Flow -vs- Time Chart - Using the 5 gal Bucket Method
By Ron Boedeker
It is difficult to "eyeball" the amount of water passing through a pump, bio filter, or waterfall. Because these flow rates are often critical to the well-being of a pond, it becomes necessary to accurately measure these quantities. By measuring the amount of time required to fill a five gallon bucket, an accurate flow figure can be established.
The following table shows the correlation between the amount of time required to fill a five gallon bucket and the total Gallons Per Minute (GPM) and Gallons Per Hour (GPH) figures.