New pump & lighting technology
Complete Aquatics, the company he wholesales for, has four locations across the United States. Eric said they carry 57 different pumps and, out of about 2,000 pumps sold last year, only about a dozen pumps that failed were actually defective. The rest were not maintained properly or were not the right pump for the application. Eric recommends that people talk to an expert who can help them calculate the total dynamic head (a formula using the size of the pipe, pipe length and the elevation pushing the water). He said there is a good calculator on www.pumpworld.com which can be used to determine the total dynamic head.
If the total dynamic head is less than 10 feet, an asynchronous pump will work just fine. It is a magnetic drive with a standard impeller and is very energy efficient. If the total dynamic head is over 10 feet, you will need a direct drive pump, which pushes the water.
"The sure way to kill a pump is pipe size," Eric said. Use a two or three inch pipe instead of a one and a half inch pipe. If you starve the pump for water it will shorten its life time. Direct drive pumps need water to keep them cool so if the water level drops too low it will damage the pump. A low water shut-off valve in the skimmer could eliminate that problem.
In many instances, two pumps are better than one Eric said. Place one in the skimmer and the other on the shelf beside the skimmer. The advantage of using two pumps is that it is more energy efficient and you have a backup if one of the pumps goes out.
Pump maintenance is important, Eric said. One easy thing to do is to put the pump in a 5 gallon bucket with CLR, diluted according to the label, while you are cleaning the pond. It will help break down the calcium buildup. A direct drive pump has oil that should be changed every five years or so. Eric suggested taking it to a small engine repair service rather than trying to change the oil yourself. A direct drive pump needs to be kept moist during winter storage. Leave it in the skimmer or store it in a bucket of water in the garage or basement. An async pump can be stored dry. As a general rule though, once you get a pump wet you need to keep it wet.
Moving on to pond lighting, Eric said huge strides are being made with LED and fiber optic technology. He said that you get more consistent lighting with LED instead of seeing the "line drop" you see in the halogen lights. Line drop meaning that the further away from the transformer a light is, the dimmer the light. New technology comes at a higher price however. A halogen light might cost $80 and only last a year or two whereas a LED light, with a life time warranty, will cost $120. Eric showed some LED "egg lights" which cost about $60, and a 12" Colorfalls light which directs a sheet of water over lights which was pretty expensive. LED and fiber optic lights can be used in or out of the water because they don't generate heat.
An interesting bit of information during the question and answer period was that GFI's can go bad, especially if there is a defective pump that throws the breaker. It is a good idea to put the GFI receptacle in the basement or garage, Eric said, and to replace it every few years.
