Submersible pond pumps

[brucen]

I am looking for suggestions for a reliable submersible waterfall pond pump for a 250 gallon pond and 5 ft high waterfall. I have had this pond and waterfall for over 20 years but always have had problems with the pumps. In over 20 years, I have had 16 submersible pumps but only have had to pay for two of them because none of them last beyond the warranty. After my Leader Echo Sub died about 4 months ago (age almost two years and my best experiences in the life of a pump has been the Leader Echo Sub), my pond and waterfall company installed a Superior pump which only lasted 3 months. They replaced that with a Little Giant pump which lasted only 3 weeks. Today, they replaced that pump with another Little Giant but not without a lot more pump drama. The service man who came today was able to drain my pond by about two thirds before his pump failed. He said "No problem, I have a brand new pump in my truck still in the box". Guess what? His "brand new pump out of the box" did not work. The motor ran but the impeller blades did not work. He had to resort to a shop vac to finish draining my pond. Since my dead pump of only three weeks was covered by a warranty, this did not cost me any money. But these pump failures are very frustrating. I would be willing to pay for a new small 1/3 to 1/2 HP submersible pump that will last at least two to three years. ANY SUGGESTINGS? Bruce

 

[JRS]

That is frustrating. I just had a new Tetra pump, that came with a waterfall filter, fail due to a split impeller after a few months. I replaced it with one of my 15 year old Supreme Pondmasters which only get seasonal use but seem to hold up well.

 

[j.w]

Laguna and Pondmaster pumps have both worked for many years in my ponds. Laguna max Max Drive have pumps from 1/4 to 1 hp. Not saying this site is where to buy just showing for description of one kind of a Laguna pump: https://www.pondmarket.com/product/laguna-maxdrive-pond-and-waterfall-pump/
I usually buy mine from the Webb's site. My first pump was the Pondmaster and it did not have as good of power savings as the Laguna but it did last a very long time.

 

[GBBUDD]

Why do you insist on a submersible when they keep failing. Submersible pumps are known to be poor at pushing head pressure. If a true pro has a call for a waterfall pushing water uphill they will choose a external if the situation will alow it.
My other question is what is the submersible doing is it sitting on the bottom of the pond . Or is it elevated off the bottom. Is it's intake covered with a fine screen or is it a trash pump that can handle solids like a leaf in the water and the impella just chews it up or is it a large screen with poor expectations of handling debris . Sounds like your pumps are the latter.
The other thing you can do and I have my intake from my external inside an aquablock. Helpingbto keep plant matter particularly long stuff from getting twisted around the impella.

I'd suggest you look for a trash pump with decent head pressure.

If you call UNDERWATER WHAREHOUSE talk to Dan And tell him what your looking for he will recommend a pump he doesn't see come back to his store . He's always helped me out and I can be a bit demanding .

 

[GBBUDD]

I have to ask do you know about head pressure? Are you buying pumps rated for at least 8 to 10 feet of head?

I am a firm believer that Most manufacturers exaggerate what the filters and pumps can handle. So they can sell us stuff that won't last and force us to buy more..
So I would look for a pump that is made to work within your specs . PLUS SOME

 

[Mmathis]

Sorry that you’re having this problem. I buy my pumps from Home Depot (generic) and have never had a problem. Agree with @GBBUDD about head pressure. That was my first thought.

 

[brucen]

That is frustrating. I just had a new Tetra pump, that came with a waterfall filter, fail due to a split impeller after a few months. I replaced it with one of my 15 year old Supreme Pondmasters which only get seasonal use but seem to hold up well.

The pump before this last one was a Supreme but it lasted only three months!

