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Submitted by: Larry

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Figuring the pump head is important because it will subtract from the total gallons per hour (GPH) rating of your pump's capacity. For instance, you have a pump that pumps at 100 GPH so this is the force of water flow right where the water comes out of the pump. Once you add a hose of maybe 4 feet then the force of water coming out at the end of the hose is a lot less than 100 GPH. Remember that most systems pump water upwards into the growing container to drain, relying on gravity back into the holding tank. The shorter the length of hose the more force the nutrient solution will have coming out of the hose. So if you see a pump rated at '100 GPH @ 1 foot head with 2 PSI' you know the pump forces water out of a one foot length of tube at 100 GPH at 2 ponds per square inch (PSI). What if your hose is 4 feet long? What is the force of water coming out of the hose now? First, as rule of thumb, double the PSI to determine the head length at which 0 GPH flows out. In this case 2 times 2 PSI = 4 so a 4 foot hose is the length water stops coming out with any force. So there is a drop of 25 PSI per foot of hose (100 GPH/4 feet to 0 GPH). Therefore a 4 foot hose is too long. A 2 foot hose would come out at 50 GPH. From these calculations you can get a rough idea whether the pump you have will fit the size of your growing container.

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