Pond
Pumps & Building a Waterfall
Basic steps and guidelines to
building a waterfall and choosing the best waterfall pumps.
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One of the highlights of a pond or backyard water-graden can be the waterfall.
A waterfall is something that when we experience one in a natural setting always
fills us with awe. I have been camping as a child and some of the mosts vivid
memories are of seeing a cascading chite of raw river water tumbling over a natural
granite formation! As I grew older, and perhaps a bit colder, I never ceased to
be awed and amazed by a waterfall...it is perhaps one reason that so many of our
clients are looking ffree waterfall plans or instructions for building a cheap
waterfall.
The thing is, I always tell my clients that there is no such
thing as a really well built cascading waterfall that is cheap. I have seen some
of my clients refuse to believe that they needed a 45 mil EPDM membrane to line
their rocky cascade and instead they went and bought a cheap pond liner that was
nothing more than a geo-textile that they used to line their waterfall. The result?
Well you can imagine that the waterfall leaked and the liner disintegrated within
a year and the pump clogged and well....you get the picture...if you are looking
for the best way to build a waterfall you should always try and build it right...you
can build a cheap waterfall but it often won't be right. Having a leaking waterfall
or a waterfall pump that doesn't have the right flow for the head or width of
the waterfall can make it look like a leaking swamp!
Building a waterfall,
doesn't really require an expert as much as it requires expert advice. The thing
to do when you are building a waterfall is to make sure the pumps and liners and
rock structure and waterfall lighting is actually appropriate for the height of
the rock pile and width of the water cascade you are envisioning.
Submersible
Pond & Waterfall Pumps
Quiet
One ® Submersible Waterfall Pumps
Submersible Pond Pumps
Submersible pond pumps are typically used in smaller pond applications and are
generally simple to install. We carry the Quiet One line of pond pumps from Pentair
Aquatics. These submersible pumps are designed for ponds between 500 and 4000
gallons. They install simply by placing it in the desired area of the pond and
plugging it in. All of our Quiet One Pond Pumps come with spray attachments, making
it easy to add a small fountain to your pond. To determine the size pump you need
for your pond, take the total volume of water of your pond (in gallons) and select
a submersible pump that will pump atleast that much water per hour. So, if you
have a 1000 gallon pond, you will need a pump with a flow rate of at least 1000
gallons per hour.
 We
have tested and used many pumps over the years in our projects from the Ultra-Flo
pumps, the Crystal-Flo pumps,. SICCE pumps, OASE pumps,Little Giant pumps, Laguana
pumps, Pondmaster pumps, Savio pumps, Easy Pro Mag Drive pumps, Alpine pumps and
Little Giant pumps, OASE pumps...oh wait...I am starting to repeat myself now!
There are so many cheap waterfall and cheap pond pumps that I have literally tried
them all or known someone who has. After all the reviews we have chosen the one
submersible waterfall pump that we now allways recommend as the reviews and forum
comments have shown that these pumps are the best.
A good rule of thumb
to decide on pump size is: pumps should be able to pump out around half the volume
of your pond. So, a 450 gph pump is ideal for a 800 to 1000 gallon pond. This
is a good quick method of calculating a simple pump for a pond with no waterfalls
or features. To calculate the exact pump size required for your pond, you will
need first to calculate the volume of the pond, then the waterfall height (if
applicable). Then you select your pump based on circulating 50% of the volume
of the pond in 1 hour, at the waterfall height.
Our
Highest #1 Rated Pond Pump
These "Quiet One"
pumps include a free pond fountainhead attachment allowing you to create a fountain
with the same pump! Direct contact with the manufacturer allows us to offer these
inexpensive pumps to all users of ThePondReport.com and free
shipping is included.
Quiet
One Pond Pump Model
All
pumps are 110-120V & have 20' power cords & 1 year warranty
The
multi-fountain head attachments included with every pump.
