If you have a backyard pond or water feature, you know how peaceful and serene the sound of bubbling water can be and how relaxing it is to spend an afternoon fishing. However, these pleasures are dependent on a healthy pond and pump. It’s the pump that keeps the water moving, an action that not only sounds serene, but helps to keep algae from forming in your pond and adds essential oxygen to keep your pond fish alive. Proper winter care and maintenance of your pond pump is essential to keeping your pond’s eco-system healthy.
How to winterize your pond pump this winter
- Turn off the pump when the water temperature reaches 40 degrees. In the south, you can usually keep you pond pump running all year round. In colder climates where ponds can freeze over during the winter it is usually a good idea to shut things down for the winter. Water can freeze in pipelines and cause damage to the system including the pump if is becomes starved for water.
- Shovel or sweep the snow off of your pond. Some plant growth is necessary to provide oxygen for your fish and sunlight is essential to the photosynthesis process. Too much snow atop the ice on your pond can keep the sunlight from reaching the underwater plants, thus starving your fish of oxygen.
- Consider draining the pond. If you have a small water feature that does not contain fish, you may want to consider draining the pond and removing the pump. This will make it easier to clean things up and get started in the spring and you eliminate the possibility of freeze damage to you pond pump.
- To learn more about keeping your pond healthy this winter and for all of your pond supplies, contact W. P. Law, Inc. We’ve been helping southeast farmers and homeowners for more than 45 years.
