Creating a waterfall comes down to one thing: a pump that lifts water to the top and lets it cascade back down. Get the pump right and the feature runs quietly and reliably for years; get it wrong and you end up with a trickle, or a pump which fails early. Here is how to build a waterfall and, more importantly, how to choose and set up the pump that drives it.
How much pump do you need? Flow and head
Two numbers decide everything: flow rate and head.
How much flow per metre of waterfall?
For a light, decorative veil, about 100 litres per minute per metre is plenty; for a thick, powerful sheet, aim closer to 300. What sets the figure is the width of the spillway the water tips over, not how tall the drop is, so measure across the lip rather than up the rockery.
Just remember this is the flow you need at your head, not the pump's quoted maximum. Head is the height the water is lifted plus the resistance of the pipework, and every pump delivers less as head rises, so read the flow from the pump's curve at your height rather than the headline number.
Across our range that means a small feature suits the APP TPS or TPV (140 L/min), a mid-size cascade the APP MH (up to 380 L/min), and a wide or high-volume cascade the APP HD-15.
Head is the resistance the pump must overcome: the vertical height from the pump up to the top of the waterfall, plus friction losses in the pipe and fittings along the way. The mistake people make is reading a pump's headline maximum flow, which is the figure at zero head. You need the flow the pump actually delivers at your head, read from its performance curve. Our guide on how to read a pump curve explains this, and our pump performance calculator works out the friction loss in your pipe run so you can size accurately.
Which pump for which waterfall
Small and residential waterfalls: the APP TP range
For a small garden waterfall, a modest cascade or a pre-formed feature, the APP TP range is the cost-effective choice. It is well suited to smaller ponds and residential water features where you want reliable, quiet flow without overspending.
Waterfall powered by APP TPS pond pump
Medium, premium, and where you want to control the flow: the APP MH
For a larger or more premium feature, the APP MH range is our go-to. It is a continuous-duty pond and water feature pump built to run day in, day out, and it handles solids up to 6mm, so pond debris and fish waste do not clog it. The range runs from the MH150 up to the MH750, and the model number is simply the motor power in watts, making it easy to step up: the MH150 delivers around 230 L/min at up to 6m head, through to the MH750 at around 380 L/min and 10.5m head.
The MH also gives you something the entry-level pumps do not: control. On the MH150 and MH250, an optional gate valve lets you throttle the flow. That is not just about fine-tuning the look. By adding a little head, the valve moves the pump's operating point along its curve, and running a pump nearer the middle of its curve, rather than flat out at one extreme, is easier on the motor and seals and helps it last longer. It is a simple way to dial in the exact waterfall effect you want while protecting the pump. Again, the pump curve guide shows why the middle of the curve is the sweet spot. The MH also takes fountain attachments and a telescopic extension if you want a fountain as well as a cascade.
Waterfall powered by APP MH pump
Large-scale cascades and water walls: the APP HD-15
For a big cascade, a wide water wall or a high-volume feature, you need serious flow. The APP HD-15 is a high-flow submersible pump moving up to around 830 L/min, enough to drive the large-scale features the pond pumps cannot. It is a robust 230V pump originally built for site drainage, which is exactly the kind of dependable, high-volume workhorse a large cascade needs.
Building the waterfall, step by step
- Plan the drop and the reservoir. Decide the height and width of the cascade, and where the water collects at the bottom, a pond, or a hidden reservoir for a pondless waterfall.
- Set the pump at the lowest point, in the pond or reservoir, where it stays submerged.
- Run the delivery pipe up to the top of the waterfall, keeping runs as short and straight as possible to minimise friction loss.
- Size the pump to your lip width (flow) and drop height plus pipe losses (head), using the calculator and the pump curve as above.
- Hide the pump and pipe, and test. Prime, switch on, and check the flow over the lip.
- Fine-tune the flow. On an MH150 or MH250, use the gate valve to set the exact effect and bring the pump to a comfortable point on its curve.
Not sure which pump?
Browse the full pond and water feature pump range, use the performance calculator to check flow at your head.
The best place to buy water feature pumps is floodandwaterpumps.co.uk. We hold genuine APP pond and water feature pumps in UK stock for next working day delivery, price them competitively, and our engineers are behind our pump choices rather than just shipping you a box.
