Fretting over which is the right pump!

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Hello,
We have been building a pond for two summers in our spare time, and we are at the point where we need to buy a pump. My friend who used to build ponds is advising and will build the falls, but he wants the pump and flexible pipe before he builds the falls so he can see what the water will do as he goes along. We have decided on a submersible pump to go on the far end of the pond. The stream enters on the opposite side and is sixty feet in length with a couple of side marshes. There is also a stream bed along a third of the pond and filled with gravel for pond plants (we are going to try to prevent having plants proliferating in the pond).
The pond with stream and marshes is between ten and fifteen thousand gallons and is circular. It is 24 by 28. The deepest part, the middle, is four feet. The falls will be about five feet high at the stream head and there will be a drop of about two feet where it enters the pond.
I have spent hours comparing pumps but cannot make up my mind so I thought I'd see what the experts have to say. I realize some pumps are more economical while others more powerful, etc. etc. What I don't want is a wimpy pump, been there, done that.....by a landscaper back when we just had the stream. It would be nice to have a pump that is low maintenance and that will last as long as my Laguna did in our smaller pond, which was nine years. This is right out in front of our house so we don't need a raging river. In fact, it would be best to be able to control the flow. I am picturing two inch pipe for volume. Thank you for your help, Maddie Hopper
 
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This is a very good pump that's built like a tank. It isn't efficient but it is powerful. I use a 1/2 hp model and run the water up a hill to a 15 foot head through 50 feet of 2" pipe. More powerful models are available but in my case not needed. There is no way that I could pump it straight to my falls without using a valve to slow the rate down.
https://www.amazon.com/Tsurumi-4PN-Pump-discharge-replacement/dp/B008TTBPW6
 
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Hello! And thanks for the warm welcome.
Now I have another question: I can guarantee our dogs are going to swim in this pond, and I might be tempted to go in myself. Does this mean that we shouldn't have a submersible pump because of the possibility of electrical shock. A friend told me electricity doesn't travel very far in water. But, if that's right, why are we not supposed to even have a radio in the same room as a bathtub?
Thanks,
Maddie Hopper
 

Mmathis

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I always unplug my pumps and aerator any time I have to get in the pond. And you might want to rethink letting your dogs swim in the pond if you are going to have a liner-pond [EPDM, PVC, etc.]. Dogs can do a lot of damage to a liner and we've had numerous members over the years who have had to replace a liner due to critter claws tearing holes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2wb16v/how_far_can_electricity_travel_through_water/ Why even risk it.....

I don't know....why aren't we allowed to have a radio in the same room as a bathtub? We have 2 radios, a fan, an electric toothbrush, hair dryers, and phone chargers in our bathroom. We even have a whirlpool built into our tub that I use quite often.....
 
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Hello mgmine and Turtle Mommy,

The reviews are interesting on the Tsurumi, the earlier models seem to outlast the newer ones, although in some cases, the water level dropped leaving the pump without enough water. I've noticed my pump sounding louder than usual when the water level was down, but that wasn't the end of the pump. I think what I shall do is approach this from the number of years on the warranty. I can imagine the ones with the five year warranty will cost more....to cover the warranty. :) I'll report back on what I find.
As for the liner getting torn, we tore our EPDM up pretty good getting the boulders in place so I looked around and found a company in Oregon that makes serious liner. The great thing about the EPDM is it is flexible which makes installation easier, but the liner I got from Oregon is way stronger. We put it over the EPDM and haven't had a problem. And, of course, it's completely covered with rocks. Maybe the people who had torn liners after letting their dogs in the pond just had liner, no rocks? MH

 
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Gee, you guys sure like the letter M!

I hope you don't mind my answering each of you in the same email. First, MitchM, the external pump was my first thought, but then, what do we do when the temp drops below freezing, turn it off? Build it into the ground?

About the GFI, mgmine. I'm pretty sure that would be required and I am planning on having one installed. But, exactly what happens if something causes a malfunction or there's damage that causes electricity to be released into the pond?

And, as for pictures, Mmathis, I have a Sony Sureshot which uses a program called PlayMemoriesHome. I don't like it and have been hoping someone would suggest another program. All of my pictures are still in my camera. I really must do something about this! But, my time is very limited. On top of everything else I do pet rescue and this summer it's a batch of six feral kittens. Talk about time consuming! But, I would love to post some of the pictures I have. I got ripped off badly by a landscaping outfit I hired just to do the stream. That's when I decided we would do this thing ourselves. Then, I got the idea for a pond that would be nice for the dogs. It's just grown little by little, but I am very pleased with it.
If you have any suggestions regarding a photo program, I'm listening.

Thanks to all of you for you input. The search continues,

Maddie Hopper Boo hoo! I only have one M. :-(
 
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Maddie, external pumps get disconnected in the winter and you set your pond up according to your expected weather conditions.
 

Mmathis

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@Maddie Hopper I actually have 3 M's in my name, 4 if you count "TurtleMommy," LOL [1st name, maiden, married name]. As far as pictures go..... We all do our pics in different ways. I mostly use my iPad for things like, well, everyday life such as forums. And I use my iPhone to take pics. It's pretty easy or me as my pics are saved to a built-in photo app, so all I have to do is move them over to the forum using the "Upload a File" button in the bottom right of this block. If you have a smartphone, maybe you can take and transfer pics that way. For my camera [which I rarely use any more], I pull the SD card out and download onto the PC. But then, I have to get onto the PC if I want to post pics on a forum. I don't know anything about the Sony set-up. The iPhone/smartphone has been a wonderful and convenient tool! I always have it on me, so it's great if I need to grab a shot on the fly. For example, here is a pic of me a few months ago trying really hard NOT to bond with a rescue kitten at the shelter...selfie with iPhone.
.. image.jpeg

Oh, and you do rescues!!!!!! Yes, very time consuming! Good for you!!!! Three of our 5 cats are rescues!!!!! I want to help out more at one of our local no-kill cat rescues, but I know I'll fall in love [so I mostly help out with either monetary donations or with supplies] [see pic, above]. Our household has a 3-cat limit and we're already up to 5.
 
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The GFI trips in a millisecond. There is no injury to anyone or anything in the pond. That is why you can swim in a swimming pool withe the filter going and the light on.
 

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