Getting the most from any pond pump involves more than just buying what appears to be efficient ‘off the shelf’. OASE’s Danny Crook explains how the wrong hosing can pile on the pounds.
NORMALLY, I’D WRITE an article that tries to keep things simple, to take the strain away from working calculations and making difficult choices. However, with the current rise in the cost of living—especially the cost of electricity—it’s time to get technical; to get super-efficient and save not just every possible penny, but some serious £££££££££’s.
I’ve written before about choosing the right pump and design before. Years of time and effort goes in to designing a product that will deliver you performance, longevity and efficiency if used and installed properly. Don’t spend extra money on an efficient pump and then install it incorrectly. Work to the pump’s strengths and to how it was designed to reduce running costs and save money. Energy is saved in manufacture by thoughtful, well researched design, improving hydrodynamics and reducing the coil sizes inside the pumps. Using premium materials (neodinium magnets create much faster spin for less consumption) really saves money long term.
However, in practice, reducing electrical consumption reduces pressure. It’s easy to increase the maximum flow of the pump, but performance drops quickly if you don’t give this lack of pressure due consideration. The pressure that a pump produces and how it uses that pressure is incredibly important.
Straight from the box
In the future, all pump manufacturers will work towards decreasing consumption. However, this will often inevitably be at the expense of pressure performance. It will therefore become more important in the future to make your pond (or aquarium) system as efficient as possible to get the most from any pump purchase.
Maximum flow – This is often a misleading figure on the box and pump label. If you really need a precise turnover rate of 10,000 LPH (litres per hour), then do not buy a 10,000-rated pump. Generally, you will never get 10,000 LPH from a 10,000 pump. 10,000 LPH is the flow rate that the pump produces as the water exits the pump unimpeded.
As soon as you screw on the hosetail and put the hose on to the pump then the flow rate will drop. And as soon as the pump casing gets even a little bit dirty, the flow rate will drop even more. You need to find a pump that will deliver you 10,000LPH where you need it and through the pipework that you are choosing to use. This is why the next two paragraphs a
