Hydroponics Water Pumps
Home growing your own food is just one of the ways people have evolved to adapt a practical and self-reliant lifestyle in today’s world. One popular activity is using a hydroponics set-up which allows for an efficient and reliable method through systematic water flow to grow your own plants, fruits and veggies in a small corner of your home.
Read our Best Hydroponics Water Pumps Review to find out.
Our Best Hydroponics Water Pumps for 2020
- EcoPlus Eco 396 Water Pump Fixed Flow Submersible (Editors choice - High Quality)
- Hydrofarm AAPW550 550-GPH Active Aqua Submersible Pump, 550 GPH (Runner up)
- Simple Deluxe LGPUMP400G 400 GPH UL Listed Submersible 15' CorD Water Pump (Amazing Price)
- AEO 12V-24V DC 196 GPH Brushless Submersible Water Pump (2 Pack) (Affordable Product)
- Uxcell 105 GPH 400L/H, 7W, 110-120V Submersible Water Pump (Great Product)
WHAT’S THE BEST HYDROPONICS PUMP FOR YOU?
EcoPlus Eco 396 Water Pump Fixed Flow Submersible
Type | In-line or submersible |
Recommended Reservoir Capacity | 40 gallons |
Weight | 2.05lbs |
Power | 36Watts/120 VAC |
Dimensions | 6.3L x 4.72W x 3.94W |
Flow Rate | 396gph at 0ft; 6.5ft at 0 gph |
Adjustable Flow | None adjustable |
Warranty | 1 year |
Accessories | 5.75-ft heavy Duty Power Cord |
3pcs ¾‘’barbed x ¾‘’ threaded; 2pcs ½’’barbed x ¾‘’ threaded; and Nozzle x ¾’’ threaded |
Pros
- Oil-free pumo
- Applicable with Saltwater (may reduce lifespan)
- Ceramic shafts improve performance and wear & corrosion resistance
Cons
- Fixed flow outlet, cannot be adjusted
- High energy consumption
The EcoPlus Water Pump provides a simple deal for your hydroponics needs. It offers an average flowrate of 400 gph which is suitable for medium scale home operations. The ceramic shafting is also an enticing deal as it provides increased reliability in impeller and engine performance.
It does fall short on the energy aspect as it consumes around 36W which is high compared to its competitor pumps. The flow isn’t adjustable as well, so you’d have to improvise on this part.
Hydrofarm AAPW550 550-GPH Active Aqua Submersible Pump, 550 GPH
Type | In-line/Submersible |
Recommended Reservoir Capacity | 50-200 gallons |
Weight | 2.20lbs |
Power | 24Watts/120 VAC |
Dimensions | 8.4x3.5x5.8 in |
Flow Rate | 550gph at 0 |
Adjustable Flow | Yes |
Warranty | 1 year |
Accessories | 6-ft heavy Duty Power Cord |
½’’ and ¾ ‘’ tubing |
Pros
- Oil-free (environmentally friendly)
- Durable in Saltwater (may reduce lifespan)
- Popular and well-advertised
- Uses ceramic shaft which makes it more durable than the steel shaft models (40-160 gph)
- Powerful magnetic drive for improved reservoir efficiency
The Hydrofarm 500 Water Pump is one of the most respected brands in the hydroponics pump industry. Undeniably, it is a reliable choice for any hydroponics system to grow your thirsty fruits and veggies.
This model has the highest capacity among the other picks while still being very affordable. Similar to other reliable and durable picks, it uses a ceramic shaft to preserve the performance of its impellers for a longer service life.
The magnetic drive is another bonus for this technology as it helps with saving energy, on top of it only rating to 24Watts. In addition to its energy and environment friendly aspects, it is an clean pump which doesn’t need oil or any lubricants to perform optimally.
The Hydrofarm 500 is indeed another top pick tied to the Simple Deluxe. Go for this if you need the extra power and added capacity. The extra few bucks won’t hurt.
Simple Deluxe LGPUMP400G 400 GPH UL Listed Submersible 15' CorD Water Pump
Type | Submersible |
Recommended Reservoir Capacity | 50 gallons |
Shipping Weight | 2.1lbs |
Power | 25 Watts |
Dimensions | 5.35x2.72x3.39 in |
Flow Rate | 400gph at 0ft, 0gph at 8.2ft |
Adjustable Flow | Yes |
Warranty | 1 year |
Accessories | 15-ft ft heavy Duty Power Cord |
.51, .62, ¾ ‘’ tubing |
Pros
- Polished Aluminum Oxide Ceramic Impeller shaft provides high durability and life service. Non-corrodible, 3 times harder than stainless steel.