Shippng included
in the price. | Flow
Chart - Shows Gallons
Per Hour By Elevation (Feet)
For waterfalls it is
recommended to have between 50 Gallons per Hour and 150 Gallons Per Hour for every
inch of width of your waterfall. ie: If you want an 18" wide waterfall you
should have a pump giving between 900 and 2700 Gallons per Hour.
For fountains
it is recommended that the pump can circulate the entire pond volume in at least
24 hours | | Open
Flow | 3'
Head | 6'
Head | 9'
Head | 12'
Head | 18'
Head | Quiet
One® 2200 w/ Fountain Attachment
$80
280 - 581
Gallons Per Hour
(5
-9 Gallons Per Minute)
41 Watts - 1" Outlet
| 581
Gallons Per Hour | 450
Gallons Per Hour | 280
Gallons Per Hour | - | - | - | Quiet
One® 4000 w/ Fountain Attachment
$100
210
- 1017 Gallons Per Hour (3.5
- 17 Gallons Per Minute)
50 Watts - 1" Outlet
| 1017
Gallons Per Hour | 875
Gallons Per Hour | 500
Gallons Per Hour | 210
Gallons Per Hour | - | - | Quiet
One® 6000 w/ Fountain Attachment
$150
1506 Gallons
Per Hour (0.5
- 25 Gallons Per Minute)
140
Watts - 1" Outlet
| 1506
Gallons Per Hour | 1300
Gallons Per Hour | 1000
Gallons Per Hour | 590
Gallons Per Hour | 30
Gallons Per Hour | - | Quiet
One® 9000 w/ Fountain Attachment
$315
2328 Gallons
Per Hour
(0.42 - 39 Gallons Per Minute)
145
Watts - 1.5" Outlet
| 2328
Gallons Per Hour | 220
Gallons Per Hour | 1800
Gallons Per Hour | 1600
Gallons Per Hour | 1250
Gallons Per Hour | 800
Gallons Per Hour | Quiet
One® 16000 w/ Fountain Attachment
$400
4232 Gallons
Per Hour (5
- 71 Gallons Per Minute)
280
Watts - 1.5" Outlet
| 4232
Gallons Per Hour | 3800
Gallons Per Hour | 3400
Gallons Per Hour | 2800
Gallons Per Hour | 2400
Gallons Per Hour | 1650
Gallons Per Hour |
FREE
SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS
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reception of goods.
Stage
1 - Placement of pump Secure flexible tubing to the outlet of pump using a stainless
steel hose clamp. Submerse at the furthest point from the waterfall. Route the
tubing over side of pond (can be hidden under perimeter stones). Make sure the
stone does not pinch the tubing, and avoid sharp bends in the tubing so it does
not kink and reduce flow.
Stage 2 - Tubing Route the tubing to the waterfall.
Bury under soil.
Stage 3 - Building waterfall pond Use displaced soil
from pond to build an elevated area for waterfall. Consider making a small auxiliary
pond in this mound. Position the spillway to flow into main pond. Build the small
pond using the same techniques and liner as the main pond. Two layers of liner
are recommended for this pond. The first one contains the water. The second liner
channels the water towards the fall. Important! Be sure the liner drapes underneath
the waterfall spillway stones - otherwise you will experience water loss when
the waterfall is in operation. You may need to use liner seam tape in this stage.
Stage 4 - Building spillway Once the spillway liner is in place - you
will want to pump water up to the auxiliary pond and watch it flow down the liner
spillway. (at this stage - your pond should be full of water). Carefully select
stones and position them - while the water is flowing over them. With the water
flowing over the rock, you may replace, shift and add stones so you achieve the
desired water spills you desire. Place plant moss and small plants between the
stones around the waterfall to achieve a natural look.
See
more submersible Pond & Waterfall Pumps
Pond
Building Books and Guides
| Waterfall
Building Books and Guides
Let's look at
my last simple, cheap waterfall in a small pond I built with my brother-in-law.
I'll tell you first off I'll think-twice next time I say "Yes" to building
a pond for a friend or relative without setting some clear contractual rules of
engagement. Shaking Jimmy's hand after a few cold beers at last month's Family
Reunion the pig-roast might not have been the best idea! But hey...any time you
can built a unique and original cascade for a pond it is worth it in the end!
