What is your Pond Pump Flow Rate - How To Measure Your Pump Flow Rate - Fitting A Flow Meter

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

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[@beedonskoi5101]

Great bit of info there, amazing how.much power is lost👍

[@just4koi143]

What a coincidence me and lau was taking bout this today and you have put out a video 🤣👍🏻

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

I've been recording, editing, researching and re doing this for about three weeks. It is a complicated subject and the only thing I know and can guarantee is that the Performance Tables are not based on a pump (Dry or Submersible) being part of a set up. People simply think a 20000 or 10000 is pumping that mount, how wrong they are

[@just4koi143]

@@AKoiEnthusiast longer the pipe length less flow from pumps 👍🏻

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

@@just4koi143 The more bends and the tighter the bends the less flow, again

[@just4koi143]

@@AKoiEnthusiast yes mate I 💯 agree with you 👍🏻

[@just4koi143]

I haven’t seen the flow meter that you are using, there is pressure fitting digital ones on absolute koi they seem expensive bet well worth having

[@martystules8567]

Great update, very informative

[@shaunleonard8146]

Nice one Kev.

[@ACKoi]

good information to have cheers kev 👍👍👍

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Thanks 👍

[@IcenI_Koi]

Good info there Kev, stay safe & well.

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers my friend

[@warwickshirekoipond9964]

Very good video thanks 👍🏻👍🏻

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Tim

[@progressivepondkeeping]

Wow that's eye opening mate thanks for making this video Kev 👍

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Leon. It may upset a few people but the facts speak for themselves. Your Pump is not doing what you think it is

[@progressivepondkeeping]

@@AKoiEnthusiast yes mate very helpful mine must be slowed down loads with small pipe and a high head

[@LeTwistedOne]

Awesome video mate 👍👍👍keep them coming 👍👍👍

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Thanks a lot

[@ticky4627]

Greetings from Boza Kev another good informative video 👍

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers my friend. Which part of Boza.

[@ticky4627]

@@AKoiEnthusiast woodhouse lane at the bottom of the hill

[@carollycett1329]

Very interesting video thank you 🙏🐟🐟🐟🐟🙏

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers for watching Carol

[@davecooke914]

Great video really interesting eye opener 👍

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Dave, It is something people take for granted and never really check

[@claytongraves4610]

Hi m8 love the videos , I've already fitted 1 of those flow meters into my system, is it still OK to calibrate now it has been plumbed in cheers clayton

[@paulburt9183]

Interesting that mate, surprising how much loss there is with no head, makes you wonder with the baki showers when people say you must have at least x amount of flow to make it work, how many are actually achieving that flow when they’re pumping a meter above their ponds? Think most would be getting less than half of what it shows on their control panels.

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers PAul, This was the reason I did the Video. People keep saying why is there Pond green etc. Everyone mention UV's, turn over rates and Filters but nobody says anything about loss of flow rate. There will be people genuinely believing they are getting exactly what the pump tells them.

[@rickvaux5204]

I looked at flow rates and the calculations last year when I was designing my system, It can be a nightmare, but with careful management of pipework, it's still a bloody nightmare 😀

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Rick. When I rebuilt the Pond every bend was a slow sweeping 90 or a series of 45's to try and reduce flow rate loss. Even if I had gone 2" I would still have had restrictions with the UV and Skimmer filter which are both 1 1/2". Maybe next years project will be swap to 2" and add another module on the Oase

[@rickvaux5204]

@@AKoiEnthusiast I've gone with 1.5 throughout on the returns, will order the flow meter and install, will be interesting to see the results from two 10000 vari pumps, one from the filter and the other from the skimmer. Not sure if the skimmer will return via the tempest to the pond or a shower or moving bed, all TBD. Head loss will mainly be on the tempest as the 2 returns will be 400mm higher than the pump and only 1m in length. Still getting my head around the plumbing tho. The uv will be on one line so needs isolation if I need to treat. Also an ASHP needs to be factored in, do I link that into the return from the tempest or the pump from the filter....

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

@@rickvaux5204 I put one on the Skimmer line (20000 Pump) which not only goes through a Pressure Filter but then up to a Bakki. Interesting Flow Rate. When you get a Meter like this try and double check the K Factor to make sure it is correct for water as different chemicals have different Specific Gravities etc. That's why I added a clip of it directly on a pump with no restrictions

[@ianevans3898]

Very interesting video .. but i think I'm going to have to start saving up for a bigger pump 🤔🤔 mine will be a lot less than i need i think !!!! Stay safe

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers for watching Ian, Apparently every Metre of Pipe reduces the flow and every sweeping bend etc is equivalent to an extra 1.5 Metres of pipe. Then you chuck in an ASHP or Bakki and the flow rate is crippled

[@SylviaGoode]

what is th K factor ??????