- Epoxy encasement effectively protects internal components from unwanted conductivity and corrosion
- Bottom inlet to maximize reservoir even at low levels
- Pre-filter included to sort out unwanted solids and debris
- Good versatility: circulates and aerates water for maximum sustenance
On top of its extremely affordable price, the Simple Deluxe 500 water pump dishes out a powerful 400 gph flow rate capacity which is more than enough for most hydroponics system, which makes it our top pick.
Reliability-wise, it’s topnotch! it utilizes high quality materials such as ceramic shafting and epoxy encasement to protect the machine from wear and corrosion – and ensure longer operating life.
It’s got some cool features too such as a pre-filter for those unwanted debris that could clog your pump, and a bottom inlet for added versatility and optimized use of the reservoir.
AEO 12V-24V DC 196 GPH Brushless Submersible Water Pump (2 Pack)
Type | Submersible |
Recommended Reservoir Capacity | 20 gallons |
Weight | 1lb/pack |
Power | 12-24V/3Watts |
Dimensions | 4.17x1.97x1.85 in |
Flow Rate | 12V: 124GPH at 0ft, 2.95ft at 0gph; |
Adjustable Flow | No |
Warranty | 3 year |
Accessories | 16-ft heavy Duty Power Cord |
½’’ and ¾ ‘’ tubing | |
Pump cage to filter debris | |
Solar power feature |
Pros
- Pre-filter cage design to protect pump is easy detachable and cleaned
- Oil free design
- Flexible and economically advantageous due to solar powered feature
- Brushless motor technology for high efficiency and longer service life
- 3 year warranty (competitor pumps only offer 1 year)
Cons
- Issue of poor screening and clogging
The AEO submersible pump is another option worthy of mentioning for its awesome features. It does apply to DC power sources and solar sources which makes it a flexible and energy-savings pick for a pump. The 16-ft long power cord help to position in those hard-to-reach places.
The oil-free pump boasts a 3 year warranty, which is more than enough to accommodate risks and issues you might experience with this product.
Uxcell 105 GPH 400L/H, 7W, 110-120V Submersible Water Pump
Type | Submersible |
Recommended Reservoir Capacity | Less than 20 gallons |
Weight | 0.51 lbs |
Power | 7Watts |
Dimensions | 2.52x1.7x2.13 in |
Flow Rate | 105gph at 0ft; 3.3ft at 0gph |
Adjustable Flow | Yes |
Warranty | 1 year |
Accessories | 4.9-ft Power Cord |
½’’ and ‘’ adapater | |
Comes with 4 suction cups to stabilize in reservoir |
The Uxcell Pump is the smallest of the 5 options, which is applicable to small scale gardening and setups. If you’re planning to plant some small herbs or just trying out hydroponics, then this is a great option to begin with.
The cheap price makes it readily replaceable incase you decide to upsize your system.
WHAT’S A HYDROPONICS PUMP FOR?
There are different set-ups to a hydroponics system each with its own edge and limitations. The smallest and simplest set-up is a Wick System which uses an air pump to a induce a weak water flow to distribute small amounts of nutrients to the plants. If you’re just planning to grow some herbs or fast-growing lettuces, a wick system will do just fine.
But if you want beefier plants for your home garden, you’d want to consider fabricating an NFT (Nutrient Film technique) or Ebb & Flow system which are more popular and practical in home-gardening. These systems are fairly simple to set-up and are able to accommodate sizeable plants such as flower-bearing plants and fruit and vegetable crops.
However, larger systems like these require corresponding equipment to initiate and maintain. In particular, a hydroponics pump is an integral part of the structure that facilitates the flow of nutrient-rich solution along the plant roots and cycles it back to the reservoir to be re-enriched with essential sustenance.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES I CAN CHOOSE FROM?
Interestingly, vertical gardens come in many variations. You can either place them indoors or outdoors. Few of the most popular types you can make are listed below:
SUBMERSIBLE PUMPS
Submersible pumps are a popular and sensible choice for medium-scale home growing applications. Aside from the obvious fact that it needs to be fully submerged to operate, there are certain perks to having a submersible type to your set-up.
