When you’re planning to build a pond one of the first things that you need to think about is the pond water pump.
The decision will depend on the size of the pond, flow rate required and efficiency of the water pump.
Tip 1: The minimum flow rate should be 1/2 of your pond volume. Sometimes even this is not enough.
Tip 2: If you have a waterfall in your pond, you’ll need to increase the size of your pump.
Which type of pond water pump is best?
This depends on the design, size and purpose of your pond.
- How long the pump will last
- How often it needs to be cleaned
- How clean or dirty is the water where the pump will be working
The Best Pond Pump
1. External pond pump
These are the 4 reasons to choose an external pump
external pumps tend to be more energy efficient
they last a lot longer than submersibles
they cost less to operate over a long period of time
the parts are cheaper to buy than submerged pumps.
For these reasons when choosing a product it’s advised to go with an external pond pump, if possible.
You might find that decision saves you a lot of time and money.
2. Submersible Pumps
- Ideal for use in skimmer filters and pondless waterfall applications
- pumps up to 3,000 gallons per hour
- stainless steel and composite resin construction gives this product strength
- As it's energy efficient pump life is extended
- 2 year limited warranty
Generally a submersible pump is a more economical and practical option for ponds up to 1000 gallons. They can be placed directly into the pond so are easy to install.
Best submersible pump for a small pond
The best application for submersible pumps is small to medium sized ponds with roughly 200 to 800 gallons of water. These connect easily to most of the submersible filters built for small to medium sized ponds.
Be aware that if you’re buying a cheap submersible pump, they tend to have a shorter life than external pumps. Most of them will last for a little over 1 year because they’re sitting in the middle of the pond and absorbing dirt and pond filth all of the time.
This eventually causes wear on the pond pump and causes it to have a shorter life than an external pond pump.
Pros:
Cons:
- they're cheap to buy
- they're much easier to install than external pumps
- submersible pond pumps often cost a little more to operate
- you'll have to replace them more often than you do an external pond water pump
- parts for submerged pumps can be more expensive
3. Solar Powered Pond Pump
There are also solar submersible pumps. These pumps require a lot of sunshine, so they’re only an option only if you live in an area that gets a lot of sunshine.
- Small solar pond pumps are used for rockeries, ponds and water gardens.
