You don't need to be a plumber to build a pond but
you do need to be a bit handy. You'll get a crash course here on
the fittings, valves and other plumbing parts used on the pond so don't
worry. Before we can put the plumbing system on paper (which is
our next step in the Design Process of Pond Doc's Economy Pond Building
Course) we must determine the size and type of piping we'll use.
The
Hose
If the pump is the heart of the pond,
the hose is the artery system. There are 3 types of hose commonly
used in pond construction -- Flex Hose, Hard PVC Pipe and Flex
PVC. Each has its advantages. The common sizes of flex hose
and hard PVC are 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2" and 2" in diameter.
Flex PVC can most often be found in 1 1/2" and 2".
Flex Hose is usually black in color.
1 inch diameter size and larger are most often ribbed (like shown in the
picture). It's the thinnest but most flexible of all the options
and is mostly used with submersible pumps. The advantage of using
flex hose is, by far, ease of installation. Flex hose can be
buried or covered over with mulch.
Hard PVC is the white pipe found at
Lowe's Depot (how's that for not being partial to one company).
It's cheaper than flex hose and flex PVC and is the most durable of the
three choices. The downside to hard PVC is that it is the most
difficult to work with. Hard PVC is most often used in larger
ponds with external pumps and filters. We don't like using it with
submersed pumps because it makes it difficult to pull the pump out
during regular maintenance.
Flex PVC is thick and durable like
hard PVC but it has a bit of flexibility. Use flex PVC whenever
you need the durability of hard pipe but don't want elbows in the
plumbing to impede the pond water flow.
What Type and Size
Hose Do
You Need?
You can use one or all 3 types of
hose in as many sizes as you need. For the economy pond, however,
we find it's better to just go with flex hose the whole way. We
must be able to pull the submersible pump out about once a week to clear
the water intake.
Smaller ponds (up to about 1000
gallons) with waterfalls no larger than a foot wide would use a 1" hose
as a rule. 1200 gph Cal Pumps have 1" fittings for that reason.
I would use 1 1/4" hose for 2000 gph and 1 1/2" for 3000 gph. Use
2" hose on ponds with wide waterfalls because you need a lot of volume
flowing over the waterfall.
You might benefit from using more
than one size of hose. For example, if your filter and/or UV is on
a bypass I would use the size hose the filter uses for the by-pass hose
but you might use a larger size on the line that goes directly back to
the pond via the waterfall.
If you have a fountain or statuary
spitter chances are they use either 1/2" or 3/4" line. You would
tee-off from the main line using a reducing tee with barbed ends and a
valve to control the flow. More on installing tees later...
Our Pond Project:
We will have a wide waterfall on our
project pond and we'll be using a 3500 gph submersible pump. We'll
use 2" flex hose from the pump to the waterfall but I'll cut the size
down to 1 1/2" for the by-pass to fit the filter intake.
Now that I know I'll be using 1 1/2"
flex hose for the by-pass I can order the UV set up with 1 1/2" barbed
fittings. It's Emperor Aquatics' Smart UV - Item #EA02240-X112.
The cost is $279.95
Homework:
Decide what type and size hose you'll
use.
Sketch
Your Plumbing System
Now it's time for the artistic side
of us to come out to play...
Well, not right now - I'm stopping
here. Gotta get some sleep...
