How do I use a high GPH pump with a small pond?

11 years ago

Hello! I have my new pond up and running and I'm using a pump that my father in law gave me. It is a pondmaster mag drive pump that pumps 1200 gph. My pond is 300 gallons. I thought this would be great since it would circulate the water so much. The problem is that I have a waterfall and this pump is just shooting the water over the waterfall. My husband put a ball joint (that's probably not what it's called but I can't remember the exact name) on it so I can now adjust the flow, but I have no way of knowing how many gph it is pumping now so I'm worried it's not enough. How can I keep a powerful pump from shooting the water too fast over the waterfall? Thanks for any advice!

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Comments (9)

yukkuri_kame
11 years ago
hahaha... I just scrounged a 2600gph pump off freecycle. Have no idea what to do with it. Maybe I'll design an amusement park in my backyard with a waterslide. What have I gotten myself into?
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chas045
11 years ago
Measure the flow by connecting a temporary pipe over the outflow so that it can be diverted into a bucket and time how long it takes to fill it to a known volume. You could also redesign your plumbing. Connect a y or t to the pump outflow directly in the pond and control the flow with your valve at or near the v/t. The extra flow can give the pond extra circulation.
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Oh.....now I see what you're doing. Actually, I have no idea how much your pump/mister combo will pump out. You should be there the entire day that you start it up, to make sure you don't run dry and burn out your pump. Also.....will it matter to you if your birdbath overflows? I was silly for forgetting that with the system I first described to you, I left out how the water would get back into the bucket! Do you have a bucket now? I'm thinking you could do a test run with any size bucket you have.....just to get a feel for how much water it will actually use. Then you would know what size bucket you need to keep from running out in a day. Also......will your pump be plugged into a GFCI outlet? That's very important when you're dealing with water, so you don't kill yourself, or the birds. Do you have any animals around that might knock the bucket over? Those 5 gallon buckets that Menards sells have lids that you can buy that fit well. I've also heard of a simpler, non electric way to make a dripper birdbath..........you take a gallon milk jug and put a pin hole in it, and then hang it from a tree or a shepherd's hook and let it drip down into the birdbath. The size of hole will determine how much drip there is. You've given me an idea on how to set up my dripper without having my hose turned on all day! My only problem is that with 2 small watergardens with pumps, and a birdbath with a pump, I'm running out of usable amps to my GFCI! Keep me posted on how things work for you! I think its a great idea, if you are home everyday to make sure it doesn't go dry.
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Hi Mike, thanks for the vote of confidence. Looking forward to seeing you at Infotanza! Dan, you're absolutely right, it is complicated. There are going to be huge variations in the published literature for a number of reasons. Many mfg's "tweak" the numbers, to adapt what they have in stock to fit a perceived need in the marketplace. Pumps in the same apparent series may seem to be similar, yet vary in magnet type as they get larger. This happens a lot with mags where the smaller sizes can be made with cheap, less-efficient ferrite, while larger pumps require very efficient neodymium to achieve performance goals. The pumps being compared almost always vary in the pressure they produce as well, and that accounts for huge differences in power consumption. Because it takes the cube of the power to increase pressure, but "only" the square of the power to increase volume, higher head heights require much more power than higher volumes. Apples to apples, the Laws govern. It's just tough finding the apples to compare. My mistake. To get back to the original question, are 2 1200's better than 1 2400, the answer is still yes. You will be able to get more flow for less Watts by using the Laws of Affinity to your advantage, and the best part is, the savings will typically pay for the cost of the second pump, and more, during its lifetime. That is, you will find multiple smaller size pumps of the same or a more efficient type that will provide a portion of the flow for a smaller portion of the power required. This works especially well for our industry, where 'typical' water features have flows under 10000GPH and waterfalls less than 10' tall, and the savings can be substantial and very welcome. You will find them when you look for them, and that's the point - you want pumps that allow you to take advantage of this neat side effect of a physical law for the benefit of your pond -- and your wallet. I never really thought to look for the apparent exceptions.
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You guys might try to change your way of thinking. To me a pre filter is only there to keep the largest of solids away from the pump, stuff like leaves, newspapers and branches and just about anything that gets blown in. I use a prefilter for a well pump that does a good job. From there it goes through the pump and from there to the skippy, from the skippy to the pond as a waterfall. Like other systems it can get overwhelmed, like when the raccoons dumped in half a dozen gallon or larger pots that had a mix of small gravel and heavy clay that wound up on top of the prefilter. The pump handled it up to the last 3 quarts and then conked out. Had I pulled the pump when I couldn't see what was happening I would not have had the pump die. This is the first time in almost 6 seasons I have had a problem like this so I have to regard it as a freak. If it should ever happen again, I will pull the pump to the upper shelf and avoid all those tiny pebbles. I won't get any plants that use that soil mix again or if I do I will repot. The quilt batting had to be replaced one extra time this season because of the extra mud. Usually I drain the skippy twice a season. This one time it was more. I let it drain with the pump running til the water is clear, then rinse the sides for good measure, then top off the pond or use a pond vac to capture any debris. The pond vac adds fresh water to the pond. Sandy
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rsingley
11 years ago
Add an "increaser" to your outflow tube. It should tune down the spraying effect of the water flow. Then you can iopen the valve to get it just right.
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aggierose
Original Author
11 years ago
rsingley, is "increaser" the actual name of what I need? Is it sold at home depot? Just want to make sure I know what to ask for when I go.
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chas045
11 years ago
Increaser is not a name. Perhaps the suggestion is to use larger outflow pipe by finding a 1" to 1.5" adapter or coupler. Assuming you are dealing with pvc pipe, they will be available near the pipe.
You could also just shorten the length of your outflow pipe and put a couple of rocks in front to divert and spread out some of the splash and pressure.
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sleeplessinftwayne
11 years ago
It would more properly be called a diverter or splitter.There are a number of adapters available to perform this function.

