Water garden pumps

Finding the right one the first time

Saving money on a water feature garden pump for your landscaping

There are a wide variety of size pumps available for powering a water garden. The pump you need will be determined by the rate of water flow required and the head of water - that is the height to which the water has to be pumped. 

There are basically two types of water garden pump:  surface and submersible.  The surface pump is generally housed in a small container near the water supply to fed the water feature - usually a garden pond or a specially built water sump back to which the water flows. 

Surface pumps move water along a hose. Although the noise they generate is audible, they can provide a higher head of pressure than a submersible pump and are used where water needs to be moved some vertical distance, such as with some of the bigger waterfall designs. They can also run a numerous smaller water features, where more than one submersible would probably be needed.

Surface pumps are, easier to maintain and repair than submersible models.  However, most people prefer the submersible pumps due their relative silence and the fact they are out of sight under water.  There are a wider range of models and sizes available than with the surface pumps too.

When buying a replacement or aftermarket pump, let your supplier know exactly what your requirements are. The supplier knows these units well and can suggest a pump with correct capacity and head pressure for your setup. You can also consider purchasing a pump with a slightly higher capacity than recommended in case you decide to add another feature to be powered from the same pump.

These pumps are also available in low voltage - 24 volt powered pump motors and regular house voltage powered pump motors. If yours is a new installation, you can go either way - and we have a good review of low voltage pumps for your reading.

If you're replacing an existing system, then it's important to know the power needs of the system currently in place. Heck, these days, you can even find solar powered pond pumps powered by solar panels mounted near the pump or molded directly into the pump by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, they do not work at night.

You have plenty of options when purchasing a water garden pump that meets your needs. They range from low powered and solar drive pumps to high-powered house voltage machines. Which you use depends upon the application.