I am making my own fountain. What size pump do I need?

The most important rating for a fountain pump is the head rating, or the maximum height that the pump can lift water upwards. This is important for determining whether or not a pump has enough power to physically lift water up a desired height. Normally the pump should be slightly oversized (for example, a 3.5 foot rated pump for a 3 foot fountain) rather than undersized because a nozzle can be put on the pump to reduce flow if desired, but an undersized pump won’t be able to push any water to the top of the fountain and thus will create no flow at all.

The second rating to note is the Gallons-per-hour (GPH) which determines the amount of flow. This is important for determining how much water will be flowing down the fountain, and is most times subjective to each individual customer’s needs and wants. A higher GPH rating means more water will be flowing and is usually greater for fountains with wide mouths where a large stream of water will be flowing down. It is important not to buy a pump with a GPH rating that is too high as too much water flowing can result in water splashing out of the fountain.