I have been looking on the internet to see if I can find a pump for you that will handle a maximum headspace of at least 23 feet. Most of them are rated for 11-14 feet. You will need to check the max head spacing on these pumps as this is the footage from your grist mill to your pond. This is important - if you use a pump that is only rated for 11.6 feet, the push in your pump is going to be greatly compromised.

Another thing to consider, 3/4" hosing is going to greatly reduce the flow coming out of your pump. If you can find a pump that accommodates 2" hosing, then this should help your waterflow. You are going to need all the help you can get with the waterflow as the teeing more hoses will compromise your waterflow as well.

Thanks - I know I need to go to larger pipe size and keep the head pressure in the equation. Was hoping to get additional comments from "voices of experinece"

I have been pounding for 12 years. Even went the way of the grist mill with my second pond. This pond is my 3rd one.

Carolyn, your pond is beautiful!

mckool - I am a real noob, but I'll share my experience ...

first, pondliner.com has a head pressure calculator that is surprisingly accurate for my situation (which I will post in a follow up thread). Also, buyorsell wrote at some point that pondliner will do exchanges if your pump size is wrong. At least I think she did. Our size worked out great.

I am using a pondmaster 2400. I upsized the 1" output to 2" then went to a 2" manifold that output 1". That is working very well for us.

PS - hubs and I love your water wheel. Now I'm thinking of ways to add a water wheel to our expansion.

~dianne

Here is a link that might be useful: headspace calculator

Shalom, Thanks Dianne, it's a neat tool. My bigger concern is for the suction lift which will be about 36" from a retro bottom drain into the pump. that's where I was hoping for some input from the members.

Splashing is a concern for me on my wheel, I think the sides are too shallow and where the water hits the wheel it sprays out in a fan shape, but that may be the cost of ownership to some degree.

Dianne

Thank you. Neat tool.

McKool - I would try the bigger hose on the pump you have first before buying another pump. I don't think the 36" is going to be your issue. The 23 feet will be your issue.

You indicated there is splashing on your gristmill. If there is something you can do to try to minimize as much of this as possible, that would be best. Perhaps some plastic sheeting and then some rocks to hide the sheeting - the wood of your gristmill will absorb the water. Wood is very porous and will absorb water. Has anything been done to the waterwheel so this will not absorb the water?

Carolyn, Thanks for the input. The current pump is working okay with the head and a larger hose would greatly assist the flow, even tho the pump dichareg is 1". The reason for the pump change is the current pump, and it's backup are submersibles with a screened intake and to connect a suction tube for using a bottom drain I need a pump with an threaded(NPT) inlet so the pump will draw from the pond bottom and, as well, I'll install a 3/4" tee in the suction line so the skimmer will continue to function as well.

I have a screening plan to catch the water drippingoff the backside of the water wheel Th splashing of concern is where the water hits the wheel at around the 11 O'clock position and splahes outward in a fan shape.
Since this wheel is small 2' diameter, the pockets are shallow, allowing the splashing. a larger wheel will not have this problem.

Since I knew I'd need a new pump to handle the suction for the bottom drain, I decided to install the waterwheel and another pressurized filter knowing the 1" pipe would need to be replaced, so whatever I do this year will need to last with the least amount of maintenance as possible

The treatment I used on the wood is to give it a 4-5 year aging affect in a few months, so about mid fall I'll shut it down and give it a coat of marine poly and restart the wheel in the spring

Thanks, again

Have you looked at the newer generation of Pondmaster/Proline pumps? The newer hybrid pumps are supposed to have both the power for your lift and the energy and efficiency of the mag drive pumps. They start at 1600 gph. I like the fact that there is no oil in them.

Also, September is around the corner - pond supplies tend to be on sale at that time. I know I save a fortune every Fall - that is when I buy my pond supplies.

Here is a link that might be useful: hybrid pumps

Carolyn; thanks again - good tips. Didn't think about the September.

First the headspace calculator is not very accurate. Their example that they give, the only way to get 11 ft of total head or 6 ft of dynamic head if you use 1.5" piping as an example would be to try to force 3600 gph through the piping. Most pond pump manufacturers are going to tell you that anytime you exceed 5ft of head per 100 ft of pipe on a friction chart you need to go to a larger diameter pipe. In their calculator they used 18ft per 100 ft of pipe. If their calculator told you to go to larger pipe to keep in the 5 ft per 100 ft of pipe the head pressure would go from 11 ft of head pressure down to less then 7 ft of head pressure. They are wanting you to have to buy a larger pump than you need. But something is better than nothing.

The question becomes how much water do you need at each devise and how much head pressure does each devise require to operate?
Mike

Mike, Thanks - yeh - it told me I had 3200' of head. The waterwheel doesn't take much water and what I need is about 600gph at the filter to turn the pond on an hourly basis and I know I'm mnot getting that now, but then I'm using 1" pipe which is restrictive as well.

So with only about 5' vertical head, it's the fitting tht eat up the head - with all that being said the Jabaco pump in service is either 1200gph or 1600gph rated, and all is working fine, except that the flow is not as much as I'd like and I cannot connect a retro bottom drain to this pump which is really my key issue for pond maintenance as I have a heavy fish load.

The flow rate is restricted due to 1" pipe size, and if I didn't want the bottom drain, I'd repipe with 1.5" and stay with the pumps I have.

Thought I'd see what others may have learned and that I'd get some lessons learned by others.