Should I Elevate my Pump and Filter above my Waterfall?

16 years ago

I am construction a 3,000 gallon pond. 1 foot deep in the ground, and 3 1/2 feet above ground, so it is pretty much an above ground pond, not in ground. I have been told that I need to elevate my pump and filter higher than the hieght of my waterfalls. Is this correct? My waterfalls will be 3 1/2 feet above ground.

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lsst
16 years ago
I have not heard that before. Did anyone tell you why to do it that way?
My pumps are below. One is a submersible in my skimmer box and one is an external. When I planned on placement of both, I took into account is the "lift" of the pump.If you place your pump at or above your falls you will have to account for a lift of 3.5 feet ( the height of your falls) as well as the run of your pipe.

If you place your pump at or above your falls you will have to account for a lift of 3.5 feet ( the height of your falls) as well as the run of your pipe. That would take a more powerful pump than one placed below the falls.Below is some info I found doing a search on pump lift.

For Fountains (Indoor or Outdoor) - When choosing a pump for your fountain there are two terms that you will see when looking for your pump. GPH (gallons per hour) and "lift" or "head". For a fountain the GPH is not an issue, that is a guide used for ponds. The lift or head is what you will need to know. How far does the water in your fountain have to travel from where the pump will sit in your fountain to the top of the fountain where the water comes out. You will need a pump that lifts higher than that measurement. If that distance is 24", than you will need a pump that lifts at least 36" high. The "maximum lift" means that is the maximum height that the pump will lift the water. So you will get "0" flow at the maximum lift.

For a Waterfall or Pond Pump - For a waterfall, the decision to be made is how wide you want your flow of water. For every inch of stream width or waterfall "sheet you will need to pump 100 gallons per hour at the height you are pumping. For example, if the pump has to lift the water up 3 feet to the top of the waterfall, you need a pump that will move 100 gallons per hour at 3 feet

For a Pond Rule of Thumb - The Length of tubing is also an important factor when choosing a pump. Every 10Â of tubing equals the same restrictions as 1Â of lift.

