Danner Manufacturing, Inc., Pondmaster Garden Pond Filter and Pump Kit, PMK 1250, Black, 02212

This pump system wasn't big enough for what I need it to do. As I couldn't get to it last year I never even looked at it tell today.I put it all together and stuck it in my fish pond and the darn thing didn't even want to move much water so I never got the fountain to really work. To be fair I didn't spend much time on it as I definitely want to have a showy piece so I bought a bigger pump to build it. Completely missing the "aww" factor for me.

Nice pump, and it's a little heavier and more substantial than the previous one which lasted about 15-20 years. I expect this one to last 30 years with regular maintenance.

I purchased this unit based on my previous experience with the PMK190 which has a fountain head that produces a very satisfying "umbrella" fountain effect. I first used the PMK250 with the "bonus" fountain head that comes with the pump. This produces an array fine streams that radiate outward from the head. The volume of water emitted from the head seemed rather puny compared to the PMK190 which has a smaller pump. The head is adjustable but the various settings did not improve matters. The solution was to make my own fountain head. The outlet on the pump has a 1/2 inch pipe thread. I bought a length of threaded pipe at Home Depot and several threaded end caps. I screwed the pipe onto the pump outlet. I then drilled a pattern of holes in the caps. After several trials I obtained a very satisfying result with a cap with 15 7/64 diameter holes in two concentric rings and one central hole. Except for the central hole, drill the holes at a slight angle so that the spray radiates outward. (It is easier to drill the angled holes if you purchase the end caps that have a rounded top.) This head yields a very satisfying volume of water with a rise of about 10 - 12 inches and a spread of several feet - and it produces a very impressive sound of falling water.Although I am quite happy with this system, I give it only 4 stars because of its bad "bonus" fountain head which is definitely NOT a bonus but rather a handicap.

Cleared up my pond in less than 24 hours

We have 2 of these filter/pumps - one rated at 500 gph and one rated at 250 gph. We use the smaller one for the waterfall in our pond and the larger pump is used as an aerator, water cleaner, etc. They come with 2 sections of tubing for extra height should it be needed and 2 fountain heads. We run the larger pump without a head on it for maximum flow. One minor problem is that if you don't weight the thing down, it will eventually float. That problem is solved (as per the instructions) by taking the filter section apart and putting in some small stones. We used some flat stones in each of the 4 corners of the filter box and have not had a problem.The filter box is easy to unhook from the pump and the filter media are easy to clean out and are reusable. We just hose the filters off. You can leave the pump in the water while you're working on the filter box. When you unhook the filter box from the pump, be sure to unplug the pump. That way there's no problem with fish getting sucked into the intake. We've never even had a close call, but if you have small fish and they get too close to the intake, they might get sucked in.We run these filter/pumps 24/7 and plan to run the larger one all winter.UPDATE: June 18, 2009 - see my review on a smaller version of this pump Pondmaster 02215 500 GPH Pond Pump. We are buying another set of filter media as the current sets are finally wearing out. We run both pumps 24/7/365 with no problems.

I had the same pump in my pond for 15 years, and who knows how long before I bought the house, butdecided to get the same one, and it works perfectly.

UPDATE 4/14/2016: This pump as run non-stop for almost four years and shows no sign of slowing down. That's over 35,000 hours of continuous operation with zero problems.ORIGINAL REVIEW: As noted by other reviewers, the filter assemply will float without some weight added. Not really a problem; I simply added some rocks. Other reviewers have noted that the hose didn't fit appropriately, but mine fit snugly, so maybe that problem has been addressed by the manufacturer. Overall, the pump and filter work as needed for my 110 gallon pond with plants and fishes. The water remains clear after two weeks of use and the filter cleans easily. The unit comes with two fountain heads. One produces a dome effect, the other a typical fountain effect. Unfortunately for my size pond, the typical fountain effect throws water too far, losing about 5 gallons per 24 hours to the ground surrounding the fountain. Since I didn't like the dome effect, and since I didn't want to refill the pond daily, I use neither of the provided heads, allowing the water to simply gurgle straight up out of the pipe, which I ended up liking better than the effect provided with the two heads. Had I been satisfied with the fountain heads, I wouldn't hesitate to give this product 5 starts.

Very easy to install. This is the second one I have installed. The first one was was in 2001. It lasted for more than 20 years. It is very high quality with very little up keep. I am a 74 year old woman so if I could install it and make my pond look beautiful anyone can!!!

This pond pump with carbon filters keeps our outdoor pond clear and a healthy environment for our fish (shumunkins & koi)