Pond Pump – What size do you need? Pt. 1

Don’t know what size pump you need? Not to worry, you’re not alone in your wondering, and we are here to help clear things up!  Often, people already have a rudimentary fact or two, but, as the saying goes, it really is just enough information to be dangerous. 

Think of it like this, you go to the car salesman, and tell him that you need a car that will hold 8 passengers. He says, sure, we have this mini van right here. It’s perfect for you and your family. Well, he didn’t know that you actually run a senior center, and all of your people are in wheelchairs. So, a mini van is the wrong choice, because the wheelchairs won’t fit. He just didn’t have enough info to help you correctly.

So, when it comes to a pond, most people think that you need to turn it over at least once an hour, which is true for in general, but that is just the beginning!  Now you have to take into account the equipment on the pond. Hang on to your seat, as we go over the rest. 

To start with, we need an example pond, so that we can have a point of reference. 

So, let’s say we have a 15 x 15 x 4 koi pond with a bottom drain, filtered with all top quality, award winning Helix Pond Filtration equipment, that holds 4000 gallons of water. Most people immediately think, “Well, a 4000 gallon per hour pump should do the trick!”, but noooooo, here’s the real deal. 

The bottom drain needs about 3600 gallons an hour running through it, and the skimmer needs about 4000 gallons an hour running through it. That means you need a minimum of 7600 gallons an hour. But wait, there’s more. The head pressure, and pipe friction are going to change that number. 

If the waterfall is sitting on the ground, the head pressure is going to be a bit over three feet, and since you were clever enough to use 3” fittings on all of your connections, pipe friction is at a minimum , so you can use a Helix 8200 external pump, and it will be PERFECT!

As you see, however, that pump is more than twice as big as most people would think that you need, but it will filter this pond very nicely. 

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