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

The K Factor is basically the calculated number to enter to give you the correct specific gravity of the different liquids. It sounds complicated but the supplier should be able to confirm the K Factor (The figure to enter)

[@aussiejock423]

Did you use NPT connectors on the meter?

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers AJ. I used 2 x 1 1/2” BSP Male plain Sockets and 2 x 1 1/2” Straight Rubber Connectors. Quick and easy.

[@aussiejock423]

@@AKoiEnthusiast Well that saves spending stupid money! Mega - keep the info going 👍

[@edlesboroughkoipondstevech3546]

Hi, interesting video. After watching i had a gander on the web to see what i can find. The ones i found were 1" NPT and gave a working range of 15-120 litres per minute which equals 7200 litres per hour. Is it possible you are trying to measure flow which is outside of its working parameters? I could have got it all wrong of course and not for the first time. Does the blurb that comes with the unit state its IP rating at all? Finally can you let me have the link to the one you bought please. Cheers

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Steve, I know what you are thinking. I'm not saying these are infallible as the price doesn't come close to some of the flow meters. I wouldn't swear by it but for this example I checked the unit against a 10,000 lph pump and "Verified" the flow rate so I know that it was suitable and working. The one I ordered was 1 1/2" which covers flow rates from 40lpm to 280lpm. I also tried it on a 30000 pump off camera and it went up to 480lpm which is slightly out of what it should have been. The link for this unit and details are on my Facebook Page as it is too long to add on here. There are several unbranded/Chinese versions on Fruugo.co.uk and the prices range from £30 to £100. There are also models on Amazon/E Bay and Online from £30 to £500 all very similar.

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

When I was researching this I had long conversations with the Technical Team at Oase and they pointed an interesting fact out that most (Not all) 10000 Pumps will pump 10000 at pond level but will drop down to less than half that at 1 metre above the water level. That is without anything attached. The smaller the pipes and the more the flow rate will drop. They now mention it on some of their websites against certain pumps and filters

[@edlesboroughkoipondstevech3546]

Thanks for the reply, i am tempted to buy a couple of them as my secondary filter system which is split between two systems and a bypass has to be balanced to prevent the pond water turning the lawn into a paddy field when it overflows. I would be interested to see how much is going through the different systems. Unfortunately these are all outside in the elements. I cant find any info that states the IP ratings on any of them. Its amazing that the huge majority look the same but vary so much in price. Keep up the good work@@AKoiEnthusiast

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

@@edlesboroughkoipondstevech3546 Cheers. The price of some are the same as a high end Pond Pump or an Eazypod

[@douglassmith4474]

hi What make is the flow rate meter please

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Thanks for watching Douglas. If you type "pond digital flow meter" into Google then click on the images, you will see a variety of makes from GPI (Expensive) to a variety of makes. Mine is a Lexiang and the flow rate is 40LPM - 280LPM. They are also on Amazon (Link in Description) and they range from £30 up to £300 depending on size and make. Finding the K Factors is the hardest bit.

[@douglassmith4474]

@@AKoiEnthusiast Thanks for that now just need to wait for delivery

[@douglassmith4474]

Same as yours but says 38-380 from Amazon

[@boxtriker]

Surprised me how much loss of flow you had i think we all over estimate how much flow we are getting from a pump when its fitted

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Cheers Martyn. I agree we are just hobbyist and don't fully appreciate the science involved. The performance charts and bragging rights of Pumps only talk about maximum in a perfect set up., but we all have some sort of restriction whether it be bends, UV's, Waterfalls, Bakki's, ASHP etc. It's a bit like the Maximum MPG our cars are supposed to have. Does anyone ever get close the advertised figures.

[@nothingatall781]

Hi, you calibrated the meter to your vari-pump, but your pump will be wrong, so you have just made that meter worthless. Even using ultra-sonic meters none of the flow rates stated by the manufacturers are accurate. They are all miles out. You need to calibrate the meter with a "KNOWN" flow rate first

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

Thanks for watching and commenting but what makes you think the Pump is wrong. I know there are variants on pumps but you would expect a Brand New Pump working at the surface level with nothing connected to be fairly close to the manufacturers recommendations, Wouldn't You? Pondxpert Technical think it is the closest you could get. Even saying that the point of the flow meter was more to prove how much loss in flow you could expect with equipment attached rather than proving exactly how many lph you have.

[@nothingatall781]

@@AKoiEnthusiast Because I have tested brand new out the box pumps by leading manufacturers and they are all out, by a long way, and I mean every single one of them. An EA 20,000l does no more than 13,000 for example

[@AKoiEnthusiast]

@@nothingatall781 That is an interesting exercise, I would love to see that Video. What equipment did you use to prove the flow rates especially if you have proven all the Pumps are out. I hope you reported them to Trading Standards

[@nothingatall781]

@@AKoiEnthusiast Calibrated Ultra sonic flow meter

[@nothingatall781]

You could check your data using the most simplest of methods, and fill a known capacity vessel at max rate, and time it precisely. Do this 5 times, and take the mean