I'm thinking of covering my pond for the first time this year, but I don't have time to read and learn from all the threads on the subject, so can you guys please post pics of your covered pond, and tips here for me?
Thank you!
Thank you!
Please share photos of your covered pond
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MoonShadows
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I mentioned in another thread that I bought a Sunbubble to cover our pond, but it is too early to set it up...and your pond is too large for a Sunbubble (largest is about 11' in diameter), but I certainly will post pics when I set it up. This will be a good thread to see what everyone is doing rather then trying to use the dreadful search tool. Here's a pic from the internet of a Sunbubble.
Looks great! I wish my pond was easy to cover, I'd have just that^^^ on it!
What about gases that collect under the cover? Would I need to periodically lift the cover and air thing out?
MoonShadows
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I'm confident I can find ways to vent it. It has a "door" with a zipper (the panel left of center in the picture), so even if I keep the zipper shy of closing it up, it should vent fine (can't remember if it zippers from top to bottom or bottom to top) I can always retro-fit a vent up near the top.
sissy
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cattle panels are always the best .texas prepper on you tube has the best video ever to make a greenhouse out of them .I just used water line left behind from my well driller and pvc connectors and rebar in the ground and water liner just put over it like a sleeve .It only covers half my pond .Then the bridge is there .It has held up for years now but we don't get much snow .I use it more for shade in the summer
So you think that it does need ventilation?
I'm trying to keep everything in consideration, to see if it's even worth it for me to cover my pond
The main reason I though of covering the pond this year, is cause @Tula mentioned not having to break ice to keep a hole open, which is a real pain for me since both my husband and I work all day, but if the covered pond still require maintenance than it's not going to help me any
MoonShadows
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You need to vent the gases...but whether you actually have to create a vent or not would depend on how tightly the pond is covered.
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I do not create a vent, it's definitely not air tight ! I also do not perform maintenance, once I shut down my filter. Since this is my first season with the Sand & Gravel filter, I don't know how long I'll keep it running.
Last year I just bought an aerator that I set toward the edge of the pond and one of those circular floating heaters that just prevents total ice-over but doesn't actually keep the water warm. The fish survived but the pond did not fare all that well IMO.
My goal this winter is to be able to keep everything running all year. I'll have my filtration system in a shed with a space heater running and I've covered both the pond and the waterfall. The water will continue to flow, the aeration will stay on, and I'd even like to keep the skimmer running (since it is also fulling enclosed under the cover).
The cover on the waterfall is not the prettiest but it has to be sturdy enough to allow water to run underneath it even with snow piling up. In January nobody's going out there anyway. On the plus side, the solar cover on the pond tucks into the small space between the pond wall and the curbing so I don't need rocks in front. We had sustained 25mph winds the other day and there were no issues whatsoever.
I have a 1500w Walmart space heater under the cover and it keeps the air temps very warm. I think that helps keep the water temperature up--but obviously the sun beating down during the day and the lack of evaporative cooling are the big reasons the water will stay warmer with a cover on.
My goal this winter is to be able to keep everything running all year. I'll have my filtration system in a shed with a space heater running and I've covered both the pond and the waterfall. The water will continue to flow, the aeration will stay on, and I'd even like to keep the skimmer running (since it is also fulling enclosed under the cover).
The cover on the waterfall is not the prettiest but it has to be sturdy enough to allow water to run underneath it even with snow piling up. In January nobody's going out there anyway. On the plus side, the solar cover on the pond tucks into the small space between the pond wall and the curbing so I don't need rocks in front. We had sustained 25mph winds the other day and there were no issues whatsoever.
I have a 1500w Walmart space heater under the cover and it keeps the air temps very warm. I think that helps keep the water temperature up--but obviously the sun beating down during the day and the lack of evaporative cooling are the big reasons the water will stay warmer with a cover on.
I've been following your thread, you built a great cover!
I usually don't turn anything off, until the pump for the waterfalls is struggling and some years we make it through the winter with only a couple of days of interruption
I love to see the ice building up on the waterfalls
Thanks for posting here too, it will be easier for me to show my husband the info all in one thread
The only thing I worried about with my waterfall is that there is enough exposed area that I'm paranoid there could be enough ice collected to cause the water to run over/outside the liner which could get catastrophic pretty quickly. Some of this stuff I'm playing by ear. I could certainly turn off the bottom drains for a few days if needed--but I'm trying to avoid having to undergo a full blown winterization of everything.
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I run a 20 LMP aerator, with 4 stones suspended 10 inches into the water, at four points around the pond. I also have Pondbreather and a de-icer. I do not add any supplemental heat, under the cover, or near the filtration.
sissy
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Only problem I see with covers is that you have no clue what is going on in there unless you lift the cover and look .I had ice on my pond a couple of years ago and had no clue the pond was over half empty because the ice on to hid it .Th pump on a crate got knocked over and was spitting the water out the side of the pond .I almost lost my fish because a snow storm hit and there I was trying to get a hose run from my basement tap and there I was also freezing cold in my Pajamas at 1 am until 4 am when I felt there was enough water and then worried for days that the change in water temperature would kill them instead .I was also lucky that I have a well not sure what would have happened if I was on city water .I was lucky they all survived and no ill effects but boy was it scary .It happened in 2010 when we had the worst storm ever here in VA .Believe me I learned my lesson .An aerator under my pond heater now .No more pumps .Plus I bought a low water alarm .