Water Pumps

How a water pump works in hydroponics

Recirculating systems rely on the pump alone to keep a full reservoir from leaving the root zone dry. Nutrient solution is drawn from the tank, sent through tubing to drippers or feed rings, and drains back for the next cycle. In deep water culture the same pump is there to circulate rather than deliver — it keeps the solution moving so the mix stays even.

The right pump is the one that matches two numbers. Flow rate, in litres per hour, is the volume moved with no lift at all. Head height — H-max — is how far it can push before flow stops. Sensen print both on every model: the HJ-742 is 8W, 600L/hr and 1.0m of head; the HQB-5500 is 200W, 6800L/hr and 5.5m. Rio's Hyperflow 4HF comes with a full flow-versus-height table, and at 1.2m of lift the output is roughly a fifth of the zero-lift figure. That fall-off is the usual reason a pump fails to deliver.

Water pumps we stock

Hydroponic reservoir pumps

Eight Sensen submersibles cover 600L/hr to 6800L/hr and 1.0m to 5.5m of head. All run 240V and are built to live in the tank. Plont Powerheads sit below that ladder: 450L/hr, 0.95m of lift, 6W, 8mm and 13mm outlets, and a 12-month warranty.

Circulation pumps and powerheads

Potami Wave pumps fix magnetically to the tank wall. They mix rather than lift, from 4000L/hr at 10W to 13000L/hr at 40W, on DC24V from an included Australian adapter. Flow and frequency are adjustable, with multiple wave modes and a light-mode sensor. Aqua One Maxi powerheads run 400L/hr to 3000L/hr. The Maxi 104 delivers 2000L/hr at 2m of head from 30W through a 19mm outlet; smaller models add variable flow control.

Pond, fountain and filtration pumps

Most of this page is pond and water-feature equipment, listed because the plumbing is the same. PondMAX includes submersible EVOII and Infiniti pumps, PU waterfall and filtration pumps, PX high-flow filter pumps and solar pump-and-panel kits. OASE includes Aquamax Eco Classic pond pumps, Aquarius Universal fountain pumps, OptiMax pumps and Filtral all-in-one pump and UV filter units.

How to pick a water pump

1. Size the flow you actually need. A recirculating system should turn the reservoir over several times an hour; then check that against pot count and emitter flow. Too much pump wastes power and warms the solution.
2. Measure the lift. From the water surface to the highest emitter, then pick a pump whose H-max clears that comfortably. At its maximum head a pump delivers almost nothing.
3. Match the outlet to the tubing. Plont ship 8mm and 13mm outlets; the Maxi 104 uses 19mm. Necking a large outlet down to 4mm line costs flow — the fittings sit on the irrigation page.
4. Decide the duty cycle. Circulation pumps are built to run continuously. Feed pumps usually follow a schedule, which is what the timers and controllers range is for.
5. Keep the pump submerged. These are submersible designs; a dry run will kill them. Watch the reservoir level and size the tank so the pump stays under water between top-ups.

Water pumps are not air pumps

Growers mix these up constantly, and the two do opposite jobs. A water pump moves liquid. An air pump pushes air through a stone to raise dissolved oxygen in the solution. Most recirculating grows want both; a deep water culture tank needs the air pump more than it needs the water pump. If oxygen is the job, start with the hydroponic air pumps.

Pair a pump with a reservoir it can live in from the tanks and reservoirs range, and with the tubing, fittings and emitters on the irrigation page. Reservoir temperature is a separate job — that lives with water chillers and heaters.