Step 1: Determine the Head Pressure (Head)

Head equals the total number of feet from the top of the waterfall to the water's surface. For example: Let's say that height is equal to 5'.

Step 2: Determining Desired Water Flow

In general, you will need 1,500 gallons per hour (gph) for every 1-foot of waterfall discharge for an average flow. The discharge is considered where the water enters back into the pond. For example: Let's say the width of our waterfall is 2'. This would mean we need a pump of approximately 3,000 gph.

Step 3: Putting It All Together

In our example, our head pressure is 5' and the approximate gph of our desired pump is 3,000 gph. This means would need a pump that would pump 3,000 gph at 5' of head.

Other Notes:

For a heavy waterfall flow, use 2,000 gph per foot of waterfall discharge.

For a lighter waterfall flow, use 1,000 gph per foot of waterfall discharge.

If the tubing from the pump to the waterfall is greater than 10' then it is recommended to add 1 foot of head for every 10' of tubing.