Danner Mfg DF02728 Pondmaster Pond Mag 18 Pond Pump

I've had these in various sizes, from a tiny fountain pump to the 1800 gph, all the same simple design. They have gotten rather pricey but you do get a rugged, reliable pump for your money. They work well, are surprisingly small (but heavy), and last a long time if you 1) always use a pre-filter of some kind, 2) keep the pre-filter from clogging, and 3) never forget to clean the impeller before storing the pump (see below). My only and very slight criticism of the Pondmaster 1800 is that the discharge is rather small for a pump of this flow rate.If you shut down your pump for the winter make sure to disassemble and clean it: Remove the impeller housing, carefully pull the impeller out of the motor (it's held in the motor magnetically so you need to pull it out firmly) and clean everything carefully so there is no grit or pond crud on the impeller or inside the motor housing (I use a tooth brush). Neglecting to clean it can result in the pump binding up just long enough to snap the ceramic shaft when you try to start the pump after it has been in storage. Pump warranties don't cover the impeller--- currently ~$27 for the 1800.

We plugged it in a month ago, and it's been running reliably since. Our old pump, a Beckett, started having problems w/in a year. We like the fact that if this one should have problems, some of the parts can be replaced w/out having to buy a whole new pump. The reviews of this pump are good, so we're keeping our fingers crossed!