What System Is Better Pump Fed Or Gravity?
At Cotswold Koi we would strongly recommend a Gravity System over a Pump Fed System below is information on both.
The core elements of The pump Fed system involve a pump positioned in the pond and a filter located at the pond’s edge. The pump is responsible for drawing water from the pond and directing it into a filter. Subsequently, the filtered water flows back into the pond through gravity, typically using a large-diameter pipe that keeps it safely above the danger level.
The main advantages of this setup are its ease of installation and if the pond was built without a Bottom Drain. This can make it a cost-effective option. However, there are some drawbacks to consider. Firstly, the pump is housed in a cage designed to prevent it from sucking up your fish, but this cage can also block the pump from collecting larger debris, such as leaves. Consequently, it can become clogged and accumulate a significant amount of debris, necessitating regular cleaning.
Positioning the pump before the filter means that any debris will pass over the pump first. This increases the likelihood of the debris being shredded by the pump’s impeller, making it more difficult for the filter to remove it from the water. This can ultimately lead to the impeller becoming clogged again, necessitating a cleaning. The pump is connected to the filter box through a flexible pipe. While this setup is effective and reliable when new, over time and with repeated use, the pipe can become brittle and develop cracks. If a crack occurs above the water line, which is a common issue, there have been several instances where the pump ends up draining the entire pond into the garden, leaving the fish stranded.
A UV clarifier is often employed in a garden pond to clear green water. In a system that uses a pump, it must be connected directly after the pump and before the filter, ensuring that dirty water is continuously cycled through the UV clarifier. This process can lead to a build up on the quartz sleeve, which reduces its effectiveness and requires regular maintenance to address also the suction created by the pump is designed to flow in one direction, which means that it won’t clean all areas effectively; instead, it tends to keep the area closest to the pump inlet tidy. The filter itself might be generally ineffective or simply too small for the size of the pond. Often, a filter can become clogged fairly quickly, leading to an ‘overflow’ condition.
The pipes can appear unsightly as they cross the pond wall, especially if they weren’t integrated into the pond’s design. However, don’t let the visible pipes discourage you; instead, use this information to your advantage. Now that you know what to look out for with your pump-fed system, if you manage your setup properly and keep it organized, it will function smoothly and efficiently for you.
Gravitation Feed systems This is a preferred option for larger ponds, but its main drawback is that it must be incorporated into your pond from the beginning, making it challenging to retrofit into an existing pond. The filter you use must be specially designed to operate with a gravitation feed, and it needs to be positioned at a height that ensures the water level in the filter matches the water level in your pond. Depending on the type of pond you have, you may need to excavate to properly install the filter.
The main issue with a gravity feed system is that the pump is not situated underwater. Additionally, it is crucial to highlight that the pump is installed after the filter instead of before it, which is typical in systems that rely on pumps. As previously noted, the filters are set at the same height as the pond and are linked to a large pipe referred to as the gravitational feed, which ends at a drain situated at the back of the pond.
Due to the connection between the pond and the filters, along with the gravitational feed system, removing water from the filter will trigger an automatic replenishment driven by gravity. This happens because water will naturally seek its own level, and we leverage this principle for our advantage. By placing a pump at the end of the filter and using it to try to drain water back into the pond, any water we extract will be immediately replaced by the gravitational feed system.
The benefits of this setup Firstly since the pump is positioned above the water, it’s easy to access for maintenance tasks. Secondly, the pump is located after the filter, which means it only has to handle clean water. This arrangement minimizes the need for maintenance and prevents debris from being chopped up before it reaches the filter. Thirdly, the UV light is also placed after the pump, ensuring that only clean water flows over it, which further reduces maintenance requirements. and Lastly, the filter feed typically uses a 4-inch diameter pipe, allowing it to accommodate larger debris, such as leaves and blanket weed, without the risk of blocking the pump.