How To Choose Water Pump For Koi Pond

HOW TO CHOOSE WATER PUMP --  Water pump is one important component in koi fish care. Choosing a water pump must consider several things, such as the capacity of the pump, volume of the pond, power consumption and so forth.Choosing the right pump is an extremely important decision and if you get it wrong then you will either have to change it or more likely loose your valuable Koi through pumping either too much water or not enough.

The most important thing to remember is the electrical usage when looking for a water pump for your pond. As electircity prices seem to be escallating caluculating the cost to run your pond is becoming more and more important, however, it most also be pointed out that in order to run your koi pond efficiently you will require the correct pump for the job so there is a balance to be made between running costs and the performance of your overall pond.

When choosing a pump, whether it be a Submersible Pump or a Dry Surface Pump or even a Dual Purpose Pump be sure that the pump that you are thinking about buying will do the job properly,for example: If your pond has 5,000 gallons capacity then you need a pump that will deliver 2,500 gph (half the capacity of your pond) so that the water in your pond turns over once every 2 hours, but Please bear in mind that you will have restrictions in the pipework that will, in some cases, dramatically reduce the output flow to your pond, for example: Ultra Violet Clarifiers, length of pipework runs, how many bends you have fitted etc.

One important thing to consider is if your pump is external from the ponds water, i.e. dry mounted, usually on a gravity fed system where the filter and pump is housed below ground and there is a chance of flooding or indeed water ingress into the filter bay, it may be best to install a dual purpose pump which willnot get damaged if eccidentaly submerged.

Submersible Pumps:
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We have a large selection of submersible pond pumps for you to consider, such as the Dab Nova pumps, the Blagdon amphibious pumps etc, these pumps are totally sealed to stop water ingress and you should never attempt to repair these pumps yourself. These pumps are normally connected to filter systems or water features with flexible pond hose although fittings are availble to connect these with rigid pipe if necessary.

Dry Mounted Pumps:

As the name suggests, dry mounted pumps are to be installed in a dry environment externally from the pond water, these type of pumps are normally installed on gravity fed systems and are housed in a completely dry filter house. As with the submerisble pumps we have a large selection of dry mounted pumps such as the EcoMax DM Series, Sequence Pumps, Speck Badu pumps, Performace Pro pumps, Aquamite pumps and Mega Pumps to name a few.

Dual Purpose Pumps:

Dual purpose pumps such as the Evolution Aqua Perfect pumps, Blue Eco Pumps, Superfish Pumps and the EcoMax range as well as the OASE range of pumps can all be installed in both dry an wet conditions affording total versatility in their usage. As mentioned above, if your plan is to install a pump in an under ground filter house with the potential of flooding or water ingress then these types of pumps should be given consideration, as submerging a dry mounted pump is not only dangerous but could render the pump useless and irrepairable. Water damage to dry mounted pumps is not covered by any manufacturers warranty.

Variable Speed Pond Pumps:

Some of the pumps mentioned above are variable in the flow that they produce, this also has the effect of reducing the amount of electricity the pumps use, i.e. the lower the flow the less energy they use! The best of these is the Blue Eco Pump Range, Flowfriend Pump, Speck Badu Eco Touch and Forza Variable Pond Pumps. We have sucessfully installed these on ponds and these pumps offer full control and balance of your ponds turn over rate significantly reducing their running costs.

As an example where our customers have economy seven electric meters installed we have found that to run a normal 4,000 gallon pond with the Blue Eco 240 watt pump during the day the pump is truned down and runs at approx 80 watts to turn the pond over slower whilst still keeping the nitrification process and mechanical filtration running, then at night when the units are approx half the price of the day units the pump is turned up to near its maximum of 240 watts, this in real terms that the pumps is running for 80watts through the day and 120 watts through the night in relation to the tarrif charges. Just a Thought!

So it is important to pick the right water pump for your Koi pond or water garden. Water pumps have variances in electrical usage and electrical costs.

The following formula will assist you in determining how much you will spend (approximately) per month to run the pump you select.

Formula:

    Amps x Volts = Watts
    Watts x 744 and divide by 1000 = KWH per month
    KWH per month x Cost per KWH (located on your electric bill) = Cost per month
    1Kw of constant usage costs approximately 14p per hour - (Day Rate)

Source:dankoi.com