Pulled the pump out today

[EricV]

Now I have to look forward to spring. The pond had mostly frozen over except where my breather and waterfall were. Tonight and tomorrow we are projected to get 10+" of snow. And next week sub-zero lows and single digit highs for a few days. So it seemed like the best time to do it.

My waterfall filter is drained as best as I can. All my bio media is removed and stored in the garage. The pump is drying out before I give it a good cleaning and store it. Anything I'm missing? Any suggestions on how to tolerate the 2-3 months before I can get water flowing again?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Not wanting to hi-jack EricV's thread, but a thought just occurred to this old Southern Boy. Since most filter media is in some sort of bag, why do you Northerners not just drop the bag(s) into the pond? At least the bacteria will remain alive during the Winter.

 

[EricV]

Now that would have been a good idea. Next year I guess.

 

[morewater]

Shop-vac the waterfall vault out and fire a tarp (or leftover liner) over it. Reverse the shop-vac hose and blow out the supply line to the pump. Stick in an aerator, breather or heater to maintain a hole for gas exchange.

It's not really necessary to remove pumps from a pond for the winter, providing that you've got them in a depth where they won't freeze.

For the intervening months, I would recommend ignoring the pond completely while drinking gin & tonic in the Caribbean.

 

[cas]

just drop the bag(s) into the pond?

Interesting idea. Question - I read that the bacteria would die in a bio-filter when the pump was turned off for any length of time because of the loss of water circulation. Wouldn't that be true if it just sat in the pond without water being forced through it?

 

[MitchM]

Not wanting to hi-jack EricV's thread, but a thought just occurred to this old Southern Boy. Since most filter media is in some sort of bag, why do you Northerners not just drop the bag(s) into the pond? At least the bacteria will remain alive during the Winter.

I don't see any harm in that, as long as you rinse the media with pond water first.
Hopefully the Biofilter SSA (Specific Surface Area) is already at a high enough ratio that it doesn't matter much either way for when you start up again in the spring.

.

 

[EricV]

Shop-vac the waterfall vault out and fire a tarp (or leftover liner) over it. Reverse the shop-vac hose and blow out the supply line to the pump. Stick in an aerator, breather or heater to maintain a hole for gas exchange.

It's not really necessary to remove pumps from a pond for the winter, providing that you've got them in a depth where they won't freeze.

For the intervening months, I would recommend ignoring the pond completely while drinking gin & tonic in the Caribbean.

Boy, I should have posted this before I did it. The ShopVac idea I can do to blow out the line. I was worried yesterday I had an area that was still filled with water because when I turned things off, the waterfall stayed half full after draining some into the skimmer. Once I pumped out the waterfalll then water stopped coming out of the transfer line, of course, but no idea if I got enough,

My pump sits in a skimmer box outside the pond, so I imagine it will freeze solid when transfer from the pond stops. I stuffed the skimmer as full as I could (with water still in there) of those inflatable plastic shipping bags.

 

[morewater]

Commercially-produced skimmers are made of materials that are engineered to withstand freezing.

 

[Lisak1]

Commercially-produced skimmers are made of materials that are engineered to withstand freezing.

But you don't want to leave your pump in a pit of ice, correct? I really have no idea since our pump is under water year round. We just leave it be.

 

[morewater]

No, the pump is disconnected from the outlet flange (or check valve) and then sunk into a lower part of the pond.

The check valve (if present) is then reversed and twisted 90 degrees to prevent water from entering the supply pipe. As an added measure, I usually put a square of liner over the inlet pipe and secure with electrical tape.

All of the above is done *after* blowing out the line from the waterfall vault.

It is for this reason that I always cover the waterfall vault to prevent water from re-entering the supply line.

This is completely un-necessary for ponds with above-ground lines that I've fitted with quick-disconnects.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Question - I read that the bacteria would die in a bio-filter when the pump was turned off for any length of time because of the loss of water circulation. Wouldn't that be true if it just sat in the pond without water being forced through it?

Not really.
In a biofilter where the water circulation has stopped, two things happen-- First, the nutrient supply is cut-off and secondly, the Oxygen supply is severely reduced in open filters and completely eliminated in closed or pressure filters. Without either Bacteria will quickly suffer. Without both nutrients and Oxygen the bacteria will eventually die.
In a pond, there is usually always an ample supply of Oxygen and nutrients. Rarely is there absolutely no water movement in a pond even during ice-over.
Also keep in mind that on a microscopic level the resident bacteria in a biofilm have the ability to independently transport water throughout the matrix.
If some bacterial loss were to occur, enough would remain to provide seeding for renewed biofilm growth with the onset of warmer temperatures.

 

[sissy]

I keep air lines in both my filters

 

[morewater]

I keep air lines in both my filters

Yeah, but he's in Chicago and you're in Virginia, Sissy.

 

[sissy]

Oh how true and glad I don't live where it is colder .But airlines in your filter helps during the pond season .

 

[barryian]

Not wanting to hi-jack EricV's thread, but a thought just occurred to this old Southern Boy. Since most filter media is in some sort of bag, why do you Northerners not just drop the bag(s) into the pond? At least the bacteria will remain alive during the Winter.

I'd have to scoop out 2 cubic feet out of my bio-filter but that might be a good idea for the 2017 shutdown. Pop it in a bag and dump the bag in the pond in a bunch of bubbles! ... Would speed up the process in March/April ...
Good one @Meyer Jordan !!!