 

[brucen]

Laguna and Pondmaster pumps have both worked for many years in my ponds. Laguna max Max Drive have pumps from 1/4 to 1 hp. Not saying this site is where to buy just showing for description of one kind of a Laguna pump: https://www.pondmarket.com/product/laguna-maxdrive-p

Laguna and Pondmaster pumps have both worked for many years in my ponds. Laguna max Max Drive have pumps from 1/4 to 1 hp. Not saying this site is where to buy just showing for description of one kind of a Laguna pump: https://www.pondmarket.com/product/laguna-maxdrive-pond-and-waterfall-pump/
I usually buy mine from the Webb's site. My first pump was the Pondmaster and it did not have as good of power savings as the Laguna but it did last a very long time.

I checked the website but could not find the descriptions and especially the dimensions of these pumps which is important since my pump sits in a small box at the bottom of the pond. By the way my new pump is 1/3 HP whereas most of my "some what more successful" previous pumps were 1/2 HP. Not sure if that difference is important but it does appear that the water from the 1/3 HP pump is not as fast and robust as I remember it from when I had the 1/2 HP pump.

ond-and-waterfall-pump/
I usually buy mine from the Webb's site. My first pump was the Pondmaster and it did not have as good of power savings as the Laguna but it did last a very long time.

 

[brucen]

Why do you insist on a submersible when they keep failing. Submersible pumps are known to be poor at pushing head pressure. If a true pro has a call for a waterfall pushing water uphill they will choose a external if the situation will alow it.
My other question is what is the submersible doing is it sitting on the bottom of the pond . Or is it elevated off the bottom. Is it's intake covered with a fine screen or is it a trash pump that can handle solids like a leaf in the water and the impella just chews it up or is it a large screen with poor expectations of handling debris . Sounds like your pumps are the latter.
The other thing you can do and I have my intake from my external inside an aquablock. Helpingbto keep plant matter particularly long stuff from getting twisted around the impella.

I'd suggest you look for a trash pump with decent head pressure.

If you call UNDERWATER WHAREHOUSE talk to Dan And tell him what your looking for he will recommend a pump he doesn't see come back to his store . He's always helped me out and I can be a bit demanding .

I would love to have an external pump but the company that built my pond and waterfall 20 years ago with a submersible pump which is the plumbing. I suspect it will be very expensive to reengineer the pond for an external pump which would be cost prohibitive especially, despite the inconvenience, my pond company keeps replacing the submersible pumps for free since they always fail while under warranty. My submersible pump is sitting in a small box below the bottom of the surface of the pond elevated only by the small feet on the bottom of the pump. The pump box is covered by a grate which prevents large debris from being sucked in. But, even so, the descriptions on the box state the the pump can handle any large debris handled by a standard sump pump. Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[brucen]

I have to ask do you know about head pressure? Are you buying pumps rated for at least 8 to 10 feet of head?

I am a firm believer that Most manufacturers exaggerate what the filters and pumps can handle. So they can sell us stuff that won't last and force us to buy more..
So I would look for a pump that is made to work within your specs . PLUS SOME

Yes, the specs for all my pumps have specified that they will pump up to 16-18 ft and I only need it to pump up about 5 ft.

 

[GBBUDD]

I run a 1 hp pump that pushes a 3 inch line and a two inch.
The 3 inch pushes probably 50 feet but dives under the pond about 4 feet then comes up and lifts 6 feet above the water line. To a shower. That empties into the top of my snorkel . Completely different from the standard use of popular design. The two inch pushes a good 30 feet but no rise to the other side of the pond to a 1 inch venturi jet head. Pump runs 365 with exception of a couple weeks shut down in winter. Performance pro works well for me 6 years strong . But again it's a external.

1You realy should place some photos .

 

[Mmathis]

Why were you draining your pond?

 

[Pablo]

Just a thought but have you checked the electrical connections? I am no expert at all but seems strange to have that many pump failures, submersibles are known not to last that long but I think they are supposed to last about 5 years. One constant for all your pumps would be the electrical connection. Maybe the circuit is overloaded that you plug into or there is some problem with the circuit breaker. Seems like there should be some reason for the failures other than just bad luck.

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm betting on debris getting sucked in and too much head pressure.

 

[Mmathis]

250 gallon pond…..with 5’ waterfall.