Pond Pump Size Calculator

Use our pond size calculator to use water calculations to calculate pond size and to predict the monthly energy cost of our products.

For Ponds up to 7 Feet Average Depth

You will need to know surface acreage to calculate the size of a surface aerator you need. These are fountains or plain aerators (no display) that float on the surface of your pond, rising and lowering with changes in water levels. A surface acre (one square mile) = 43,560 square feet. A 200 x 200’ pond is nearly one surface acre in size. For ponds of up to 7 feet in depth you will only need to determine length x width. Or take the measurements, and use our calculator below.

For Ponds Over 7 Feet Average Depth

When ponds are over 7 feet in average depth, you will need to know length x width x average depth so that you can calculate acre feet. An acre foot is 1-foot deep x 1-surface acre in size. Surface aerators cannot reach far down into the water, so you will need to use bottom aeration. For bottom aeration of ponds over 7 feet of average depth, you will need to calculate acre feet. For assistance you can call us directly or use the calculator below.

How Do I Know What Size Pump I Need for My Pond?

Before you can determine the pump size for your pond, you need to choose your water feature. Each feature comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all fix. Most importantly, different brands pump different volumes of water no matter the horsepower.

The kind of nozzle used is going to deeply influence the volume of water going into the air.
Nozzles with small holes in them are going to shoot higher and wider, but the size of the holes restricts the flow.

Decorative Fountains

These fountains offer the most versatile and dramatic displays, but the volume of water pumped through the nozzles differs dramatically, too. Remember, it is volume of water traveling out of the nozzle that determines aeration, not the volume of water a pump produces before being restricted by a nozzle.

Aerating Fountains

These fountains produce more aeration than decorative fountains, as they use a propeller instead of an impeller and the propeller produces a V-shape pattern only.

Surface Aerators

Surface aerators also use a propeller but offer no display at all without any restrictions put on the volume of water being pumped into the air.

Bottom Aerators

Bottom aeration for ponds over 7' deep don't use a fountain pump but rather a compressor to pump air into the pond via a compressor at the shore. Air is pumped through a diffuser or series of diffusers.

Companies like Kasco find out their system’s actual flow rates by having them independently tested in sophisticated test tanks. Still, probably because the industry is so unregulated, they don’t publish their flow rates because they would be compared to rates published by competitors who don't have their flow rates tested. But we can find out the actual flow rates if you would like to know.

Understanding how much aeration is needed for your pond and the best aeration system will keep your pond healthy. You can learn more about pond fountain pumps here.

What Size Do I Need?

Kasco offers the following recommendations for their units only:
Decorative Fountains 2 HP motor/surface acre of water
Aerating Fountains 1.5 HP motor/surface acre of water
Surface Aerators 1HP motor/surface acre of water
Bottom Aeration For most ponds, a 1/4HP compressor with a single diffuser will work, but it's best to call for assistance.
Again, these are calculations to be used with Kasco products, and for other brands you will often need much higher horsepower to achieve as much aeration.

Our pond pump size calculator can help you determine what water feature pump will work most efficiently while saving you money on your utility bill. Contact us for more information at (805) 928-8886.

Pond Size Calculator

Electricity Calculator

The average KW hour cost in U.S. is 18 cents, but this rate varies greatly from state to state. You should be able to find out yours by looking at your bill.

Because we get questions about watts and amperage, we have added the two calculators below. If you know watts and voltage, you can calculate amps. If you know amps and voltage, you can calculate watts.