Garden Water Pumps - the heart of your water feature

Garden water pumps provide the power to circulate the water through your fountain, stream or cascade. In some cases pumps are used to drive a pond filter.

A garden water pump will need an electrical source and this doesn't mean running an extension cord out of the back window!

Most of the pumps used for water features are going to be of the submersible type (meaning they operate under water). Sometimes an inline pump may be used if there is insufficient room to hide a submersible pump in your pool. In this case the inline pump can be hidden behind a rock, a plant or some other feature.

Buying Garden Water Pumps

Generally speaking you will only need to buy pumps separately if you are replacing one that is burnt out, or if you are constructing your water feature from scratch. The reason for this is that most new water features are sold as kits which include an appropriate pump.

If you need to purchase a pump, here is what you need to know.

• Submersible or inline (not submersible).
• Size (pumping capacity) measured in GPH (gallons per hour) or GPM (gallons per minute). For a garden pond, your pump should be able to pump at least half of the pond's water volume per hour.
• Length of power lead
• Warranty period

How long will my pump last?

Typical pump life is 1 to 3 years for cheaper pumps with a 1 year warranty. Better quality pumps with longer warranties (say 5 years) can last 8 years and more. Of course your pump will fail earlier if you don't maintain it properly.