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.

Troubleshooting Your Pond Pump

A sudden freeze hits your backyard pond, cracking your old submersible pond pump. This is not uncommon when you have an older unit that has been in your pond for several years. But, the after-effects can sometimes seem catastrophic for your pond.

So, how can you find these types of issues before it’s too late? 

If you are noticing problems with your pond pump, you might want to consider troubleshooting. Ensuring your submersible pond pump is actually broken before you replace it will help save you money and a lot of labor.

Some things to try when troubleshooting your backyard pond pump:

1.    Check the circuit breaker on your electrical panel that supplies the power to your pump. Try resetting the power or switching between “on” and “off” positions to see if this corrects any issues.

2.    If your submersible pond pump is plugged into a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlet, you can test the breakers to see if there is an issue. Unplug your pump and press the reset button on your GFCI. Then, plug your pond pump back in and see if this solves your issue.

3.    Completely unplug your pump and test the water level. If it has dropped to expose too much of the pump housing it could have tripped the thermal protection device. Refill your pond and wait for your pond pump to cool down. After some time, plug it back in and see if this corrects your issue.

If you can’t seem to find out what is wrong with your pond pump, it’s probably a good time to start shopping for a new submersible pond pump. 

Always choose a magnetic drive pond pump or one that does not use oil, especially if you have fish. This will ensure that if something ever does happen, you will not be left with an entirely contaminated backyard pond. 

It’s always better to keep your pond in proper working order than worry about trying to fix a broken pump by yourself. If you have any questions, contact us at Pondliner.com and we will troubleshoot with you!

Why Do I Need a Pond Pump for my Water Garden?

If you’re backyard water feature is a small water garden, you might be wondering why a pond pump is necessary. You don’t have fish or a large amount of water, so what good can a pond pump do for you?

Filters do the water cleaning, but without a pump, much of your water would remain dirty. A pond pump can do the following for your water garden:

Circulate Water 

Circulation is vital to water garden health, even with minimal fish, plants and water. If your water isn’t circulating, it can’t all be cleaned. With a pond pump, your water will circulate, which allows your filter system to clean all of your water equally and efficiently. Water circulation also creates healthier water in itself. By allowing movement, you can avoid stagnant water in your garden.

 Limit Bacteria Growth

Water gardens can be especially susceptible to unhealthy bacteria growth due to shallow water and extreme temperature changes. To reduce unwanted bacteria without harming your plants and fish, use a pond pump to keep water moving and distribute extreme temperature areas.

Assist Filtration

In summer and fall seasons, extra leaves and debris can enter your filtering system. With a pump for your water garden, you can screen out larger items before they reach the filter. Give your filter a longer life with a pump and connecting pipe that screens out large debris.

Drive Water Features 

If you have a waterfall or fountain feature in your water garden, you’re likely using electricity to power it. With a pond pump, you can not only circulate water, but also add water flow to your garden features. Circulate more efficiently by using one device to both improve the cleaning and water power of your garden.

Water garden pumps  can clean your water and power circulation efficiently. To be sure your backyard pond has the pond supplies necessary to stay healthy, contact Pondliner.com.

How to Add Oxygen to Your Backyard Water Garden

When the sun starts shining and the weather begins to heat up, summer pond maintenance begins. One of your major summer pond maintenance responsibilities is adding oxygen to your pond. 

But, is oxygenating your pond really that important? And if it is, how do you go about adding oxygen?

This is actually one of the simpler pond tasks you will have this summer. It’s important to add oxygen to your pond, because the sun can cause your water garden to heat up which is unsafe for your fish and plants. Oxygen is necessary to maintaining an ecological balance in your pond.

Oxygenating Your Pond

The easiest way to ensure your pond has sufficient oxygen is to make sure there is constant aeration. There are testing devices some pond-owners use to test oxygen levels, but this is unnecessary if you maintain aeration in your pond.

There are several ways to add oxygen to your pond:

1. Pond pumps keep water moving constantly in your backyard pond and make a practical solution to filtering your water and oxygenating your water.
2. Water features are another simple way to introduce oxygen to your pond water. Using waterfalls, fountains and other devices constantly aerate your pond water
3. Airstones are designed to bubble air into your water to keep oxygen at sufficient levels throughout the warmer months.
4. Decreasing plant life is another way to increase oxygen levels. Oftentimes, your plants grow more during the warmer months, which could be depleting your pond of precious oxygen.