So Jimmy, I salute you in the end! It looks fine!
So
this is what we tried to do to accomplish the ultimate waterfall:
We
used a molded pond often called a "moulded" pond by perfectionists and
folks from Canada so we had to excavate the hole in the backyard to place the
pre-formed pond. While I prefer to work with a 45mil EMPDM liner in most ponds,
in this case we had found a cheap pre-fab pond and it looked good. So we got our
shovels out and spent the day digging around the tree roots and gopher holes and
finally had a three foot deep hole with the approximate shape of the pond which
was only a 400 Gallon pond shaped like a pork chop. We had a pile of soil beside
the pond hole and this is what we we planned to use for the waterfall structure.
Most
of the time I like to build a small catchment basin or a smaller retention pond
above the main pond so the waterfall has a high point to allow water to gather
and then spill over the rock waterfall structure that I have built.When I decide
on what sort of waterfall pump I will be using for the home-made waterfall I start
with a very simple calculation to ensure that the flow of water down the width
of the waterfall will appear natural. It is important to understand the volume
of your pond system (including the total volume any streams and waterway diversions
you create) in order to choose the best submersible pump for the job. If you use
a pump that pumps 1600 Gallons Per Minute but your waterfall requires a pump that
delivers at least 2200 Gallons Per Minute that your cascade will look like a drought
has struck your pond!
Recommended
flow rates for waterfall pumps
Complete
Water Fall Kits
This
pond-less waterfall (also known as disappearing waterfall) kit contains just about
everything that you need to construct your waterfall except for the stone and
water. With this waterfall kit you can build a basin up to 5 ft x 5 ft x 2 ft
deep with a waterfall and stream up to 5 feet long. Includes: 10 x 15 Pondgard
Rubber Pond Liner, Pond Underlayment, Leader Clear Answer 2 Pump, Savio Pond Free
Waterfall Well, 16" Savio Waterfall Weir, 20 ft. 1-1/2" Flexible PVC, 1 Can Black
Waterfall Foam (more may be desired, this depends on the application), Waterfall
Inlet Assembly, Pump Outlet Assembly, PVC Cement, Installation instructions
An
alternative to a full-fledged pond, a pondless waterfall is simply a waterfall
and stream, without a pond. The pondless waterfall is for people that have safety/cost
related concerns about ponds, as well as people who enjoy the soothing sounds
of waterfalls. This is a complete system. If it is hard for you to imagine a waterfall
and a stream without a pond, it must be hard to figure out how it works. Questions
like, Where does the water come from? and Where does it go? These are common questions
for the inquiring minds.
Well the truth is that it works much like a regular
pond. A hole, deeper than a normal pond, is dug, then lined with rock and gravel,
and filled with water. The water is then circulated from beneath the rocks and
gravel by a pump that sits on the bottom. A pipe runs from there up to a BIOFALLS
filter and into an overflowing waterfall, where it falls back to the reservoir.
Since the water level never pools above the level of the rock and gravelfill,
it gives the appearance of a pondless waterfall. But the greatest part of it all
is that all the anxieties you have about ponds goes right out the window the minute
the waterfall is turned on! NurseryPro MicroPondless 4' Waterfall Kit includes:
MicroCentipede Module, MicroSnorkel Vault, MicroFalls Filter Vault (no filter
media is included. The aggregate in the basin provides a much larger surface area
for bacteria to grow than the filter media do), AquaSurge 2500 GPH Pump, 1.5'
x 25' Kink Free Pipe, Plumbing Assembly, 10 foot x 12 foot 45 mil EPDM Liner,
10 foot x 10 foot Underlayment, & Installation Instructions. Browse through our
TJB-INC Amazon Store for more Aquascape items. See
the Best Models Of Water Fall Kits and Pondless Waterfalls
I
recommend having between 50 GPH and 150 Imperial Gallons per Hour for every inch
of width of waterfall crest depending on the effect you want. For a milder, slower
flow you should use a pump that delivers at least 1.2 Gallons Per minute (50 GPH)
For a more gushing, raucous flow over your stones you should choose a pump the
delivers at least 2.5 GPM. It all depends on if your waterfall is coming direct
from your tubing or if you have a pond above the main pond to create a waterfall.
