Can You Use a Sump Pump With a Pond or Water Feature?

A sump pump is designed to pump water out of your sump, a basin that catches water in your basement. If you have an old sump pump and you are adding a water feature to your yard, you may be wondering if you can use your sump pump.

Unfortunately, while they do the basic job of pumping water through a filter, sump pumps are not designed for use with landscaping water features or ponds. Here is what you need to consider:

1. Sump pumps are typically not the most energy efficient pumps.

Sump pumps are designed to run as needed, and because of that, they are not always designed with efficiency in mind. New models of sump pumps are usually more energy efficient than older pumps, but they still tend to be less efficient than other types of pumps.

In particular, if you invest in a pump designed to be used with a water feature, that pump is made to be used all the time and designed with efficiency in mind. For real efficiency, try using a magnetic drive pond pump.

2. Sump pumps are not designed to be used constantly.

In addition to being less efficient, sump pumps may wear down if you use them all the time. They are simply not designed to be used like that. You can counteract this fact by attaching a timer to your sump pump so that it turns on and off, and if you have a water feature that does not need a lot of filtration that may work.

However, if you have a pond full of fish or ducks, the water may need to be pumped through the filter on a regular basis to keep it clean.

3. Sump pumps tend to run hot.

Again, because they are not designed to run constantly, sump pumps tend to become hot if you leave them on constantly. Their heat may heat up the water in your water feature and that could cause bacteria to grow, fish to die or other issues to occur.

In contrast, if you invest in a submersible pump designed for use with water features, you don't have to worry about it unnecessarily heating up the water, taking up too much energy or needing a timer.

To learn more about whether or not a sump pump will work with your water feature, contact a pump expert from a company like Slater H & Son Pty Ltd. They can talk with your about pumping facts, and if a sump pump doesn't work for your situation, they can point you toward a pump that will work.


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