It’s not hard to keep your pond oxygenated, but it is vitally important that you do. The health and wellness of your fish depends on the amount of oxygen in your pond water. Your best bet to avoid algae growth and promote aeration is to constantly keep the water moving and producing oxygen day and night. 

*Photo courtesy of Stellajo1976 via Flickr

Fish Safety Around Pond Pumps

How can you keep your fish protected from the pond pump in your backyard pond? Fish safety is an important aspect of being a pond-owner. It is your responsibility to properly feed your fish and protect them from weather fluctuations and unclean or unsafe water conditions.

Having a pond pump is a necessary component to keeping your backyard pond clean and clear. However, it’s also important to understand how to place your pond fixtures to ensure your pond pump won’t harm your fish.

By placing your pond pump in a larger pond, your fish will have more room to swim around without every interfering with the pump. Properly placed rocks and water decorations can also help keep your pond pump away from your fish.

It’s important to only add as many fish as your backyard pond can handle. By adding only two to three fish at a time you can see how they acclimate themselves to the pond and decide if any more fish will fit. Over time, you will be able to more easily determine how many fish fit in your backyard pond without interfering with your existing water garden and pond pump.

Looking for a new pond pump? The newer the pond pump you have the better it will protect your fish and your backyard garden. Shop the Pondliner.com collection of functional pond pumps to find one that will work with your backyard.

*Image courtesy of P_Linehan via Flickr.

Which Fish are Right for Your Backyard Water Garden?

When you are creating a backyard water garden, there are so many decisions you have to make. What size pond do you want? Where are you going to put it? What kind of water features should you add? What kind of plants are you going to buy? What kind of pond supplies do you need?

But, even though there are millions of decisions you will have to make during the process, choosing the right Koi and Goldfish is by far the most important.

Your Koi and Goldfish will be the most important aspect of your backyard pond. At Pondliner.com we offer a wide variety of decorative koi fish, comet goldfish and other lively fish to help you create the backyard water garden you’ve always dreamed of having.

So how do you know which fish are the right fish for your backyard pond? Read below to learn more about the beautiful fish offered through Pondliner.com:

• Decorative Koi – Koi add relaxation and tranquility to a water garden while also adding a pop of color. Decorative koi are known for having random patterns and color varieties.

• Decorative Butterfly Koi – These fish feature the same random patterns and colors of decorative koi, but they also have long fins that come in a variety of sizes.

• Premium Koi – A top grade of koi fish, these can be purchased in a variety of colors to suit your personal tastes.

• Comet Goldfish – Comet goldfish are known for their vibrant reddish-orange color. These fish are known for being personable and fun to watch.

• Fantail Sarassa Goldfish – These goldfish have short, robust bodies with double fan-shaped tails. They are a brilliant red color with white patches and are slow, graceful swimmers.

Remember, Pondliner.com offers more than just pond pumps and pond supplies, we also offer a wide selection of koi and goldfish to help you personalize your backyard water garden.

*Image provided by DanCentury

Get Great Deals on Pond Supplies at the Bargain Basement

In case you weren’t aware, Pondliner.com has a Bargain Basement that features all kind of great pond supplies at discounted prices. What’s better than getting a brand new pond pump? Getting a brand new pond pump at a great price!

Just like the best time to buy a winter jacket is at the beginning of spring, we think the best time to buy pond supplies can be when they’re out of season. If you think it may be time to replace an essential part of your backyard water garden, consider doing it while the weather is cold. That way, you can get a great deal on the part you need, and you’ll be ready to start replacing, rebuilding, expanding or enhancing as soon as the weather starts turning warmer.

Just a few of the products you can find in our Bargain Basement include:

• Pond pumps
• Pond heaters / pond deicers
• Pond lights
• Pond filters
• UV sterilizers/clarifiers
• Pond liners / pond underlay
• Pond skimmers
• Pond vacuums

You get the idea. Pretty much any type of pond supplies or accessories you need can be found on clearance in this expansive section. Browse through the available products today, and treat yourself to a high-quality piece of pond equipment at a great price.

*Image provided by www.vectorportal.com

How to Keep Your Pond Pump from Clogging this Fall

Your pond pump is an essential part of what keeps your favorite ecosystem functioning. During the fall, it has to work extra hard to try to combat all the leaves, sticks and other falling debris bombarding your pond on a daily basis.

Because of all the falling debris, your pump would probably need to be cleaned out daily just to keep the water flowing. Not only is that a time-consuming process, but it can really disturb the ecosystem you’ve worked so hard to create.

