a pump that can discharge 500 GPH at its peak, which is valid if a waterfall or skimmer is included.
Ideally, you should turn the water in your pond once every two hours if it has a pressured filter. For instance, you require a pond pump with a minimum GPH rating of 500 if your pond is 1,000 gallons in size.
Head and Lift Height Calculation
The maximum head height rating and maximum lift are crucial parameters for sizing a pond or fountain pump. Head height is the vertical height that the pump elevates water above the pond’s surface. “Maximum head” refers to the highest point at which the pond fountain pump can raise the water from the pond surface.
The maximum head is then multiplied by one foot for every ten feet of horizontal or diagonal distance, and any horizontal or diagonal flow is then measured by its length. If your fountain has a pump, you must measure the distance the water travels from the pump to the top of the pond, where the water emerges, to determine the lift.
Then you must choose a pump that can raise above that measurement. For instance, if the distance is 24 inches, you will want a fountain pump with a lift height of at least 36 inches. The “maximum lift” is the highest point at which the pump can lift water.
Powering the pump
Pond pumps come with various chord lengths, which you should consider while choosing one. To plug in far from the water, ensure the cord is long enough to pass through the pond. According to some electrical rules, water feature outlets must be at least 6 feet away from the water. Use an outdoor outlet with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) that will promptly cut off if there is an overload.
Pond pump tubing selection
Additionally, it is crucial to utilize the right tubing size because it directly affects the pond pump’s maximum lift capacity. The maximum lift and amount of water circulated by the pump will be constrained if you use smaller tubing than recommended.
Summing up
It takes extraordinary thought and preliminary research to select the best pond water pump for your pond or fountain. Doing this will maintain the safety and health of your water and the effectiveness of your pump.