Help!

Hello. Can anyone advice me please. During my recent garden re vamp I had a water feature installed, nothing grand just one of those stainless steel balls with recycling water. I was wondering if something should be added to the water to prevent that green stuff growing or from beasties using it as a breeding place. Also in the winter should it be drained and removed until the warmer weather returns?
Thks in advance Ange

 

Hi Nut if it were me I would leave it with nothing added to the water and just put up with cleaning it regularly,anything you put in to keep the water clean is likely to have a detrimental effect on any visiting birds or wildlife, yes drain it in winter to prevent the pump being damaged if it freezes.

 

Thks Walnut
My fellow Warringtonian

 

I may have to disagree

If the water feature has a sump and the sump is below ground level it is very unlikely for the water to freeze. It MAY get a thin sheet of ice, but in order to damage the pump the water must freeze completly solid (since water freezing expands)
You could always be cautious and take the pump out, but it never seems to get THAT cold anymore.
If you do leave it in the water, dont try and run it if it is feezing.

You can get "addatives" to keep your feature clear of algae, and in the small dose that any wildlife will drink it is not harmful. (i have no dead birds around here, even seen them "having a bath in it" ) Only problem is the cost. around £30 for aprox 3 years worth

 

I saw when watching a gardeners world with my beloved Geoff Hamilton that he had these pads which were made of I think coir, and he just put a few in. His was a huge pond so one pack should last ages. Maybe someone else remembers this episode and can correct me on what the pad was made of.


You are very brave, I am still at the double digging stage and me backs killin`!

 

Water-garden said

admire your abilities to do long range weather forecasting W-g :D
Nut I would follow the cautious route.

 

i have a secret weapon, sea weed 8 inch bit for short range, 3 foot bit for long range.

But when did you last have a frozen pond? that was more than than inch thick? even then the pool has to freeze solid to do that much harm.

 

As well as having a pond, nearer the house I had one of those preformed pebble pools.

It was about 5 foot in diameter, with a 2 gallon reservoir for a small pump and water. I used to leave it running all winter for the birds.

This isn't a very good picture, but as you can see the water is still running even though some of it froze over night.

 

W- G There's a difference between a pond and a water feature , and we were talking about water features,some are surrounded by air and freeze more easily than a pond,this winter we had several -6c nights the water on my pond froze to about three quaters of an inch the water feature froze solid as it is raised above ground level, I had the pump in storage,by eck don't you know it's colder upthnorth.

 

Walnut, i never said there wasn't a differance between a pond and a water feature. I concur, there is, and a fountain too for that matter.

I have both, my puddle (it's a pond that small) is above ground (just mr frog lives in it)

I have a water feature below ground

I also have a fountain above ground (just a decorative fibre galss pool sitting level on the ground) so it is above ground, it has only ever had just under half an inch of ice, i know this because i drilled a hole in it to find out.

I ran it while it was frozen, the water took a few seconds to appear as it pushed the ice out of the nozzle, but the pump ran and still does run fine.

My point being, some pump makers say take it out of the pond, feature, or fountain to cover themselves, they also say store it in a bucket of water over winter to stop the seals drying out. where are you going to put the bucket of water ? hardly going to put it in the airing cupboard are you.

I have never seen or heard of (but i am willing to listen) to any one who has had a "what ever" freeze 100% solid. As tweaky's picture shows (although its a water feature) they can look "nice" when the water is frozen

 

Well I would leave the pump in the pond and working, for what it's worth. Also in one edge of the pond a little heater for over winter...will keep a small area free from icing up and allow the pump water to dissipate.

I never removed my pumps once in and they stayed perfectly healthy. Not a lot more I can say really.:thumb:

However, Nut said

It really depends on what kind of container the pump is in. If its shallow...then turn it off.