How To Control Pump Flow Output

Hey all,

I wanted to start a topic to discuss controlling the output of a pump to vary the length of the stream's arc! I know this has been mentioned before, but I dont think any good solutions have been decided upon.

Like many others, I have been using a simple ball valve to manually control my pump's output before it get to my nozzle. As others have mentioned, I have thought about simply connecting a stepper motor to this, but it seem like it might not have enough torque.

The other solution that people have come up with is to use a dimmer to vary the speed of the pump itself. I believe the best way to do this is a Variable Frequency Drive. I would think a simple dimmer circuit connected to the motor would hurt the motor. Maybe someone can shed more light on this.

I think the best way is a VFD. It takes a while to build right, but it's not very expensive and does the best work.
If you use a butterfly valve instead of a ball valve and makes sure you don't try to turn it to a fully closed position it should be a lot easier then a ball valve. A gate/knife valve would also serve the purpose, but both valves tend to come in larger sizes and are less available.