Check our chart below to decide the best pump for your waterfall. All prices include
shipping.
This means that if you want the water to cascade over an 18 inch
rock structure or pre-molded waterfall injection-molding type of pond store system
you would need an 1800 Gallons Per Hour submersible pump. You must also calculate
the height, or head, that the pump must pump to reach the highest spot on the
waterfall . whether that be the catechment pond or the outlet tube that is hidden
under your stones and landscaping.
Your waterfall pump is a key to making
the waterfall look natural and keeping the proper circulation of the pond. The
trickling waters of the falls do add some aeration but mainly the pond waterfall
is used for circulation and for the esthetic benefits and sounds. Myself, I just
love the splashing sound of a well-built cascade which is why the pump is so important!
How to calculate the right size waterfall pump:
First
you should look at the width of your waterfall. When you measure the width
you are looking at the width of the top of the waterfall, starting from where
the water flows out of the catchment pond if you have built one. Of course, you
can always set-up a system of a single tube from a pump or multiple outlet pipes
from one or more small pumps in the pond at the far end, typically the deep end
of the pond, that simply cascade over rocks.
If you are not using a catchment
basin and are only having hoses hidden under stones or rocks to create the waterfall
then you have to make sure the pump and tubing is correctly sized or you may have
a waterfall that sprays out like my my Gramma used to say looked like "Pee
out of a Tomcat!". A waterfall, when it is natural, flows, drips, dribbles
and splashes...it definatly does not spray out like a spitter or a fountain. This
is why having a small elevated pond or retention basin to be the start of the
falls is often preferable.
For every inch of width of the lip of your waterfall
you need to have on average of 100 Gallons Per Hour or 1.6 Gallons Per Minute.
For every 10 feet of tubing between the pump and the output end of the pipe you
should calculate a loss of about 1 foot of head. Plus the final height between
the pump in the pon and the top of the output pipe must be counted. It's a simple
calculation really.
EXAMPLE:
The waterfall is 36" wide (width at the top, this is how wide
you want the water stream over the waterfall lip to be)
The total "head",
the height between the bottom intake of the submersible pump to the highest point
of the tubing, is 4 feet.
There is a 50 foot length of tubing running from
the pump on the main pond to where it enters the retention pond or the top of
the waterfall.
The 36 inchwide waterfall requires 3600 Gallons Per Hour
(100 Galllons Per Inch)
There is a 4 foot head (Height difference from pump
to top of tubing)
50 feet of tubing is equal to an additional 5 feet of head.
(Every 10 feet of tubing equals 1 foot of head)
You need a pump that can
pump 3600 Gallons Per Hour at a 9 foot head, or lift as it is sometimes called.
Make sure your pump can deliver the correct flow at the correct head!
Now...choose
the best pump for your surroundings
There are two types of waterfall
pumps we use. The External Pump and the Submersible Pump. The external pump sits
outside of the pond much like a swimming pool pump would. It has an intake hose
in the pond, preferably at the deepest point of the main pond and far from the
waterfall to provide the best circulation efficiency for the system. The Submersible
pump is actually in the water and sucks water directly through the pump into the
outlet hose to the waterfall or retention basin. Both work, but all pumps are
not equal.
The
Best Pond & Waterfall Pumps
Waterfall
Websites
Here are some websites we recommend if you are looking for simple instructions
for free on do it yourself waterfalls.
Waterfall Design Examples, Parameters & Techniques
http://www.rockwoodforest.com/aquatics_and_ponds.htm
As
the test water is being added to the pond, the waterfall/stream liner can be installed.
