Pond Pumps for Garden Water Features

It can be a daunting and confusing task choosing pond pumps due to the variety of manufacturers, styles and sizes available. This article discusses the types of pond pumps available to buy and how one might use them.

Fountain pumps are the most common pumps available. They are designed to give a fountain effect to the centre of your water feature, pond or pool. They come complete with a variety of fountain jets and fountain jet extensions.

Fountain Pump Hint: Avoid using a fountain pond pump to power a filtration system; this will lead to issues with water clarity.

Filter pumps have solids handling capabilities, this is so they can pump any free floating debris from the pool and pass it to a filter system, thus keeping your pond clear and free of debris. Most of these pumps can pump particles such as plant matter, leaves, pebbles, blanket weed, fish waste up to 8mm in diameter.

Their solids handling capability means they do not block up very often, therefore maintenance can be reduced to a minimum.

Filter Pump Tip: If you want a fountain and filter system in your pond then add a fountain pump and a filter pump. The fountain pump shouldn’t block up because the filter pump will remove all the free floating debris.  

Water features designs are wide and varied from shop bought sculptures to converted watering cans. Feature pumps usually have a high pumping pressure while being small in design so are ideal pumps for water features. These are hardy pond pumps and can be positioned dry or in shallow waters.  

Water Feature Pump Hint: A deciding factor on which size pump you use for your water feature is the size of the pipe that the water runs through to the top. The wider the pipe the less restriction on the pumps flow rates. Narrow tubing will require a larger pump which will cost more.