when reading through the following pages. Im a doer by nature
but feel this is important enough to try and pass on. Try being the key word, I hope it
helps some of you about to take on these huge endeavors we call ponds.

I dont know where to start as this subject is huge. Let me start by saying Im no engineer
or math wiz, all that Ill write about was pieced together from time spent here at Koiphen,
other boards, and personal experiences while building my ponds. There may be more
information available but this is a good starting point for most people wanting to build a
pond. The good news is Ill try and speak in the absolute simplest terms I can. If I screw
up some of the terminology Im sure the technical types will let me know.

Its hard not to start with the basics of good Koi pond design but thats an entirely
different subject and can be addressed elsewhere. The plumbing principles that Ill try to
discuss are universal to all ponds.

The one overriding principle to keep in mind, as it weaves into all aspects of pond
plumbing, is that water will try to seek its own level. Repeat after me: Water will seek
its own level!

The next most important thing is to plan your pond and plumbing ahead of time.

Garrett














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©2006 Garrett A. Klein

INDEX

For easy reference Ill index page numbers here.

1)

Intro
2)

Index
3)

Planning
4)

Physical piping
5)

Sweep Elbows
6)

Flexible PVC
7)

Pipe Elevations
8)

Head Explained
9)

Flooded Suction vs. Suction Lift
10)

Measuring Head
11)

Static Head Examples
12)

Friction Head
13)

Reading The Friction Loss Chart
14)

Friction Loss Chart
15)

Friction Example 2 Pipe
16)

Friction Examples 2 Pipe w/Sweeps
17)

Friction Example 3 Pipe
18)

Friction Example Mixed 2& 3
19)

Total Dynamic Head
20)

Quick Review & A Note On Air Piping
21)

Pressurized Filters
22)

UVs (Ultra Violet Sterilizers)
23)

UV Examples
24)

Gravity Flow
25)

A Draining Tank
26)

Draining tanks Drawings
27)

Propulsion Elevation Chart
28)

Gravity Flow II - At Rest
29)

Gravity Flow III Pump Start
30)

Gravity Flow IV Chain Reaction
31)

Calculate Draw Down
32)

Velocity Purge Valves
33)

Draining Below Grade
34)

Sizing Pumps
35)

Flow Charts, Wave I & II
36)

Flow Charts, Dragon & High Speed
37)

Lets do a whole pond!
38)

Pond Schematic
39)

Calculating Energy Costs
40)

Conclusion





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©2006 Garrett A. Klein


PLANNING!

I cannot emphasize how important this is. The good news is Im not talking about every
little detail, in my own experience Ive found you need to be quite flexible once shovel
hits dirt, but overall flow rates and pond turnover should be known.

For most ponds other than water gardens (no fish) the turnover rate should be in the 1-2
hour range. This means the entire volume of pond water should cycle through some sort
of filtration (mechanical & biological) during that timeframe. Because larger ponds have
more water and are generally more stable, they can be on the slower end and smaller
ponds, 3000 gallons and under should aim for a faster turnover rate.

Not knowing what kind of pond youd like to build well stay away from any lengthy
discussion on this. There are many threads and books available on proper pond design
and you should have that down pat when planning the plumbing portion. One thing I will
note: you will notice as we go along the advantage of a pond being semi-raised out of the
ground. It becomes more formal looking but will benefit ease of plumbing in many areas.
Another way, if you are lucky, is to take advantage of a sloping property to accomplish
much of the same.


The thing to know ahead of time is how much water will flow from any given pick-up
point to any given return point. Its only then that the proper pipe sizes can be
determined. Once the plumbing is complete the math can be done for proper pump size to
not only give you the flow that was planned for, but do it in the most efficient way; less
watts per gallon pumped.

Some common rules of thumb that can be applied to help in figuring how much flow you
want.

Waterfalls: for a sheet waterfall a good rule is 100 GPH per inch of waterfall. If your falls
are 24 wide you will need a minimum of 2400 GPH. This is for a very smooth rock
perfectly level. If in doubt and you want a nice healthy falls double that number.

