New Old Pond needs Help!!

[GBrant]

Hi all! I’m new to GPForum and new to Ponds.

We have a 1940 pond with a waterfall wall (about 6’ tall) which contains a splash basin.

Pond is 6’8” round x 22” deep = 479 US Gallons

According to pond.com, we have a 479 US Gallon pond so the minimum pump required is 240 GPH. The water will need to be pumped about 6 ft up (8 ft from bottom of pond). I estimate we will need 7’-10’ feet of hose to go from pump to top of waterfall wall depending on whether we have a submersible pump or an exterior pump. I know the Friction Head formula is 1 ft per 10 ft of hose.

How do I figure what the Static Head is?

Also, do I need a filter in addition to pump?

Can anyone recommend a brand(s) and what kind of pump (mag-drive, hybrid, etc.) and/or filter to get? I would like to be able to adjust the flow of water from a trickle to more for maximum sound enjoyment.

Thanks all!!

 

[JamieB]

First off, where are you located, and what’s your plan? If you want fish, you need to double your water volume per hour through the filter. So instead of 479 gph, I’d round up to 900-1000 gph. The pump just moves water, the filter cleans it. It’s up to you if you want a separate filter or one that goes with your pump or a diy one you add to your pump.

 

[JamieB]

Never mind, I recall y’all from the intro now that I recognize your pond!

 

[Lisak1]

There are online calculators that will figure static head pressure if you google it. We just did this a few weeks ago. They ask you how high from the surface of the pond you are pumping, how long and what size the line is, how many turns, what angles, waterfall width etc. You plug in all the information and get an answer. I can't tell you more than that because once the math started, I walked away.

Here's one example:

Pump Selection Wizard - Everything-Ponds.com

A simple wizard to determine the size of pump you need

www.everything-ponds.com

 

[mgmine]

I wouldn't worry about all those calculations. Look for one that pumps around 1000 gallons per hour and has about a 10 foot head. Too much is better than too little. To slow it down use a valve.

 

[Lisak1]

I wouldn't worry about all those calculations. Look for one that pumps around 1000 gallons per hour and has about a 10 foot head. Too much is better than too little. To slow it down use a valve.

I agree with you actually. However the OP asked how to calculate it. A ball valve is a great option for adjusting flow.

And sorry @GBrant - I don't know a whole lot about types of pumps. Remind me - do you plan to have fish? If your pump is submersible, you'll want some kind of pre-filtration to keep the pump from getting clogged. There are several options - let us know what kind of pump you choose and people can share what they use. (I don't know anything about external pumps.)

 

[GBrant]

There are online calculators that will figure static head pressure if you google it. We just did this a few weeks ago. They ask you how high from the surface of the pond you are pumping, how long and what size the line is, how many turns, what angles, waterfall width etc. You plug in all the information and get an answer. I can't tell you more than that because once the math started, I walked away.

Here's one example:

Pump Selection Wizard - Everything-Ponds.com

A simple wizard to determine the size of pump you need

www.everything-ponds.com

Thank you!! I feel ya re: math!

 

[GBrant]

I wouldn't worry about all those calculations. Look for one that pumps around 1000 gallons per hour and has about a 10 foot head. Too much is better than too little. To slow it down use a valve.

Thanks! I like that a lot better!!

 

[GBrant]

I agree with you actually. However the OP asked how to calculate it. A ball valve is a great option for adjusting flow.

And sorry @GBrant - I don't know a whole lot about types of pumps. Remind me - do you plan to have fish? If your pump is submersible, you'll want some kind of pre-filtration to keep the pump from getting clogged. There are several options - let us know what kind of pump you choose and people can share what they use. (I don't know anything about external pumps.)

We don’t want fish. Just a noisy waterfall and some plants. I was thinking of an external pump because it seems like I’d have fewer problems with clogging and cleaning it. Am I wrong? I still am not sure if I need a filter and/or a skimmer. I wish there was a shopping list somewhere with every single thing I need to buy, what brands, etc. so I can make one trip to the pond store and be ready to go!

 

[Lisak1]

I wish there was a shopping list somewhere with every single thing I need to buy, what brands, etc. so I can make one trip to the pond store and be ready to go!

I'm sure you could find that somewhere on the internet, but honestly every water feature is so different it would probably include things you didn't need and leave off things you did.

Any filter will clog if you're pumping debris. @addy1 recommends pumping from a bit off the bottom of the pond to minimize how much debris you pull. A skimmer helps keep debris from getting to the pump if your pump is housed in the skimmer box, as will a pre-filter for an underwater pump. An external may be easier to deal with when it does need maintenance, as you don't have to pull it out of the pond to get at it.

 

[addy1]

An external may be easier to deal with when it does need maintenance, as you don't have to pull it out of the pond to get at it.

I only use external pumps, for my big pond. No need for a pre filter, I have the intake of the pump in a 5 gallon bucket in the pond. About a foot off the bottom. Drilled with a ton of holes. That decreases the draw, saves fry, tads etc. My pump has a leaf basket, which I seldom need to clean. I turn it on in the spring, off in the fall, never really touch it.

My deck pond has a small luguna submersible pump, I have a matala prefilter. I mess with that set up cleaning, rinsing, way more than I mess with the big pond. I use it just to circulate the water in the deck pond, when the stream is not running.

 

[Lisak1]

Does the bucket act as a rudimentary filter? No leaves or large debris can get pulled into the intake I'm guessing. Where's the leaf basket on the pump?

 

[addy1]

Does the bucket act as a rudimentary filter? No leaves or large debris can get pulled into the intake I'm guessing. Where's the leaf basket on the pump?

Without the bucket the pump draw is strong. I started out with a 3 inch 2 foot long piece of pvc full of holes, small holes, well one day I checked it (many years ago) the holes were all plugged with fry. So I use a 3 inch pvc to draw for the pump the end in the pond has the bucket over it. The pump draws 6800 gph (about)
I occasionally need to sweep off the hornwort, it gets drug over to the bucket. It is not a filter it just keeps down the amount of fry, tads, fish that get sucked into the pump. I never see any in the leaf basket. I guess you could call it a sort of filter.....................
The leaf basket is attached to the pump, it is a huge one. I clean it when removing the pump for the winter.