The pump is the heart of any water feature
Get the power right
Your water feature pump should be powerful enough to recirculate all the water in your feature at least once every two hours, and preferably once an hour. So for instance, if you have a 1500 litre pond, the absolute minimum you should consider is a 750 litre-per-hour pump. If your feature needs to move water upwards, as with a fountain or waterfall, you will need an even stronger pump to be able to counteract the effects of gravity. Waterfalls in particular need strong pumps, because of the large volume of water required to keep the falls moving.
If you’re in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of too much power, since you can always turn down the pump once you have it installed. If your feature is a fountain that includes jets of water, be sure your pump is not too powerful. If the jet goes too high, you’ll lose a lot of water to the wind.
Call the professionals
Most pumps require a connection to mains power. This will often mean running a power line out to the location where you want to place the feature. This is NOT a DIY project – get a professional electrician to do it for you! Although some newer pumps do utilise lower-voltage power, which is safer for a non-electrician to handle, it’s better to engage professional help if in any doubt.