Gravity Flow Bottom Drains: the typical flows for these are in the 3K GPH to 3.8K GPH
range. There are many factors involved and will be discussed in detail later.

A little prompt on upper ponds and rivers: while these are a nice addition to any pond the
amount of water contained in these has to be taken into account. On an upper pond, it
takes a certain amount of water height to force water over the falls the higher the flow
rate the higher this will be. When the pump shuts off this water will lower until it evens
out with the falls rock sending the extra to the pond below. Depending on sizes of ponds,
etc., this could force water in the lower pond to overflow. The same can be said for
rivers, though these seem to hold quite a bit more water. Surface area of the lower pond is
the key. The larger the surface area the less the water height will raise.



4
©2006 Garrett A. Klein
LETS TALK PIPING

This obviously is the heart of the plumbing or more accurately the veins. Ill give a brief
overview of pipe type and some of the fittings which can help save on operating costs.

PVC and ABS pipe are the main types of pipe we use in our systems. These are the
cheapest and easiest to use for our purpose. PVC pipe can be dual-rated for pressure or
DWV (Drain, Waste & Vent or sewer piping). ABS is always rated as DWV.

In some states ABS is not allowed and the box stores (Home Depot, Lowes) will carry
DWV fittings in PVC. In other states where ABS is allowed they typically stock the ABS
as its slightly cheaper. All states and stores carry PVC pressure pipe and fittings in 2
and under.

The piping we want to use is rated as Schedule 40. Its a fairly thick walled pipe and will
withstand not only pressure from within but external pressures as well. They have thinner
schedules but I would avoid them entirely for our needs. Because a lot of our piping is
under heavy dirt and water loads this is the wrong place to try and save a penny.

With that said I would prefer to run all PVC but ABS, even though not rated for pressure,
will work fine for our needs. Because its not rated for pressure I had a hard time finding
what it will handle and the best I could come up with was 20 PSI and under. If you do the
piping calculations for the average pond you will see that the head rarely builds to those
levels. (1 PSI = 2.3 head) So 20 PSI = 46 of head. If your system has that much head I
failed in what I was trying to explain with this thread. Or you have a really, really high
waterfall.

You can also mix and match PVC & ABS. They are a different type of plastic and will
require a special glue called transition glue for joining them. This does drop the rating for
the PVC down to that level but once again it should never be a concern.

One thing I will mention is the size of the glue up area on the fittings. You will notice the
area is much larger on pressure fittings versus DWV. This is usually not an issue until
working with flex PVC which we will discuss later.

As mentioned PVC is fairly easy to work with even for the newest of pond builders. No
expensive tools are needed and glues are fairly cheap. Heres a good link to learn more
about pipe ratings and glue up techniques.

Plastic Pipe & Fitting Association

Lastly for those of you a little more daring, PVC can be heated and then bent to make
sweeping bends or some small offsets. Just about anything that can generate a large
amount of heat can be used, weed torches & grills to name a few. Something to keep in
mind.





SWEEP ELBOWS

When looking at the friction equivalent charts (included on page 14) you can see that the
longer the sweep the less friction is produced. The standard off-the-shelf sweeps
available are the DWV ones. They come in medium, medium as its compared to pressure
90°s, and long sweep bends. The only downfall is that they do take up extra room but are
well worth it for the reduced restriction in flow. If room is critical they also come in
whats called a street configuration. One side of the fitting will have a nominal pipe size
and can be glued into another fitting. Pretty handy sometimes. There are also the odd
bend sizes, 22° & 66° another handy item to have in the arsenal. The thing to look out for
is the industry gave them different names, plumbers refer to them as bends: 1/16 Bend =
22.5°, 1/8 Bend = 45°, 1/6 Bend = 60°, ¼ Bend = 90°, just for quick reference these are
based on a 360° circle. Divide 360 by the denominator to get the degree equivalent.

DWV fittings also have some lower restriction Ts & Ys that can be incorporated.
Youll find it very helpful when doing the physical plumbing to at least have an idea of
whats available. T