Protect your Pond with Wintertime Maintenance

Although your pond is dormant during the winter months, it’s still important to keep up with routine maintenance. Try these simple pond winterization maintenance activities to save yourself time and money come springtime.

Let Light In

After you shovel your driveway to clear the snow away, get started on the pond. Keeping snow off of the ponds surface can be an important part of winter maintenance. Although your pond is dormant during the winter, there are microscopic aquatic plants that will continue producing oxygen as long as light penetrates the ice. Removing snow to allow light shine onto the pond can be an important step in keeping fish alive during the winter months.

Prepare for the Worst

Winter storms can sometimes result in power outages. Make sure you are prepared to keep de-icers and aerators powered if there is no electricity. If you’ve invested a lot in your pond, and are concerned for the safety of your fish, you may want to invest in a generator for your pond.

If you can, turn off pond pumps and filters in the winter. If a power outage does occur and you are not able to remove water from the filter and pumps, it may freeze, causing major damage.

Minimize Circulation 

If you decide to keep your pump running during the winter months, you will want to minimize the water circulation. During the cold season, even if the top of your pond is frozen, the bottom likely won’t be frozen and will remain around 39 degrees. If you keep the pump running at high circulation, you may actually circulate the frozen water, creating super chilled water.

Some ways to reduce circulation are:

• Turn off bottom drains, if possible
• Place intakes to pumps and filters at mid-water
• Place intakes closer to waterfalls or fountains
• Turn off Surface Skimmers
• Turn your pump down to a lower speed

 If you run into trouble this winter with your pond, or have questions about winter maintenance, contact us for answers. 

Keep Your Pond Safe This Winter | Pondliner Blog

Keep Your Pond Safe This Winter

The holidays have passed, which means the snow and ice have officially arrived, marking the start of winter. If keeping up with pond maintenance through the winter is on your New Year’s resolution list, read below to find the most important winter care techniques you should be using.

An Ice-Free Pond 

If you live in an area where ice is inevitable during winter, it’s important to keep an area of your pond free of ice. This is especially crucial for ponds with fish. Keeping an area open allows for proper gas exchange. Even though your pond is dormant during the winter, your fish still release waste products and use oxygen. If there is no opening from ice at the ponds surface, the harmful gases remain trapped and the oxygen supply will be depleted, leaving your fish in a dangerous environment.

How to Use It

There are several safe ways to open a frozen pond’s surface. One way you should never use is physical force, as fish are sensitive to vibrations, and hitting the surface can stun or injure them. The best method is a pond de-icer, which is designed specifically to maintain an opening in the ice. Keep in mind that a de-icer won’t raise the temperature of the water in your pond, it will just keep a small space free of ice.

The best spot to use your de-icer is in the shallowest part of the pond. If you find it’s not keeping the ice open, try to block the area from wind. Some pond owners place a sheet of plywood directly over the small corner.

Other Options

An aerator or pond pump is another option to keep an opening in the ice and could be more affordable than a de-icer. It may be a better choice for milder weather where the ice isn’t as consistent, though, as the placement of an aerator can be troublesome. If you place it too close to the surface, it can just freeze in place, but if you place it too deep, it could actually chill the pond.

An air pump is also an option, but it has the same limitations as an air pump in terms of placement. You should firmly mount a submersible water pump over the deepest part of the pond, but be sure to keep it far from the bottom.

If you go with an aerator or water pump, be sure to monitor it frequently so they don’t freeze or dry up.

Shop for all your winter pond supplies from Pondliner.com to ensure you have everything you need to keep your pond safe this winter.

Placing Your Floating Pond Heater: It's Easier Than You Think

Last month we talked a lot about why you need pond heaters for your water garden. The role they play in keeping your fish healthy throughout winter is second to none. Today we're going to talk in a little more detail about how to place your fish’s favorite cold weather device.

Placing a Floating Pond Heater in Your Water Garden:

1. Don't jump the gun. You don’t need a pond heater until your pond has frozen over, or at least started forming ice on its surface. Once you notice this happening, it’s time to take action.

2. Decide on a location. Your pond heater should be placed within easy reach of the edge of your pond. If there are any maintenance needs or functionality problems, you want to be able to access the heater immediately.

3. Insert the pond heater into your pond. It’s that simple. Once the location is chosen, you simply set your pond heater into the water. If it runs on electricity, it will obviously need to be plugged in. And if it runs on gas or oil, you’ll need to make sure this fuel source stays full all season long. *There are also some solar pond heaters that don’t require wiring and are very energy efficient. However, you need to live in an area that gets enough sun to keep them functioning properly.

4. Drill when necessary. Ideally, you want to insert the pond heater as soon as you notice ice beginning to form on the surface of the water. However, if your pond is already frozen over and the ice is more than two inches thick, you’ll need to carefully drill a hole where you want to place the heating device. Don’t just crack the ice, because this can cause shock waves that will harm your fish and other pond life.

Placing a floating pond heater in your water garden is easy, but it makes a huge difference to your fish and other pond life. Have any questions? Contact one of our pond supplies representatives today.

Prevent Your Pond from Icing Over with Pond Heaters

Now that we've discussed the difference (or lack thereof) between pond deicers and pond heaters, it's time to talk about how to use them effectively. One of the biggest concerns pond owners face each winter is how to keep their fish alive when the temperatures plummet, and pond heaters/deicers are an essential part of doing so.

