A sump pump is usually not a good choice for your garden pond waterfall

You see sump pumps being advertised as pond waterfall pumps all the time, and it's a big mistake

Sump pumps are designed as pumps to empty out a basement that's flooded, or a flooded crawl space beneath your home, and as such they work fine. These types of pumps are made to run intermittently--some even have a float attached--and therein lies the problem. As we learned earlier, a garden pond pump has to run 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and be both reliable and economical to operate.

Sump pumps simply weren't designed to operate in this manner. As stated above, a typical sump pump is built to run in short cycles, and after about 10.000 hours of operation (about 1 year) the water seal will usually fail, allowing water to leak into the electrical area and ruining the pump. This is a bad thing, especially if you have valuable koi and other fish and biofilters that require constant water circulation to survive.

One reason that some retailers promote sump pumps for pond use is that they are strong pumps and generally sell for a low price. Because they are used to pump excess water out of basements and crawl spaces, these pumps are designed to pump water to a significant height (this is also known as head) of 12 or 15 feet or more. But the downside to these pumps--besides their short life spans--is the cost to operate them. These pumps are no bargain when you factor in the cost in electricity to run them for a year or more. See how to work out power cost for pond pumps

How can I tell if I'm buying a sump pump and not a pond pump?

There are tell-tale signs that are unique to a sump pump's design. Look at where the intake of the pump is positioned: if it's near the bottom of the pump, you're probably looking at a sump pump. This type of intake would make no sense in a pond application as it would only draw in large amount of debris from the bottom of the pond and quickly become clogged. But as a basement pump, this design works fine.

Another indication of a sump pump is their upright design, and many even have a handle at the top for lugging around. Also look at the power consumption ratings on the outside of the box. If it is high (250 watts or more) than you've probably got a sump pump in your hands. Another tipoff is a low price relative to other pond pumps.

A typical sump pump will consume 300 watts of electricity and will deliver 1300 gallons per hour to a height (or head) of 9 feet. Think of this as running 3 separate 100 watt light bulbs seven days a week, 365 days a year. You can see that soon your inexpensive pump is not such a bargain. And most of these pumps are only guaranteed for a year.

You'll save a lot of money and be a lot happier (as will your fish and biofilter) if you make a different choice in your pond pump.

Choose a low cost supplier on-line for your next pump

Have a look at the suppliers listed at the right hand border of this website. Then compare prices and shipping charges and make your decision. Buying online can be a good choice, especially if there are no qualified retailers in your area.

These suppliers do sell other makes of pumps also of high quality and performance which you might want to investigate and you can search the websites for the model you want ...

Florida based supplier specializing in very wide range of garden fish pond equipment including pond pumps filters and UV lights ... just click the link

Complete Pond Solver

More info or buy here

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