Winterizing Garden Pond Hardware

Over wintering pond hardware such as pond  pumps and pond filter and fountains is another winter preparation the garden pond owner must undertake if he or she still wants these pieces of equipment to be usable come next  spring .
Basically it is down to two factors , personal choice ,and I guess is the second factor is somewhat dependent as to how cold it gets in the winter months where you live

In the more moderate climate zones, say7 through 10, you probably don’t even have to remove your garden pond pump or submersible filter in the winter ,as they  will carry on year round as your climate is generally too mild even in the winter months for any freeing to occur

Winter Waterfall Care
Preventing Ice Damming

Regardless of where you live  If you have a waterfall, you can leave it running all winter long so long as it doesn’t freeze. As a rule  running or constantly moving water freezes at a much slower rate than still water. But remember even Niagara falls has been known to freeze . With some precautions and a little care you can  run your waterfall well into the bitter cold months of winter. Mainly you just have to make certain the waterfall or filter outlet flow does not freeze solid causing a damming effect to result, to the point that the pond water gets diverted out of the garden pond therefore draining it . It is not completely unknown for home owners making a periodic winter time check on their garden pond to discover to their horror that the garden pond has completely emptied apart from a thin layer of ice at ground level covering what was the surface of the pond , the rest of the pond water having been drained onto the lawn creating  a great ice rink  for the kids,  but obviously the pond fish if they’re  still  alive will not like it half so much. This of course is no laughing matter when it does occur, and most garden pond owners  would find it a  tragic lesson to have to learn  the hard way, so be careful and watchful if deciding to leave your pond pump and waterfall flowing during the freezing winter months.

Garden Pond Pump  and Filter Winter Maintenance

If you decide to make it your practice to  turn off your pond pump for the winter, you need to winterize it in a way that is appropriate to what kind of pond pump it is . If you have an above ground pond pump or filter if there is any chance at all that the water within them may freeze they should be dismantled cleaned and stored for the winter months.  If you have a submersible   pond pump and there is any chance that the pond pump could freeze within the pond  you should probably pull it out and store it in a warmer place such as a garage. or basement . Some  of the older style of pond pumps and submersible pond filters  need to be stored in water to prevent their plastic outer casing becoming  brittle. in open air and cracking Any in pond filters  should be removed for winter if you cannot keep the water circulating through it year round . Never leave a fully working pond pump un housed on the bottom of your garden pond during winter  It should be placed in a fish protective filter foam or mesh, as in the winter freeze, your pond fish  inhabit a much smaller space at the bottom of the pond and find it too hard to escape the strong pull of a pump in such close confines and will get sucked into the pump.  An unprotected pond pump in truth should never be used for this reason, but some novice and , keepers of larger garden ponds do often operate an un protected pond pump .A  Pond  pump if left in the pond to overwinter  and circulate the water through the waterfall  it should be sited off the bottom of the garden pond but at a level usually lower than 18 inches from the surface so it cannot itself freeze solid when  ice forms on the surface of the pond. You can leave your garden pond pump  in the pond over winter only if not-oil filled. All newer pond pumps  and filters do not suffer from these design issues s as their housing is made of a different medium having said that it is always best to read in detail  the literature that  came with each piece of garden pond hardware  and to note each manufacturers suggested practices for overwintering the pond equipment they you are not nullifying any warranty that they may have provided.
If you do decide to remove your  pump from your garden pond therefore stopping your waterfall  it is even more vital  to keep a hole open in the ice in allowing for the gas exchange to take place and definitely provide a air stone as suggested in winter pond maintenance part one .

Shutting Down your Bio Filter For The Winter

If you operate a biological pond filter as part or your pond eco system, and it is this garden pond owner”s opinion that no pond that contains fish, even only a few, should ever be without a bio filter of some description. Allow the bio filter to continue to operate until temperatures drop enough that there is significant  chance that the  water outlet flow might freeze to the point that water could get dammed and diverted from the pond.  When it is time to close down your bio filter let the water drain from the filter  either via siphon effect  using a portion of garden hose, or allow it to drain from the drain plug at the base of the bio filter if it has one . Do not clean your bio filter to any great extent simply remove any dead plant life, leaves etc.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY DO NOT BREAK ICE

If by chance all your preventative measures fail  (air stone , pond de icer or heater as referred to in garden pond maintenance part one)and a solid sheet of ice forms, don’t panic. to much Pond Fish have been known to survive just fine underneath a 16  to 24inch thick sheet of ice for months at a  stretch although it is inadvisable on hearing about this that you employ no preventive measures at all  merely risking all to chance whether all will be ok . For times of emergency such as with  failed pond heater, you can concentrate a stream of boiling water  from a kettle over the surface of the ice covering your garden pond until a  hole  is melted.  or you can boil water in a tea kettle and then set it in place in a particular spot on the surface of the ice  until it melts a hole. you may for vey thick ice have to repeat these processes several times before a hole appears and as for the teakettle method I would certainly ensure that I tethered it by its handle so it does not fall through to the bottom of the garden pond when it eventually melts a hole in the ice.  Whatever you do though, if the worst comes to the worst and your garden ponds surface becomes a complete sheet of ice do NOT try to break a hole in the ice with a hammer or sledge hammer this will transmit shock waves through the pond that could very well kill all of your pond fish.

Remove as much debris as you can from around the edges of the pond make sure that all loose stones used as pond edging have a firm enough seating so that the extra weight of snow or ice does not make them fall into the pond   During the winter check on your pond often to make sure all is going well. but relax in the knowledge that you have done as much as it is possible to do the further the safe overwintering of your garden pond fish and plant life now is the time to settle down in front of a blazing log fire with a warm cup of tea in your hand or something a little stronger if you prefer and peruse all those plant catalogs and make plans for next year.