The weather has changed to cold and rainy on Friday – and we had more of the same today – what a change from the warm spell that peaked in the low 80’s on Thursday. So, its early Saturday morning, I grab a cuppa and go to sit by the pond – and … the upper pond is almost empty – the pump isn’t running! Its been a year since I bought the Beckett pond kit with the little 200 gph (gallons per hour) pump – but I’d hoped it would last longer than this. I’d just ordered a biofalls and filter box to give filtering – its due mid-week and I planned to redo the “plumbing” next weekend – but I guess I don’t get the chance. So, I read up on specs – figuring that the pond has a capacity of 1500 gallons MAX, decided the 200 gph pump wasn’t near enough. After a Saturday morning trip to Home Despot (something I usually avoid like the plague), I came home with a new 800 gph Beckett pump – and promptly found out that my existing buried hose is way to small for that flow rate! Another trip to Home Despot and I returned with a quick connect flange and 20 foot of reinforced 1inch ID clear tubing. This is big, stiff stuff! I just hope the filter box thats on the way is big enough to house this pump. I dropped the pump into an old mesh waterplant box, lowered it into the pond, and laid the hose on the ground and place it between some bricks in the slate pile that was
the old waterfall. I plugged the pump in, and … WOW … we now have RAPIDS running down the upper pond. Much louder splashing and gurgling … I sure the flow slows a bit once I put the biofalls and its filter-media in place … But the goldfish will like the higher flow rate – they really like having a current to swim against – its big fun for them! Its ugly now, with the big hose laying on the ground, but it makes no sense to dig a trench and bury the hose until I have all the new parts and can lay it out properly. I’ll take pictures once its all settled in.