Since your pond pump takes care of your fish and pond plants, what can you do to take care of it during this strenuous season?

You can change the size of your filter screen, but if you have a significant amount of debris coming off the trees around your pond, it’s unlikely that this will make much of a difference. A better idea is to get in there and give your pump an extra hand. Instead of waiting for it to filter everything, you can manually clear out the leaves and other material a couple times a week.

Using a pond skimmer can get things on the surface, but you can even go a step further and remove matter from the pond floor using a swimming pool leaf-raking net, or some other similar device. This will cloud the water temporarily, so you may want to follow it by exchanging out some of the pond water.

If you find that this isn’t enough to combat all the crazy debris falling off the trees and plants in your backyard, you may even want to consider redirecting your pond pump system outside of your pond to an external basin. Sink your basin of choice into the ground a few feet away from your pond. You can connect it to your pond either with an underground pipe, or an aboveground PVC pipe. By placing your pond pump inside this basin, the water will be drawn into it, and the accompanying debris will be trapped.

Take care of your pond pump this fall, and it will take care of you. For more tips on how to stay on top of pond maintenance for this busy season, contact a pond supplies professional today.

*Image provided by Wonderlane on Flickr.

Seasonal Pond Pump Maintenance

Taking care of your pump is not a one-time endeavor. It’s important to do seasonal pond pump maintenance to make sure that it your machine is properly prepared for the conditions that come with changing temperatures.

Fall

During fall you’ll need to be extra vigilant about removing leaves and other falling debris from the surface of your pond. If this detritus is allowed to pile up, it has the potential to clog your pond pump's filter, which can result in all kinds of nasty problems.

Winter

Unless you live in a very temperate climate (in which case you probably aren’t interested in an article about seasonal pond pump maintenance), winter is a time for shutting down your pump and storing it. If your pond has the potential to freeze, you don’t want your pump anywhere near it. Frozen water can cause internal pump pieces to freeze and break.

Spring

Your pond pump has been in storage for a while, so examine it closely for signs of damage or wear. Look at the power cord and cables, filter, pump housing and the complete exterior. Then give the pump a thorough cleaning from the inside out. Get rid of any accumulated dirt or grime, especially inside the pump where the impeller is housed.

Summer

The only maintenance that must be done during summer is cleaning. The frequency with which you should clean your pump will vary based on the size of your pond and its location in your yard. Be proactive about cleaning to keep your pump in optimal working condition.

Have questions about your pond pump or other important pond supplies? Contact us today.

Quick Fixes for Your Pond Pump

If your pond pump starts malfunctioning, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to purchase a replacement. Some of the problems that occur have a quick fix, and you may be able to take care of them on your own.

What to do when your pond pump starts acting up:

• The first thing you want to do is clean it. If algae, dirt or debris has built up, it may be blocking the pump or otherwise preventing it from functioning properly. My last post was all about cleaning your pond pump, so refer to that for additional instructions.
  
  
• The next thing you want to look at is water level. If it’s not at the right level, it may be preventing your pump from functioning properly. Water levels that are too low can cause your pump to make weird noises, while those that are too high can cause overflowing. You want your pump to be submerged, but your pond does not need to be filled to the brim.
  
  
• Are you hearing a weird vibrating noise? If your pump is hitting up against the water basin, that could be the cause. Place a small rubber kitchen mat beneath your pump to take care of this minor problem.
  
  
• Finally, you always want to examine the tubing. If it is too small, place the connecting end in boiling water for a few minutes. Immediately after removing it, place it over the pond pump tube outlet. As it shrinks it will form a watertight seal. If it’s too small, purchase a corkscrew clamp to hold it in place. If neither of these solutions work, you can always buy new tubing. Although this is a slightly more expensive option, it is still more affordable than completely replacing the pump.

As you can see, many pond pump issues can be fixed without requiring you to invest much time or money. The biggest factor in keeping your pond fully functioning is to monitor its performance. As soon as you notice a problem, take the proper steps to identify it. If it’s a quick fix, follow our suggestions above. If you need assistance, contact one of our pond supplies experts for more information.

Cleaning Your Pond Pumps: Why, How and When

The month of August is going to be all about pond pumps. We’re going to talk about how to clean them, how to care for them and how to make sure they work effectively in your pond for years to come.

Let’s start with cleaning. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of being a pond enthusiast, it’s that cleaning your pond supplies is the key to keeping them working effectively.

This is definitely true when it comes to pond pumps. They are the heart of any successful water garden, because they aerate the water and circulate it through a filtration system to keep it clean.