The process for keeping your fish comfortable in cold weather is two-fold:

1. Have a section of the pond at least 18 inches deep
2. Keep the surface of the pond from completely freezing over

Allow me to explain why both steps are important. First of all, your priority needs to be keeping your fish from freezing to death. By having a section of the pond at least 18 inches deep, you ensure that your fish can get deep enough to avoid the risk of freezing. When temperatures are their coldest, your fish will head to the deepest part of your pond to hibernate.

As for keeping your pond surface from freezing over, this is necessary to allow a healthy exchange of gases to occur. As your fish’s digestive systems work, they release ammonia into the water. If that ammonia is trapped beneath a layer of ice and can’t escape into the air, you run the risk of poisoning your fish. Likewise, oxygen from outside the pond needs a way to get into the water.

Remember that you don’t have to worry about keeping the entire surface of your pond free of ice. That would be a very big job! Instead, you can use pond heaters or a pond deicer to keep a small section of the water’s surface from freezing. Just a small hole is enough to allow the necessary gases to exchange to keep your fish happy and healthy all winter long.

Have questions or want more information about buying winter pond supplies? Contact a Pondliner professional today.

Aerate Your Pond with an Air Pump This Winter

With winter weather quickly arriving, it is essential to get your pond properly prepared for the chilly months ahead. The fish and other aquatic life in your pond require extra special attention as temperatures continue dropping. If you'll remember from my previous Pondliner blog post on solving your pond's winter woes, I discussed how decomposing pond matter removes oxygen from the water and releases toxic gasses that can become trapped in your pond when it freezes over in winter.


When a situation such as this arises, your fish are in danger of dying due to a lack of oxygen. You can use a pond heater to create a hole in your iced-over pond to allow proper gas exchange, but it would be in your very best interest to purchase an air pump as well, especially if your main pond pump is shut down for winter.

Pondliner air pumps help maintain adequate oxygen levels in your pond, even when your fish's metabolic rates reach their absolute lowest. Guaranteeing that your fish receive the proper amount of oxygen is essential to ensuring their survival through the cold winter months.

Be sure to choose an air pump that is big enough to pump air to the bottom of your pond. As the weather gets colder, your fish will gravitate to the lowest parts of your pond to stay warm, so there is no sense in buying an air pump that won't reach those depths. The specifications of each air pump will note the maximum pond size it should be used for as well as the pond depth it can reach.

To get the most out of your air pump, check out Pondliner's selection of aeration replacement parts and accessories. We have everything you need to keep your pond’s air pump functioning effectively.

As always, our dedicated and qualified staff of pond professionals is available to answer questions and provide additional help Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contact us for assistance today!

Solve Your Pond's Winter Woes with a Pondliner Pond Heater

Long gone are the hot days and balmy nights of summer where you could sit in your backyard and enjoy the sights and sounds of your beautiful water gardens and fish ponds. Now the leaves are falling off the trees faster than you can rake them, and the air is turning cooler by the day. Fall has officially arrived and winter is right on its heels, which means it’s time to winterize your backyard pond. For additional resources on how to care for your pond year-round, visit Pondliner’s helpful Pond Reference Section.

It may come as a surprise to you, but the ecosystem you’ve created in your pond remains active even in the freezing winter, and it requires a delicate balance of circumstances to keep life functioning properly. That is why it’s important that the winterization of your pond is done correctly from start to finish. One essential piece needed for winterization is a pond heater, also sometimes referred to as a pond de-icer.

As you begin the winterization process, a pond heater is going to serve as your pond’s personal detoxifier. During the winter months, decomposition of dead leaves, insects, algae, and solid fish waste occurs. This process uses up oxygen while simultaneously releasing small amounts of toxic hydrogen sulfide. Normally this doesn’t cause any problems, but if there is too much decomposition, or if a layer of ice prevents oxygen from entering and hydrogen sulfide from escaping, the results can be catastrophic for your pond life. However, never fear, Pondliner pond heaters can come to your rescue!

As you can see in the image below, pond heaters create a hole in the ice covering your pond, allowing oxygen to get in and hydrogen sulfide to escape. When this proper gas exchange occurs, you protect your fish, frogs, and other aquatic life from toxic gas build-up, and ensure that they stay happy and healthy throughout the cold winter months.

Whether you require a small pond heater, floating pond heater, or submersible pond heater, Pondliner is here to cover all your pond heating and pond winterization needs.Our pond heaters offer various kinds of thermostat control to prevent overheating and save you money, and they are designed with the safety of your pond life in mind.

An additional way to save money is by buying the appropriate pond heater for your climate. The only information you need is your temperature zone and the number of gallons your pond holds. If you need to figure out your pond’s volume, use our handy pond liner size calculator. To determine which pond heater is best suited for your climate, use the zone map below.

Pond heaters are a necessary component for effective pond winterization, and Pondliner is eager to provide you with the high-quality, affordable pond heater you need. Check out our entire collection of pond heaters, and be sure to consider the Pondliner current promotional discount on our OASE IceFree De-icer. Start winterizing your pond today!

If you have any additional questions, feel free to call our helpful technical assistance crew at (866) 766-3548.