I've been considering a lot of options with regards to pump selection on my pond and with the main objective being to find something that will last for a long time is reliable and spares are readily available - ALL THIS with the lowest power consumption because Eskom is seriously making us bankrupt nowdays.

My pond is rather large with a 38837 litre capacity with all factors taken into consideration, this requires a flow rate of 19418 litres/2 hours (minimum) or 25891 litres an hour and half (Optimal) or 38837 litres/hour (ideal). Yes I was hard headed in trying to get this off ONE single pump, but why go more...?

Anyway this posed a problem for your standard pool pumps with the emphasis on trying to find something thats low on power consumption but at the same time has the desired flow rates etc.

On my initial searches I came across the BADU Eco touch pump. They are a step up from the usual run of the mill pumps that allow electricity savings which are awesome and life span seemed to be in the region of what I was looking at but when it comes to servicing them... One would need to send the pump back to the manufacturer or a local backyard bugger-it-upper. Which either way is a costly exercise.

I decided to take it a step further and came across a company in Pinetown (Recently relocated to JHB) called Aquaflow Pump Agencies (SPP Pumps), for your reference their number is 086 111 1488.
I spoke to a gentleman by the name of Patrick who I gave my specificaions and requirements of the pump and he sent me some feedback the following day.

I was quoted: R5,897-00 ex VAT with a turnaround of 2-3 days for assembly and the pump including 12 months warranty
I was also told that if I can supply my own electric motor, same size and b3/b5 mount frame d80 I could deduct R1,350-00 off the pump price above and they will fit it to the pump for me.

In our conversation he emphasised that his pumps were of industrial spec and they might be a bit more expensive BUT have a life span of 20 years with seals and other spares being readily available etc. I've been reviewing the line charts and specifications on the pump and I must say I'm taken.

The pump may be a grand odd more expensive than what I'd bargained for on the Eco touch but it may very well be worth every cent! It runs off a 0.75kw motor and runs @ 25m³/h to 40m³/h with a head of 6.1m. Wohooo! Perfect! Patrick told me that all one would need to do to control the flow rate is install a valve on the outlet and you can optimise as required.
I know a lot of you boys/girls here will probably have large/larger ponds than usual so think this will seriously be worth your while electricity wise and for the health of your fish.

I'll let the charts talk for themselves (see attached)

Hi Solbane

Impressive delivery and specs for .75 but the price, quite steep. If I go the high pressure route, I would personally rather go for two smaller pumps consuming more or less the same electricity. If the one goes, the other one can serve as backup until it is fixed, and during some winter periods, you can run only one at a time, saving a lot of energy.