Waterfall and stream pumps -- choose carefully, and save money in operating costs

Garden pond waterfalls need high volumes of water, so pump running costs can be high.

landscaped pond waterfall and stream in garden Be aware that a waterfall pump is different from other pond pumps. They are more powerful, and good pumps are designed to run continuously at low electrical cost. A poor one, on the other hand, will quickly become expensive to run as your power bill goes up month after month.

In general, the operating requirements for waterfall pumps are the same as those for other pond pumps. You will need to understand and determine the waterfall pump head, as described in other articles on this site. Modern waterfall pumps and biofilter pumps are different in that they don't contain sponges, thus allowing for higher water flow rates and "dirty" water.

When determining your needs in a pump, you should calculate the waterfall's height and width. As a rough guide, for every inch (2.5cm) of waterfall lip width, you need to allow for 50 gallons (250 liters) of pond water flow over that lip. If your waterfall has more than one lip, then you need to combine the lip widths together to get a total. If you find later that you pump seems too weak to operate your waterfall, one trick is to place small rocks or pebbles close to the waterfall overflow, and thus reducing the overall lip width.

Another good idea is to use two pumps in your garden pond -- one for the waterfall, which can be shut off when needed, and the other to operate the pond's biofilter. In this way, significant electrical costs can be saved over the course of an entire year, and there will be less wear and tear on your waterfall pump.

Be aware -- swimming pool sump pumps are suitable as pond or waterfall pumps

As stated in the sump pump article, swimming pool sump pumps are not well designed for pond or waterfall pumps. If you're constructing a large koi pond that will require a significant water flow and high head or pressure, then a sump pump might work--but expect a large electrical bill every month. For a smaller pond or waterfall application, however, a sump pump would be a bad choice for the following reasons:

Sump pump are noisy -- expect complaints from your neighbors.
Expensive to operate, as stated above.
Sump pumps are difficult to install for the average backyard gardener.
Too large and powerful for this application
If you're running a sand filter in your garden pond (a poor choice, by the way, for a pond filter system) then you may need to use a swimming pool sump pump to achieve a good waterfall effect.

If you are running a sand filter in your system, you might want to reconsider that choice. See the biofiltration web site for more information on selecting the right filter for your garden pond.

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