Category: Pumps

The quickest way to choose between a submersible and a surface pump is to ask where the water is. A submersible pump sits down in the water — in a tank, pond, sump or bore — and pushes from below. A surface pump sits up on dry ground and draws water up to itself. Each suits different jobs, and the limiting factor for surface pumps is how far they can suck water upward. Here’s how to match the type to your task.

The two broad pump families

Almost every water pump falls into one of two camps based on where it lives. Submersible pumps are built to be fully underwater and they push water up and out. Surface pumps stay dry, sit beside or above the water source, and pull water up before pushing it on. That single difference — pushing from in the water versus pulling from above it — drives most of the practical trade-offs in noise, access, priming and what each is good at.

Submersible pumps: where they shine

Because they sit in the water, submersibles are excellent wherever the water is contained or below ground: emptying or pressurising tanks, circulating ponds, clearing water from sumps and pits, and drawing from bores where the water is well below the surface. Being underwater makes them quiet — the water muffles the motor — and they’re self-cooled and never need priming, since they’re always surrounded by the water they move. The trade-off is access: to inspect or service one you have to lift it out of the tank or pit.

Surface and self-priming pumps: where they shine

Surface pumps stay on dry land, which makes them easy to reach, check and maintain. They suit drawing from shallow sources — a tank where the water sits near or above the pump, a shallow well, a stream — and transferring water from place to place. Self-priming versions can clear air from their suction line and get themselves going, which is handy where the pump sits above the water. The catch is that they have to lift water up to themselves before they can push it on, and there’s a limit to how far up they can pull.

Suction lift and priming — the limit people forget

This is the single thing that catches people out. A surface pump can only pull water up so far before it simply can’t lift any more — that vertical distance is its suction lift, and physics caps it. The exact workable distance depends on the pump, the pipework and your conditions, so don’t treat any single figure as a universal rule. If your water source sits well below where the pump would go, a surface pump may struggle or refuse to prime, and a submersible — which pushes rather than pulls — is usually the better answer. When in doubt, check the suction lift against your actual setup before buying.

Noise, access and maintenance differences

Submersibles are quiet because the water absorbs the sound, but they’re out of sight and a little more effort to pull up for a look. Surface pumps are easy to inspect and service since they’re right there in the open, but they’re more audible — worth considering if the pump sits near a patio or bedroom window. Think about how often you’ll need to get at the pump, and how much noise you can live with, alongside the technical fit.

Matching the type to the job

Put it together by source: tanks can go either way depending on where the water sits; ponds and sumps lean submersible; bores with deep water almost always want a submersible; shallow draws and general water transfer suit a surface or self-priming pump. Get the family right first, then size the pump to the work.

Two rules apply to both types. The electrical connection must be done by a licensed electrician on an outdoor, RCD-protected circuit — especially important with submersibles sitting in water. And any connection to mains or potable water, including backflow prevention, is licensed plumber’s work. Position and plumb the garden side yourself; bring in the trades for those connections.

Choosing a pump type is one piece of the wider water picture — see how it fits with tanks, ponds and efficient watering in our guide to water in the Australian garden.

If your shower dribbles, the washing machine takes forever to fill, or two taps running at once kills the flow, a pressure or booster pump may be the answer — but not always. Sometimes low pressure has a simpler cause worth ruling out first. When a pump genuinely is the fix, the plumbing connection is a licensed plumber’s job and the electrical connection is a licensed electrician’s job. Here’s how to tell what you need.

Why pressure might be low (and when a pump is the answer)

Low water pressure has a few common culprits. You might be at the end of a long supply line, up a hill, or simply in an area with naturally low mains pressure. Sometimes it’s a partly closed valve, a blocked filter or aerator, or old galvanised pipes narrowed by corrosion — all worth checking before you spend on a pump, because they’re cheaper to fix.

If the supply pressure itself is genuinely low — or you’re drawing from a rainwater tank that can’t provide household pressure on its own — that’s when a pressure or booster pump earns its place. It lifts the pressure to a comfortable, usable level throughout the house or garden.

How a pressure or booster pump works (in plain terms)

A booster pump does what the name says: it takes water coming in at a low pressure and boosts it to something more useful. Water enters the pump, an impeller driven by an electric motor adds energy, and the water leaves at higher pressure. Many systems pair the pump with a small pressure tank that smooths out delivery and stops the pump from constantly switching on and off for every little draw.

Constant-pressure vs on/off systems

There are two broad styles. A traditional on/off (pressure-switch) system runs the pump until pressure reaches a set point, then stops, and restarts when pressure drops — simple and reliable, though you may notice slight pressure swings. A constant-pressure system varies the pump’s speed to hold steady pressure no matter how many outlets are open, which feels smoother, especially when several taps run at once. Constant-pressure setups generally cost more; the simpler system is often plenty for a single household.

