Ponds and Water Gardens - pump recommendations?

I need to find a good pump for our pond. We have a 9'x6'x3' deep upper and 8'x5'x3' deep lower with a 5' wide water fall between the two.

I estimate that we need at least 3500gph for a decent sheet over the edge.

I'm looking at the CalPump Torpedo Series T4000. Is this a good quality pump? Any other suggestions?

Thanks for your feedback.

The first thought that came to my mind was "pool pump". :coffee:

I basically have the same question. I'm wanting to install a series of ponds that dump from one to the other. I was wondering how far is too far between the pump and the bottom pond. I found some info about pump size vs pond size here (http://www.thediyhomepro.com/a00011.html), but they don't cover how far the max distance can be. Do I need a stronger pump for longer distances? Hopefully this makes sense.

The pump submerges in the bottom pond and pushes the water to the top.

Cal is a good pump, so is Pondmaster.

fred

I basically have the same question. I'm wanting to install a series of ponds that dump from one to the other. I was wondering how far is too far between the pump and the bottom pond. I found some info about pump size vs pond size here (http://www.thediyhomepro.com/a00011.html), but they don't cover how far the max distance can be. Do I need a stronger pump for longer distances? Hopefully this makes sense.

Distance is not the biggest problem, HEIGHT is.

There are many different types of pumps and they all have different characteristics, likes and dislikes. Some are submersible while others are up on dry land where they are easier to service. Some are efficient at moving a large volume of water without much head (cannot push the water high up a hill for a tall waterfall), while another pump of the same power will move less water but can push it up a tall hill. Most pond pumps will work "well enough" for most home water features. If you want to maximize efficiency, and minimize your electricity bill getting the proper pump and proper plumbing can make a difference.

In general most pumps are better at "pushing" water than they are at sucking water, so most often the pump is located near the bottom pool. Keep the infeed pipe as short as possible and use proper (sometimes larger) size tubing to minimise the resistance. Because the water on the output side of the pump is pressurized it is easier to move it a greater distance.

Pipe length does matter over longer distances but as fewalt mentions, height that the pump must push/lift the water is the biggie. Here (http://www.aquaticeco.com/calculators/pump-calculator.htm) is a good calculator that will take into account your pipe size, length, bends and lift head if you really want to get technical. Play around with changing the parameters and you will see what effect they have. You will see that undersizing the pipe or adding 90 degree bends really hurts.