What to do with your fountain and pump during the winter.

If you live in an area where the climate is warmer and will not freeze the water in your fountain or pond, you can actually leave your pumps running all winter long. If you live in an area where the climate is cold and the water in the fountain or pond will freeze, you will have to do some preparation. First drain the water out of the fountain or pond. Then remove the pump and store in a dry place for safe keeping through the winter months. When the weather starts to warm up, you can reconnect the pump and fill up with water. Please visit our fountain pumps page for more tips at http://www.discount-pumps.biz/fountain-pump.htm 

Pond Fountains in the winter

Now that winter weather is fast approaching, it is time to prepare your pond fountain for freezing temperatures. If you live in a cold climate that freezes your pond during the winter, you have two options with your pond fountain. You can remove it for the winter months. After you pull it from the pond, make sure it is dried out and then store it in a gargage or storage shed. If you choose to keep the fountain in the pond during the winter, please refer to the manufacturers instructions on how to operate the fountain during freezing temeratures. Generally, you must keep the pond fountain running 24/7. this keeps the water from freezing in the fountain, and helps to keep the area around the pond fountain unfrozen. Some fountain manufacturers require a de-icer nozzle to be connected to the fountain for proper de-icing. Keeping an area open around the pond fountain is ideal if you have water fowl. For more pond fountain tips please visit our site at http://www.discount-pumps.biz/floating-fountains.htm

How to make a Wedding Fountain Centerpeice

How to make a Wedding Fountain:

A beautiful fountain centerpiece is a great focal point for your buffet table. It is easy to build and relatively inexpensive.  Here are some design ideas:

1.      You will start with the base that holds the water for your fountain. It can be anything that will coordinate with your wedding décor. A silver or gold bowl that you can find at a craft store. Keep in mind that bigger is better because you want as much height as possible for the most impact. The pump will sit at the bottom of the bowl and it will push the water up thru the fountain display.

2.      Next you will need to decide what you want to put on top of your fountain bowl, where the water is going to come out, and cascade down, back into the fountain bowl. For example, you can use 3 plastic or acrylic champagne glasses, as long as they have a hollow stem. The tube that connects to the fountain pump will also connect to the bottom of the stems and the pump will push the water into the stems, full up the champagne glasses and the water will spill over the glasses and cascade back into the fountain bowl.

3.      You will also need a round acrylic base that will sit about 1 inch below the top of the fountain bowl to mount your champagne glasses on. You will need to drip a hole thru the acrylic base so that the tube can go thru it.

4.      Next you will need a pump. It is best to use a battery operated pump if you do not have an outlet in a convenient and safe place to accommodate the fountain.

5.      Now you are ready to put on the finishing touches. You can use real or artificial flowers at the base of the glasses, on top of the acrylic base.

            For more information on how to select the right pump for your fountain please visit us at

            http://www.discount-pumps.biz/ 

How to calculate GPH for a pond or fountain pump

Measuring gallons per hour

     As a pump pushes water higher in a vertical pipe, gravity creates increased resistance. Therefore the gph of a pump decreases as the discharge height (known as head or lift) increases. The resistance created by forcing water to flow horizontally 10 feet is roughly equivalent to the effect of lifting the water 1 foot vertically. Of your pump forces water 20 feet horizontally, for example, that translates to 2 feet vertically. Knowing this gph at a designated point tells you whether the pump can deliver the quantity of water needed to properly operate a waterfall with the planned spillway’s width, depth, and height as well as its distance from the pump.

     Manufacturers list how many gph a pump recirculates at 1 foot of lift and at other heights. If the height you need is between two listed heights, estimate what you could reasonably expect. For example, of you need 300 gph released 3 feet of head. That same pump might recirculate only 200 gph at 6 feet of lift. It would not be powerful enough to recirculate 300 gph for a 6-foot-high waterfall.

     To build in a margin of error, measure the water distance vertically from the pump, not from the water’s surface. One way or another, avoid skimping on gph. When determining the proper flow rate for a waterfall or stream, figure 150 gph for each inch of spillway width. This rate provides a ½ inch-thick sheet of water over the falls. You’ll also need to know how far the water must travel horizontally in the pipeline. Remember that each 10 feet of horizontal distance creates about as much resistance against the pump as 1 foot of head. Consider a pump that must force water 10 feet in a pipe across the pond bottom and then 5 feet up the pipe to the release point in the waterfall. This is equivalent to a 6 foot head.

     Although some variation exists from rated gph capacity, pumps do not operate at more than their rated gph capacity for each rated height. To be safe, purchase a pump with grater capacity than estimated need. While a pump’s gph cannot be increased, it is easily reduced using a valve on the pipeline or a restrictor using a valve on the pipeline or a restrictor clamp on the flexible tubing that limits the flow of water from the pump to the discharge point. Some pumps come with a built-in valve on the discharge. Any restriction you add should be placed on the water line only after the water exits the pump – never before entering the pump. Pumps easily withstand this restriction. It has the same effect as making the pump push the water higher in the line. For more helpful information please visit us at http://www.discount-pumps.biz/choose-pond-pump.htm