You will need the waterfall/stream liner and the two-sided pond tape. Clean the
surfaces to be joined thoroughly. Use a bit of rubbing alcohol and a lint-free
cloth to get a particle-free clean surface. Scuff the newly cleaned surface with
a clean “scuffer” (something that is gently abrasive), then wipe again. The installation
of the waterfall liner will be easier with a flatsurface to work on so the patio
slabs should do the trick. Begin to apply the two-sided tape to the cleaned and
flattened pond liner by exposing one side of the tape to the liner but by leaving
the waxed paper backing on the tape. Do NOT take the waxed paper backing off of
the tape and then try to apply the tape. You will need the backing to flatten,
smooth, and de-bubble the tape for a good seal. This process will work better
on a liner that is warm. Sunny, hot days are perfect; however a hair dryer on
a cool day will do the trick. When you are confident that you have a good seal,
remove the waxed backing by peeling up a corner and pulling it back slowly and
low at a 45oangle. If all goes well, then you are ready to install the waterfall
liner. Place the edge of the waterfall liner over-top of the seam tape leaving
about a ¼” of the tape exposed. (see drawing) Smooth the liner and apply pressure
to get a good seal. Rub in multiple directions to be sure the seal is tight. Leaving
the ¼” exposed allows you to make sure the leading edge of the waterfall liner
is sealed to the tape. This procedure is recommended and taught by Firestone,
so if done correctly, it should work 100% of the time. Two sided-tape is used
so that a smaller waterfall line can be attached to a largerpond liner for less
waste. It also prevents wicking and water loss between the lines via capillary
action.
Building a Garden Pond
http://www.gardenandhearth.com
"Using a Weir The easiest way to build a waterfall
is to use a weir. A pond weir is a plastic box. It collects water that the pump
has pumped into it. One side of the box is lower than the rest and has a lip on
it so water will go over it and back into the pond. These can be effective when
building a waterfall. Simply elevate them above your pond, usually positioning
them level in the dirt you have dug out to make your pond, put tubing from your
pump into the weir. When the weir fills up, a sheet of water will fall over the
weir and into your pond. You can hide the weir with rocks so no one can see the
plastic box. Also, if you have a biofilter, you can put it in the weir. As an
aside, if you do have a biofilter and use lava rocks in it, put them in several
mesh bags, not just one. It takes several strong men to lift just one bag out,
so use at least three. I usually float some hyacinths or other floating plants
in the weir to further camouflage the plastic box."
Pond Waterfall Design
http://www.californiawaterscapes.com/Waterfall-build.htm
"Pond Waterfall Design There are several types of sounds created by what
the water is falling onto. The most pronounced is water falling directly into
a pool of water. Next is a shallow pool, followed by water falling onto a rock
or boulder and then water sliding over rocks or boulders. The distance the water
falls is a very key factor. A 3 inch to a 4 inch drop can be quite subtle, but
as it’s increased to 18 to 20 inches, the sound increases significantly. Of all
the factors when building a waterfall, this is the most distinct. You can experiment
with a garden hose running into a bucket or a pool and note the difference."
Certified AquaScape Contractors
http://www.certifiedaquascapecontractor.com/pond-construction.php
Excellant resource that includes their 18 Steps of Pond Construction from Start
to Finish: 1. Mark Pond Area 2. Place Skimmer and Waterfalls 3. Lay Plumbing 4.
Hook up waterfalls 5.Excavate Pond 6. Install Liner and Underlayment 7. Hook-up
Skimmer 8. Rock in Pond 9.Position Underwater Lights 10.Wash Stones 11.Fill Pond
12.Build Waterfall and Stream 13.Bring in Top Soil 14.Build Retaining Wall 15.Tweak
Waterfall 16.Trim Liner 17.Mulch Berm 18.Clean Up . Of course they may have forgot
my favorite step which is 19 and 20 to have a beer and watch my pond!!
Certified Aquascape Contractors (CAC's) are the most qualified and informed installers
in the pond construction industry. All CAC's are required to attend continual
training and education seminars and maintain a proven record of outstanding work
and dedicated customer service and support.
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