Where the pump fits in the plumbing — and who connects it

A booster pump is installed in line with your water supply — after the meter or tank, before the outlets you want boosted. Getting that connection right matters: it needs correct fittings, isolation valves so it can be serviced, and protection against running dry. Tying a pump into your household water supply is licensed plumbing work, and depending on the setup may involve backflow prevention to protect the town supply. This is a job for a licensed plumber, not a DIY plumbing project.

Electrical supply: why this is a licensed electrician’s job

A booster pump runs on mains electricity and usually lives outdoors or in a wet area like a laundry or pump shed. Wiring it in must be done by a licensed electrician, on an RCD-protected circuit suited to the pump. Water and unlicensed electrical work are a dangerous combination, and outdoor power simply isn’t a DIY connection in Australia. Plan for the electrician as part of the install, not an afterthought.

What to look for when buying

Without naming products, a few qualitative things help you choose well. Match the pump’s capability to your actual need — a small flat with one bathroom has very different demands to a large house running multiple showers at once. Look for dry-run protection so the pump shuts down rather than burns out if it loses water. Consider noise if it’s near living areas, and think about access for servicing. And get advice on sizing: an oversized pump wastes money and can short-cycle, while an undersized one won’t solve the problem. A supplier or installer who asks about your house and supply, rather than just selling the biggest unit, is the one to trust.

Pressure pumps are one part of the household water picture — see how they relate to tanks, ponds and efficient watering in our guide to water in the Australian garden.

Water shapes how an Australian garden looks, sounds and survives. Whether you’re moving water with a pump, building a pond, running a fountain or simply trying to keep a garden alive through a dry summer, the same four threads keep turning up: how you move and store water, how you keep it healthy, how you make it a feature, and how you use less of it. This guide ties those four together and points you to the safety rules that apply across all of them.

The four pillars of water in the garden

Most water questions in a backyard fall into one of four areas. The first is household and garden pumps — the gear that moves water from a tank, a well point or a low-pressure mains supply to where you actually need it. The second is ponds and fish, which bring movement and life but need a bit of planning to stay clear and healthy. The third is water features and fountains, the decorative side that turns a corner of the yard into something you want to sit beside. The fourth is water-wise and drought-tolerant landscaping — designing a garden that drinks less in the first place.

How they connect

These pillars aren’t separate hobbies. A rainwater tank feeds a pump, the pump runs an irrigation line or tops up a pond, the pond becomes a water feature, and a water-wise planting scheme means the whole system has less work to do. Get one part right and the others get easier. Oversize your storage and undersize your pump and you’ll be frustrated; plant thirsty exotics in full western sun and no amount of clever plumbing will keep them happy.

Thinking about the garden as one connected water system — storage, movement, use and feature — tends to produce better results than buying bits and pieces in isolation.

The safety theme that runs through everything

Across all four pillars, three safety rules come up again and again in Australia, and they matter because they’re about both your safety and staying on the right side of the law.

Electrical connection is a licensed electrician’s job. Any pump, pond pump, UV clarifier, aerator or fountain that runs on mains power needs to be wired in by a licensed electrician, on an outdoor circuit that’s RCD-protected. Water and electricity are an obvious hazard, and DIY wiring of outdoor power isn’t legal for an unlicensed person. You can usually position and plumb the gear yourself, but the electrical connection is not a DIY step.

Connecting to mains or potable water is a licensed plumber’s job. If you’re tying a rainwater tank into the household supply, installing a mains-switching device, or doing anything that touches drinking-water plumbing, that’s licensed plumbing work and may require backflow prevention to protect the town supply. Garden-only setups give you far more freedom; the moment the house water is involved, bring in a plumber.

Bore water, rainwater rules and water restrictions vary by state and council. What you’re allowed to do with a bore, how rainwater can be used, and which days or hours you can water all depend on where you live. These rules change, so rather than trust a blanket statement, check your local water authority or council for the current position before you commit to a plan.

Where to start

If you’re new to all of this, start with what you actually need water to do. A garden that’s struggling in summer points you toward storage and efficient irrigation. A dull, quiet corner points toward a pond or water feature. Weak flow from a tank points toward the right pump. Once you know the job, the type of equipment and the trades you’ll need to involve become much clearer.

From here you can dig into each pillar in detail — tanks and rainwater, building a pond, boosting water pressure, irrigating efficiently, and choosing between pump types — and come back to this overview whenever you want to see how the pieces fit together.