Diverting part of the flow to another use such as a UV set-up or a spitter or just to send flow into an area without a sufficient current is a good use for a diverter. It is likely to be some distance from the end of the main outlet. Volume of the flow can be static or adjustable depending on the adapter you choose.It is usually a large main tube with a smaller nipple extending from the side.

A splitter usually divides the flow into equal volumes flowing in different directions. It can change a narrow fast waterfall into a wider and slower flow by arrangement of the multiple outlets.The best result is by having the splitter at the end of the main tubing and the tubing from the two outlets from the splitter equal in length so the flow is fairly equal although adjustments can be made to your own liking to allow for such things as different heights, force of the individual flows and flow directions. A splitter is either a T shape or a Y shape.
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aggierose
Original Author
11 years ago
I don't have any pipes in my set up. I used a black hose (bought at a pond supply store) to run from my pump to the filter. Then another hose to run from the filter to the waterfall. I just have the end of the hose laying in the middle of my waterfall. It's hidden so you can't see it and the water just runs over the rocks. although it isn't the kind of waterfall I was looking for. Maybe I need a splitter for the waterfall too?? Can I get a splitter or divider for hoses? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm completely new at this, not familiar with this kind of stuff, and my husband wants nothing to do with a pond so I'm kind of on my own. :(
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sleeplessinftwayne
11 years ago
Adapters work even better with tubing than with pipe. It is more adaptable.An adapter is rigid and is attached to the flexible tubing with hose clamps. They are great for designing effects for a waterfall. They can go at the end of a tube or in line.To get the tubing over the end of the adapter, stick the end of the tubing in hot water to get it more stretchable. I use a thermos of boiling water.

Don't feel alone for being new. All of us were at one time. I dug my pond all by my lonesome, BTW.
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cherokee_joeshoeboot
11 years ago
I would suggest that you put a "Y" adapter in the line between the pump and the ball valve that your hubby installed. The pump would connect to one end of the Y (use a short piece of pipe). On the the other end add a short piece of pipe (same as you have now) between the Y and the ball valve. On the final Y connection add a new piece of pipe that runs directly back into the pond. You can control how much water goes to the falls by closing down the ball valve a little. The excess water will exit via the other connection directly into the pond. I have used this method with great success.
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How do I use a high GPH pump with a small pond?

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How do I use a high GPH pump with a small pond?

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yukkuri_kame

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