What You Must Know About Ponds, Pumps, Pipes & Fittings

Pipes, valves, bends, tubing and fittings are an area of pond keeping that do not get enough attention and the result is that a some stage a problem will appear hat could easily have been avoided by paying attention to this critically important area.

People buy the most expensive pumps, filters and UVC units but skimp on pipe and fittings. The most common error is using pipe that is too small in terms of diameter and this has a significant effect upon pump flow rate. Another common mistake is to use "T" pieces where you need to make a pipe change direction ... it's far better to use the right type of pipe or tubing (black ribbed hose is best by far).

Anu fittings made fro metal should be at least stainless steel quality. Plastic is better in most cases.

Here's an introduction to selecting pipe and fittings correctly for most garden fish pond situations ...

• Flexible pipe or tubing is easier and better than rigid PVC pipe. The possible exception is for a large koi pond with significant investment in civil and mechanical engineering.

• You MUST use the largest diameter pipe or tube you can attach to your pump in order to reduce friction losses and pressure drop (this lowers water flow rate) in the pipe system

• Always use the shortest possible piping run in order to reduce pressure drop. The shorter pipe runs lower the pressure drop in a system which means more water will flow from the same pump.

• Use opaque (instead of clear or transparent tubing) piping since this prevents algae growth in pipe by excluding sunlight ... algae growth restricts water flow considerably if it builds up in the pipe.

• Minimise use of pipe fittings. Only use a fitting if absolutely necessary. Every fitting will create friction losses and reduce flow from your selected water pump. This is certainly true for sharp bends, and "T" pieces.

• If you use jubilee clips to fasten hoses to equipment try to use plastic or stainless steel. This will make life much easier later when you come to try and undo a clip.

• If you need to join 2 pieces of pipe together use smooth thin walled connectors securely fastened to prevent the pipe coming apart.

• BEWARE FILTER OVERFLOWS ... If the pipe comes off your filter box, or waterfall inlet the garden pond will empty with possibly catastrophic results. It is suggested that you position filters and externally connected equipment in such a way that water can always run back into the pond if a pipe becomes detached or a filter box overflows for example (you might even think of placing a piece of liner on a slight incline and sit the filter on this then cover wit pebbles to hide). Dirty water is better than no water.