How to Calculate Your Pond Fountains
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Pole and string
Level
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- There are two basic fountain types, the spray and the jet. There are many variations like bubblers and misters. Choosing the type of fountain spray you will create is a determining factor in calculating the lift for your pump. Choosing a jet type fountain with a high vertical spray means more lift is needed than if you had chosen a horizontal mushroom-style spray head. Following some simple rules will make calculating for your pump size an easy task.
Instructions
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Calculate Lift or "Head" for Fountain Only
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1
Measure the distance from the spot on the bottom of your pond or water feature where the fountain pump will sit to the top of the emitter where the water will come out. This is the rise for your pump.
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2
Add the height of the jet that will come out of the fountain, or the width of the spray that will be emitted to your calculation. The total is the amount of lift your pump will need to produce.
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3
Check to be sure that the "maximum lift" or "maximum head" for your pump is more than your total rise. It should be as much or more than the second total. You will get zero flow at the maximum lift, so if the distance from the pump to the top of the emitter is 3 feet and your maximum lift is 3 feet you will have no spray.
Calculating Waterfall Fountains
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4
Measure the width of your waterfall and multiply this by 50 to get the gallons per hour needed for your waterfall fountain, called the flow rate. A waterfall 24 inches wide x 50 will require a 1,200 gph pump so your flow rate is 1200.
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5
Measure the basic lift for your waterfall. This is the vertical distance measured straight up from the top of the pond to the top of the waterfall. Drive a pole in at the edge of the pond. Run a string from it to the top of the waterfall and level it. Measure from the water's surface up to the string. For this example assume a lift of 2 feet.
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6
Measure the amount of tubing going from the pump to the top of the waterfall. For every 10 feet of tubing 1 inch of lift is lost. For this example assume 30 feet of tubing is needed so you lose 3 inches of lift.
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7
Use a flow rate chart like the one available at PondUSA.com to find your friction loss. You will need the diameter of tubing used to get from the pump to the waterfall. By the chart a 1200 gph pump using 1 inch tubing has a loss of 22.8 inches.
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8
Multiply the friction loss by the inches of lift lost, 22.8 inches x 3 inches, the total is 68.4 inches. Divide this by 12 to get a measurement in feet, 5.7 feet. Add the 2 feet of lift (vertical distance from pond surface to waterfall top above) to this measurement to make 7.7 feet. This is your total lift or "head" for the waterfall pump.
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Tips & Warnings
Install a fountain head above the surface of the water to achieve the best effects.
Use stainless steel screw clamps to secure the tubing onto your pump and prevent it coming off.
Briefly heat tubing that was included in a fountain kit but seems too tight to go on the pump by dipping the end briefly in boiling water. The heat will make the tubing stretch and it will be easier to get on the pump.
Never start a submersible pump dry, you will burn the motor and ruin the pump.
Choose an outdoor pump with a good three-year or better guaranty. Pumps are subjected to temperature differences, floating debris, growing algae and other hazards. A short guarantee may mean the pump is not suited to outdoor use.
