Pump sizing

[Mrfourpointo]

I need some help on selecting an appropriate pump. I have gathered the information below. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Detailed pictures -

https://imgur.com/a/6nybgJ8

Test video -

(This is just the left half with a garden hose)

Inside diameter of piping - 3" (The connection from the pump to the piping is only 2", then steps up to 3". The 2" portion is about 2 feet long). At the very end (top of the waterfall) it splits into two separate pipes, each controlled by a manual valve to adjust water flow. I can't physically get under there to see, but, based on the picture, they appear to be 1.25".

Number of elbow fittings - 4 between the pump and the underground piping (see picture). Underground is a complete guess. Knowing where I think it runs, there would be at least two 90s and two angled connections. Additionally, each of the final outlet pipes has an open 90 before the water dumps out, and possibly two each, for a total of 4 (see picture).

Total linear run of piping - Approximately 22 feet

Elevation change from surface of the pond to top of waterfall - Approximately 10 feet. I measure this from the sunken pump location to the top outlet pipes.

Width of waterfall, in inches - I included a ton of measurements for you in the pictures. The overall width of the bottom fall is approximately 54".

Filter? - At present, no. My plan is to add some bags of bioballs into the basin below. The drain has a screen on it to catch large debris and that pool area will be completely filled with rock. I am completely open to additional filtration suggestions.

Also, in a perfect world, it would be nice to have a way to disconnect the pump from the system and attach it to the drain overflow pipe so that I could easily empty the basin when it's time for a cleaning.

Additional information
If my math is correct, the bottom pool holds about 150 gallons. (54" diameter, drain is 16" tall)
If my math is correct, the basin holds about 195 gallons. (32" wide, 64" long, 22" to the drain)

Here is how it works (please see the picture labeled How it Works):

1 - the water is pumped up from here, where the pump is sunken below the bottom of the basin in a cylinder
2 - if the water gets too low, this float adds fresh water
3 - this is where the pump is connected to the underground plumbing, sending water to the top of the fall
4 - this is where water comes back into the basin from the pool drain
5 - this is the overflow pipe (if too much water enters the basin from rain, it will overflow here and drain out)
6 - this is the pipe that allows electric cords to exit the basin

 

[TheFishGuy]

I have afew questions, where is the underground basin thing you were showing in relation to your waterfall?

also, how tall is the waterfall, this info could help determine the lift height of the pump you need

 

[Mrfourpointo]

The basin in the pictures is at the bottom of the waterfall. If you click the imgur link, there are several pictures. From the inlet of where the pump will be (bottom of the pump) to the top of the waterfall is about 10ft.

 

[TheFishGuy]

The basin in the pictures is at the bottom of the waterfall. If you click the imgur link, there are several pictures. From the inlet of where the pump will be (bottom of the pump) to the top of the waterfall is about 10ft.

okay! I see it now,

as for the pump, it may be hard to find a small ish pump with a lift height of 10 ft, I have a max 12 ft lift height pump, but it is 1200 gallons per hour, so not sure you would need that much flow

right now it looks like your biggest challenge will be finding a not gaint pump that has a nice lift height

EDIT: here is a link to the smallest pump I could find with a lift height that may suit your needs:

Amazon.com : KEDSUM 550GPH Submersible Pump(2500L/H, 40w), Ultra Quiet Water Pump with 8ft High Lift, Fountain Pump with 5.9 ft Grounded Power Cord, 3 Nozzles for Fish Tank, Pond, Aquarium, Statuary, Hydroponics : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : KEDSUM 550GPH Submersible Pump(2500L/H, 40w), Ultra Quiet Water Pump with 8ft High Lift, Fountain Pump with 5.9 ft Grounded Power Cord, 3 Nozzles for Fish Tank, Pond, Aquarium, Statuary, Hydroponics : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

 

[Mrfourpointo]

Here is a better picture of the basin and the sunken area for the pump. It's a fairly large hole for the pump. I can't measure at the moment, but I think it has a 10-12" diameter and is probably 12-24" deep. It's the white circle that you can just see at water-level. For scale, that is a 2" PVC line going down to the pump.

 

[Mrfourpointo]

This has been recommended based on my setup. Thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PE1M8IM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_WNoeFb6VTKRT5

 

[GBBUDD]

You are probably pushing around 500 gph now The first thing you want to do is get rig of all the 90's they reduce pressure in a big way. look at it this way your on a road thats 55 mph and you need to take a 90 degree turn into a gas station you hit the breaks and drop down to 15 mph. now look at a highway off ramp still a 90 degre but it's sweeps and you can carry your speed through the turn. two 45's or even what is called a street 90 is a far better start. . Now before you go for a bigger pump there i some work you can do to your water fall that would make less water look like more. i see lots of water running down the sides of the falls Some mortar and or waterfall foam and some river rocks from 3/8" to say 2" or even layer up some of the plate stone you have now. 6 Thousand gph is a lot of water you will probably have a lot of splash and oveflow creating water loss i can't see how much your set up could controls it looks like more then the average. One other way to make less look like more is to slow the water down instead of the rocks pitched downward have them level or even leaning back a little creating some pooling watching the bubbles move with the flow keeps the eyes busy and interested. Lastly as to a filter i would convert that holding area into a bog in a heart beat make a wall separating the float valve from the bog and place your pump in that same area. but split the water flow send a little less then half to the bog and the rest up to the water fall. one last note having the water fall straight on to the viewer and then have the next turned to the side can make a fall look more natural. with this set up i would look at the 6000 gph

 

[Mmathis]

@GBBUDD I love your traffic analogy!
And excellent videos on pump selection!

 

[Mrfourpointo]

 

[Mrfourpointo]

I finally got the basin completely cleaned out and removed the pump and plumbing.

 

[Mrfourpointo]

 

[Mrfourpointo]

I swear this thing weighs 50lbs

 

[GBBUDD]

I swear a pump 1/3 rd that size will take care of your needs

 

[Mrfourpointo]

I ordered an Atlantic Water Gardens TT6000. It's rated at 3,395 gph at 10'. We'll see soon enough if it works.

I also found out something cool with the two valves today. One controls the flow of the two outlet pipes at the top of the waterfall. I thought it was one for each outlet. The other valve actually diverts the water out of a separate pipe at the top that runs into my alley. So, I can open that valve and used the pump to drain the system.

 

[Mrfourpointo]

I think I am going to try and pressure wash bot the basin and pond area to remove the old paint. My plan is to repaint with Drylok Extreme. Does anybody have experience with painted concrete ponds? There will be no fish, so I am only looking to prevent water transmission through the concrete.