Water Features
<p><em><strong>Should I have a water feature in my pond?</strong></em></p>
<h4>Stand alone Waterfall</h4>
<p>Again a very simple and effective water feature, this is a standalone feature is something that for some reason is much bigger in the United States, but there is no reason it cant work anywhere. These again add a relaxing noise and focal point along with much more water movement. It is a feature that is almost as straight forward as the fountain, needing only a small reservoir pool lined by a Flexiliner, a pump, and a waterfall which can be made using a preformed cascade. </p>
<p>Once again your imagination is the only limit...</p>
<h4>Stand alone Fountain</h4>
<p> The Stand Alone Fountain is probably the easiest and simplest form of garden water feature, yet done well can be one of the most effective, creating a nice calming sound along with an attractive focal point. The form that they can take can vary hugely; the basic principle is to have a small container or water reservoir, and a small water pump to pump the water to the top of the fountain. The reservoir can be part of the feature, or hidden completely.</p>
<p><em><strong>What size pump do I need to run my waterfall?</strong></em></p>
<p> The most important part of building a waterfall or stream is the flow rate. Therefore it is important to get the correct pump for the effect you want.</p>
<div>•As a General Rule - each 10cm of width requires 1,000 lph reaching the top of the feature.</div>
<div class="O1">–For example a 50cm wide waterfall needs 5000 lph flowing reaching the top of the feature</div>
<div class="O1"> </div>
<div>•To achieve the desired flow rate you need to choose the correct pump. Therefore you need to know the height at which the pump must provide the desired flow rate.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>•For every increment in vertical height pumped to, a pump will lose power, until it reaches its maximum head height. For example a PondXpertFreeFlow 3,500 will produce:</div>
<p> - 3,500 lph at 0 metres Head Height</p>
<p> - 3,000 lph at 1 metre Head Height</p>
<p> - 2,000 lph at 2 metres Head Height</p>
<p> - 0 lph at 3 metres Head Height (MAX Head Height)</p>
<p>As you can see this flow change is based on a curve and not a straight line, but as a general rule with the size of waterfalls we will work with, you should work on the idea of a pump loosing 1,000 lph for every 1m rise.</p>
<div>•Therefore the PondXpertFreeFlow 3,500 would be good for a waterfall that is:</div>
<p> - 30cm Wide and 1m High</p>
<p> - 20cm Wide and 2m High</p>
<p> - It could not do a 3m High waterfall</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A couple of notes to add;</p>
<div>•The height is measured form the surface of the pond (not the bottom where the pump is situated</div>
<div>•In most situations the length of the waterfall or stream is not really relevant as most people gardens are not big enough for the distance travelled along the pipe laterally to have any significant effect on the flow rate (in theory the longer the pipe the more reduced the flow rate due to friction)</div>
<div>•Depending on the situation it is sometimes advisable to build a small ‘header pool’ to ensure an even flow over the waterfall or stream. This does not need to be big, simply slightly wider than the waterfall, and have enough depth so that some water is held there before it goes down the waterfall.</div>
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