Pond Pumps For Water Gardens

A pond pump is an important piece to any backyard pond or water. It moves the water, creating streams or waterfalls, and aerates plants.

Calculating Pond Head Pressure

Before choosing a pond pump for your water garden, it is very important to know what kind of head pressure you’ll be dealing with. Head pressure is the combination of forces your pump must overcome to pump water from one end of the system to the other. Head pressure increases due to a rise in elevation, length of pipe, pipe fittings, filters, and UV units.

The flow rate of the pond pump will decrease as the head pressure increases. It is important to take into account head pressure because the actual amount of water flowing from your pumping system could be much lower than you initially planned for.

Choosing a Water Garden Pond Pump

Submersible Pond Pumps

Submersible pond pumps are designed to be fully underwater and in the deepest part of the pond. Submersible pond pumps are easy to install and there is very little to no camouflaging the pond pump.

You want you water garden to be a place of tranquility–submersible pond pumps run quietly and are not distracting. Some pumps have oil and if the pump seal breaks, it can hurt any fish or aquatic life in your pond. Look for a submersible pond pump that does not run with oil if you plan on having fish or any type of aquatic life in your pond.

External Pond Pumps

External pond pumps work the same as submersibles, however they sit above the water line and use less electricity.

Direct Drive Pond Pumps

Direct drive pond pumps push the water instead of pulling, like other pumps. Direct drive pumps use electricity to power a motor which turns a shaft and impeller.

Magnetic Drive Pond Pumps

With magnetic drive pond pumps, the electricity creates an electromagnet that drives the impeller and magnetic shaft will spin, pushing water through the outlet. They are more energy efficient than other pond pumps. They are safe to use with fish ponds as they do not leak oil and are completely sealed off.