Follow the tips below to make sure you keep your pond pump sparkling clean and in great working condition:

1. Unplug your pump from its power supply to prevent the possibility of electrocution.
   
   
2. Gently remove the pump from the water (do not yank or pull aggressively)
   
   
3. Dismantle all parts of the pump and lay them out individually.
   
   
4. Clean each piece separately using only water. It’s best to use existing pond water as opposed to tap water so you don’t disrupt the ecosystem. DO NOT use any chemicals or cleaning agents. IMPORTANT NOTE: when cleaning your pond pump filter, rinse only about one-fourth of the media with water. Some of the bacteria that grows in your filter is beneficial to your pond, so you don't want to eliminate all of it.
   
   
5. Check the hose to see if there are any blockages, and clean them out if necessary.
   
   
6. Make sure all cables and wiring running from the pump are well connected and don't show any signs of damage. Repair or replace if needed.
   
   
7. Reassemble the pump and return it to its proper place in your water garden.

How often you clean your pond pump depends on how large your pond is,where it is located in your yard, and how many fish you have. The more debris your pond accumulates, the more often you'll want to clean the pump. The more fish you have, the more waste that gets produced, and the more frequently your pump will need to be cleaned. You get the idea.

If you have any questions about how to clean your pump, or if you want to learn more about the different kinds of pond pumps we have to offer, contact one of our pond supplies experts today.

Keeping Your Pond Clean Just Became More Affordable

Whether you are a pond enthusiast or are in the process of building your first backyard water garden, you understand the importance of keeping your pond water clean, clear and healthy.

If you have koi or goldfish in your pond, they are continually eating and producing waste that can quickly build up and cause problems. In addition, debris from the air and surrounding trees and plants can accumulate and really clog up your ecosystem.

Thankfully, by purchasing the right pond supplies and performing regular maintenance, you have the resources you need to keep these problems under control. Pondliner is currently running promotions on three of our products that are specifically designed to keep your pond water clean.

Promotions on Pond Cleaning Supplies

From now until July 6, we are offering discounts on the following pond supplies:

• Microbe-Lift PL: 15% off
• Alpine Surge Pumps: 10% off
• ProEco Vacuums: 10% off

In case you aren't sure what any of these products can do, here's a brief explanation:

Microbe-Lift PL: this formula creates a cleaner environment in your pond by reducing ammonia nitrogen levels, dissolving sludge, maintaining biological pond filters, reducing buildup of debris, breaking down algae, clearing up cloudy water and more. At 15% off its already low price, it's a great deal for your backyard water garden.

Alpine Surge Pumps: with a GPH of either 400, 1000 or 1340, these pond pumps help to manage flow control and increase the efficiency of your pond's filtration system. And because they promote energy-efficient operation, you'll be saving money while keeping your pond clean and clear.

ProEco Vacuum: this versatile product can be used either wet or dry to make pond cleanup as easy as possible. It features a single chamber that fills and empties automatically on a preset timer to remove sludge and debris in no time at all.

Remember, these deals are only good until July 6, so be sure to take advantage of them. Keep your pond clear and healthy so you can fully enjoy it and your ecosystem can flourish year after year.

Pond Pump Feature of the Week: Shinmaywa Pumps

As I discussed in my last post, pond pumps are an integral part of any backyard water garden. Whether you have fish or not, you need to have clean, healthy water in your pond. Last week I pointed out some of the key benefits of Pondmaster pumps, but this week we're going to move in to a different brand.

This particular brand of pond pumps has been on the market for quite some time. The company that creates them is responsible for developing and manufacturing all types of pond supplies, and it is recognized as a reputable and reliable distributor.

This week's pond pump feature of the week is ShinMaywa pumps.

ShinMaywa Pumps

ShinMaywa brand pond pumps are unique, because they are primarily used as waterfall pumps. This means that their main purpose is to power a waterfall within your backyard pond. Because they are powering waterfalls instead of simply filtering and aerating water, these pond pumps have a powerful discharge outlet.

Some of the key features of the ShinMaywa pumps include:

• Reliable and efficient functions
• Durable design
• Corrosion-resistant structure
• Continuous-duty motor
• Cast aluminum bearing housing
• Long life span
• Low operating cost

Depending on the model you choose, you may get only some of these features, or you may benefit from many others. If you want to create a beautiful and powerful waterfall in your backyard pond, ShinMaywa pumps are a great investment.

View the complete selection of ShinMaywa pumps available at Pondliner.com today.