These pumps are a lot smaller and more compact compared to their counterpart, in-line pumps. They come in more affordable packages too while being capable to medium-scale hydroponics set-ups. Moreover, the characteristic of the pump being underwater saves you from the inconvenience of an annoying motor noise.
One major concern for the typical submersible pump is the heat generated from machine transfers directly to the surrounding reservoir fluid. A slight change in solution temperature can have devastating effects on the plant roots and its ability to absorb nutrients. Modern submersible pumps have the latest heat regulation technology to address this issue; nevertheless, for the typical submersible pumps without the temperature adjustment feature, there are simple ways to keep your reservoir on point: One option is to add ice cubes in set times intervals to keep it chilled. Just be mindful how much you add since you’d be technically diluting the solution by doing so. Another alternative is investing in a hydroponics chiller.
It’s also important to note that submersible pumps usually aren’t designed for larger scale operations. Systems that require flow rates greater than 1200 gallons per hour would find better use from in-line pumps.
IN-LINE PUMPS
Pumps working outside the liquid reservoir are known as In-line pumps. These are machines capable of delivering capacities greater than 1200 gallon per hour (usually rated capacity is measured in horsepower). This is great for larger gardens in a hydroponics dome or shed.
Furthermore, these kinds don’t transmit fatal heat to the nutrient-liquid reservoir as its location is separate from the water container.
Although, you might be disappointed when you realize that it’s a non-stop racket machine. You could get used to it, or purchase engine noise suppressors available in the hardware.
SUPPLEMENTARY PUMPS
Air pumps are commonly used in Wick Hydroponics Systems where in low volumes of air is delivered to root areas for aeration. For NFT and Ebb & Flow Systems, the space within the PVC are enough to provided needed aeration for roots.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Below are specific things you need to consider first before buying for your set-up:
MACHINE CAPACITY
There are different ways you can set-up your hydroponics system. Structural-wise you can have a flat layout for your plants, but you can opt to have an A-frame design or even a fully vertical one. This depends on how much room you can a lot for your garden.
Your choice of plants is also important thing to consider. You should know that large fruit-bearing plants and vegetable crops require more water and more nutrients to thrive as compared to simple herbs and leaf plants.
The two factors mentioned above demand proper pump sizing, so we don’t short or provide excessive resources. It is best to consult with your manufacturer or do your own research with the numbers and machine specifications such as maximum allowable head and maximum flow rate capacity.
The maximum head height (feet) is the height at which a pump can deliver water with flow rate approaching to almost 0. In this instance, the water column becomes too high and too heavy for the pump to push vertically. This specification is important if you’re planning to build A-frames or vertical layouts.
The maximum flow rate (gallon per minute or hour) is the maximum volume of liquid the pump can deliver for a specific duration of time. It reaches its peak value if the layout is horizontal or even a decline.
SYSTEM LAYOUT
The A-frame design is a widely used set-up for hydroponics thanks to its space-efficiency and over-all aesthetics. This works well if you’re planning to stack multiple layers of plants while only having a small corner of your room to a lot. Although, you should consider getting an artificial light source since stacked plants tend to have areas where light doesn’t reach.
The other variant is the flat or horizontal lay-out. These take up much floor space and are much harder to clean underneath. But the good thing about these layouts is the plants get to have the optimal amount of light to reach them. Moreover, fluid flow along the pipes is much more consistent and efficient in horizontal set-ups.
The last option is the vertical layout. Not only is it a great wall design, but it’s also the most space efficient option. It only gets tricky to regulate the flow of nutrients along the levels and tubes. Planning and pump sizing for this kind of layout is much more necessary.
WHICH PUMP IS BEST FOR YOU?
It was a difficult choice between the Simple Deluxe and Hydrofarm. Both are well-known brands that have a good reputation in the industry for their efficient, reliable and affordable pumps. The mechanism and the quality of materials used to build these two giants aren’t far from each other. They only differ in practical application and slight costing. The Simple Deluxe is recommended for medium scale systems that won’t exceed a system demand of more than 400gph. It really affordable so you can’t go wrong with this one. If you need the extra boost, then you should definitely go for the Hydrofarm as it can take it up to 500gph with a slight corresponding price increase.