What Size of Pond Heater is Right for My Pond?

Finding the right pond heater for your pond is much easier than you may think. You have lots of options, but the most important things to pay attention to are climate and size.

Starting with size, all you need to do is determine how many gallons of water your pond holds. Not sure how to do this? Use our handy pond liner size calculator. Just enter the appropriate measurements of your backyard pond and our tool will determine the volume for you.

Once you have the volume of your pond, it’s time to think about your local climate. The average winter temperatures your pond is going to be battling directly influence what kind of pond heater you need to buy.

Use the map below to identify your zone. Then use the corresponding chart to match your temperature zone and your pond volume to determine how powerful your pond heater needs to be. (to view a larger image of the map, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page)

Does it even really matter how powerful my pond heater is? Absolutely. If it isn’t powerful enough, it won’t work effectively to keep a section of your pond from freezing over and your fish could suffer. However, if it’s too powerful, you’ll be losing lots of money in energy costs. Either way, it definitely pays off to choose a pond heater that accurately meets your pond’s specific needs.

Have more questions about pond heaters and other pond supplies? Contact a professional at Pondliner.com today.

*Image provided by Sparkling Backyard Garden Koi Ponds, LLC

Why Pond Pumps and Pond Heaters Cannot be Friends

Your pond pump and your pond heater. Both essential parts of your backyard water garden. Both incredibly important to you. Both necessary for your pond life’s health and happiness.

So why can’t they just get along?

Well, as it turns out, it’s not that pond heaters and pond pumps don’t want to be friends. It’s just that they are not designed to work together.

Pond heaters are thermostatically controlled. They pump out heat to keep an area of your ponds’ surface free of ice. This allows critical gas exchanges to occur, without which your pond life would suffer and possibly die.

So how does your pond pump get in the way? It’s by no fault of its own, but pond pumps are designed to keep water constantly moving in your pond, and this causes problems for pond heaters.

Think about it. If your pond pump is consistently moving cold water around, your pond heater is going to go crazy trying to heat that water. It will pump out tons and tons of electricity/energy, but there will always be more cold water coming at it. It will be a never-ending cycle, and you will not get the results you are really looking for.

Basically, you need to choose one or the other. If you live in an area that doesn’t get incredibly cold during winter, you can probably get away with leaving your pond pump running year-round, which will keep your pond water moving and eliminate the need for a heater. However, if you consistently get ice forming on the surface of your pond, using a pond heater during the coldest months is your best bet for keeping your pond life healthy.

Have questions about pond pumps and pond heaters? Wondering which one your pond needs more this winter? Contact one of our pond supplies representatives today.

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.

Pond Heaters, Pond Deicers - What's the Difference?

When it comes to winter pond supplies, one of the most important pieces you can buy is a pond heater. Or is it a pond deicer? Wait a minute…

Some pond owners get confused when it comes to buying one of these products, but we’re here to help.

The first thing to note is that pond heaters and pond deicers are the same thing.

That’s right. Two different names, but it’s the same product and it achieves the same outcomes. So either one you buy, you will be getting a product that is designed to keep your pond from completely freezing over in frigid temperatures. The choice you have to make it whether to purchase one that is submerged or floating:

• Floating pond heater/deicer: located on the surface of your pond, these floating pond supplies are used to keep an area of your pond’s surface open during the winter. In addition, they are temperature programmed, so they only run when the water temperatures hit a certain point. Floating pond heaters/deicers won’t keep your entire pond surface free from ice, but they will create a big enough hole for the exchange of gases to occur.
  
  
• Submerged pond heater/deicer: placed in the bottom of your pond, these pond supplies are used to heat the water at your pond's lowest point. These are most beneficial in ponds less than 18 inches deep, because they will give your fish enough warmth to prevent them from freezing to death. You’ll want to monitor your pond’s surface closely, though, because a submerged heater can’t guarantee that it will generate enough heat to keep the surface of the pond from freezing over. If you notice that it isn’t doing enough on its own, you may need to purchase a floating version as well.

So there you have it. Pond heaters and pond deicers are one in the same. You can buy versions that live at the bottom of your pond, or those that float across the top. Either way, your ultimate goal during winter needs to be to keep a small section of your pond from freezing over. Do this, and you shouldn’t have to worry about your pond life making it happily to springtime.

*Image provided by debs-eye on Flickr.

Help Your Fish Weather The Cold With a Garden Pond Heater

The weather outside is certainly turning frightful for many areas across the country. Winter is officially here, folks, and for those of you who have backyard water gardens, this is a critical time of year.

Fish ponds are designed to survive in the outdoors all year long, but in the coldest temperatures they may need extra help that Mother Nature can't provide. If you live in an area of the country that doesn't reach extremely cold temperatures, you won't have to worry about your pond life freezing to death.

However, if you battle months of brutal winter weather, you need to make sure your fish and other pond life have the supplies they need to survive.

When stocking up on winter pond supplies, one of the most important things to purchase is a garden pond heater.

How Does a Garden Pond Heater Help My Pond Life Survive the Cold?

Once a pond is frozen over, the healthy exchange of gases that normally occurs between your pond's water and the air around it is eliminated. Toxic gases produced by your fish and plant life then have the opportunity to build up in the water and become harmful.

However, garden pond heaters, also known as pond de-icers, are designed to create a small hole in your pond's ice that allows toxic chemicals to escape the water. A garden pond heater will not remove an entire sheet of ice from your pond's surface, but it doesn't need to. As long as there is a small hole in the ice, gases can be exchanged and your pond life will not suffer.

Pondliner.com carries a variety of different garden pond heaters to meet your needs. Some float on the surface of your water while others are designed to be submerged. Browse our available products to find the model that will work best for your pond.

As always, if you have any questions about keeping your pond healthy throughout the winter, please contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable pond supplies experts.

*Image provided by First Light Farms.

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.