Hope this helps.
asun1
Original Author
16 years ago
Some guy at a pond store told me that you need the pump and filter above the waterfall for water pressure, and now my dad and husband agree, and they want to elevate the pump and filter all of a sudden. I was planning on putting them at ground level, and letting the water flow about 2 feet up to the waterfall after it exits the filter, but my dad and husband said that will not work.
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Your pond sounds about 1500-2000 gallons. One way to figure out true capacity is measure how long your tap+ hose takes to fill a 3 or 5 gallon bucket and then how long it takes to fill the pond. You should be able to do the math. Best thing to do is pump out this water, clean the remaining silt out, set up a submersible pump in a prefilter going to a skippy or other biofilter that feeds a waterfall. Refill, get filter going, buy some waterlilies and some other plants good for your climate, pot them and place into pond. After about a week, put in some cheap goldfish. If after a year, you have kept them alive and have discovered if local predators (birds, coons, ...) don't snack on them, you can go for more expensive goldfish. Your pond is too small for koi. You can get a submersible pump that also has a fountain attachment or a separate fountain pump. My pond (1500 gallons) is pretty low maintenance and is set up the way I describe above with goldfish and rosy reds, waterlilies, and several types of marginals + parrot's feather.
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You have a lot of questions but you gave much more info than most newbies it makes up for it. LOL! I can't answer all your questions but there will be others along to correct that. No one pond is exactly like another and no ponder is just like another. I can't quite visualize your pond but maybe it will come clearer later on. You don't say why the pumps fail. If it is the same reason each time then I would think you should go to another type altogether. Or provide what it is lacking. If debris is damaging the pump then you need a prefilter which prevents damage to the impeller. Most pumps have a small and totally inadequate sponge in front of the impeller. Most of us toss it and install some sort of prefilter in it's place. Looking at your pump, I don't see even that, just a cap with lots of slots for water flow. Options could be change pump type, or remove filter cap and attach prefilter with sponge or other filter material. Algae is endemic when the pond gets lots of sun. You could use lots of chemicals but that is rarely satisfactory. A UV filter could work just fine by using a diverter or adding a small pump and filter. With your waterfall pump I suspect a separate pump would be easiest. More later, Sandy
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I don't think your pH is at a critical stage but it can be adjusted. Can you explain PCM/5. Is this a device that monitors pH levels and adjusts chemical feeds or monitors flow rate (either flow or no flow), or actually gpm? Do you have water sent to other locations where chemical feed is not needed, say outside faucets, so that the chemical pump is not actuated when you are watering your garden? Let me see if I understand what was recommended. The Stenner pump injects a liquid solution, which is what: Sodium hydroxide? Do you have copper/galvanized plumbing? I suppose you have one-inch plumbing at the pressure tank to the house, right? Liquid pH adjustment chemicals are usually recommended for very acidic conditions, below 5.4 pH. By putting this chemical feed, you may very easily jump your water to base levels too high. I have seen water jump to 12-13 pH due to poor settings and monitoring. I don't recommend the Stenner pump, not because it is not a good piece of equipment--I like them very much--but because of the method of pH adjustment. At 6.7, I don't think there is a need to mix Calcite with corosex. Calcite (marble or lime chips) alone should be sufficient. Hardness is raised about 1-2 gpg for every 0.5 pH rise. The nice thing about this sacrificial media is that the pH will reach a certain level and go no further. At a pH of 6.7, the media will last a long time and the media volume or contact time does not need to be great. Now, your iron is well above the 0.2 ppm level, which becomes a nuisance leaving stains. A greensand filter works between pH levels of 6.2 and 8.8 or there abouts. Greensand filters will work but require a correct set up, regular maintenance and "adequate backwash rate". I don't particularly like them (they can be a mess) but they have been around a long time and many use them exclusively for iron removal. My recommendation would be an upflow Calcite filter and an efficient softener. Not sure why you don't want to go this way (water softener) as your water is hard and hard water results in many negative water condition aspects. A backwashing pH adjuster can also be used. Andy Christensen, CWS-II
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lsst
16 years ago
If it is above, how would you hide it so it would not look obvious?
What brand of pump and filter is it? Is it external?
I would call the company that makes the pump and ask them.
asun1
Original Author
16 years ago
My point exactly....will be like 5 feet in the air and ugly. I have a Pon Master 4000 gallon external pump and the filter, I cannot remember the name. I will have to look it up when I get home. I think it is the pump that matters though. I tried calling the makers of the pump, and could not get ahold of them for questions.
lsst
16 years ago
Do you mean Pondmaster?
Several people here have them and hopefully will chime in.
The higher the pump is, the less flow it will produce. For example if the pump pumps 3500 gallons gallons per hour at 1 foot, at 5 feet it may only pump 1200 gallons per hour.

Unless I am missing something or this is a special kind of pump I am not familiar with, you are better off to place it below the falls. You will need to raise the pump off the ground about a foot to keep rain from flooding it .
asun1
Original Author
16 years ago
And, I have done some research, and I think you are right, they pump less when they are higher.....I will print this info out and show it to my hubby so he will stop arguing with me. Thanks!
jalal
16 years ago
I think your guy must have meant your pump should be installed in a pump box at ground level not at waterfall height. If it's at waterfall height how are you going to get the water from the pond to the pump to the waterfall? External pumps are better at pushing water than pulling water which is why they say to have the intake close to the skimmer/sc however you are plumbing to the pump. If the pump is at ground level you will need a priming pot for the pump. I can't quite picture your setup but if you do a search on this site there will be all kinds of recommendations for external pumps, pipe size, friction loss etc and filter setups.
sleeplessinftwayne
16 years ago
I think your DH hasn't handled many pond pumps. My main pump sits on the bottom and the tubing rises almost 6 feet to the Skippy and then down to the middle of the Skippy. This wouldn't work if the pump pulled water but of course pond pumps push water.(I think sump pumps pull water and they don't work long in a pond.) A second pump is just 18 inches below the UV light and filter. I have to divert a lot of water from that one. I need to put in a smaller pump. I am thinking about putting in an external pump but that won't happen until I get my health back. Almost every pond and pump configuration is different. There probably are pump configurations that call for the pump to be situated above the waterfall and filter but I can't remember any recent posts on it.
There are probably many sites that show the configuration with the pump on the bottom or inside a skimmer. I know there is one in the Laguna product boxes. I suggest you locate one of those and print or copy it for your DH. Sandy

Should I Elevate my Pump and Filter above my Waterfall?

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Should I Elevate my Pump and Filter above my Waterfall?

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lsst

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