When do I shut down the pond for winter?

[koiguy1969]

i would probably remove as much of the system as i could ,clean it and store it...this way you know come spring its not had any damage to it from the exposure. and its kind of going to be of little value to the pond anyways. i think maybe a heater and /or an air pump with stone would be adequate to keep a hole in the ice with the absolute minimum of water temp disturbance. the airstone goes 1/2 the depth of your deepest area in the pond so as not to pull water from the deepest area...thats where your fish will be.. a heater would help keep the temp up a bit too.and i would definately consider tenting the pond off also, exspecially on a smaller pond. thats what i would do..with as small a pond as you have stability is the key.

 

[oldmarine]

Thanks Koiguy,

Since my last posting (yesterday), I completely removed the Boi-filter, UV clearifier, and bypassed all of that directly back into the pond.

I still have the skimmer/pre-filter reservor with the 300 watt submersible aquarium heater in place for the winter.

With the temps dropping at night and the days cooling down, I am having to add more water to my pond about every third day now. It's been down into the 40's F at night with some signs of early morning frost on the top of the cars in the driveway.

So far the temps in my pond haven't dropped below 50 degrees F. From here on out I can extpect more water evaporation in my pond.At this point I think my pond is ready for oldman winter.

 

[koiguy1969]

i would still look into tenting the pond if possible the warmth of the water and air temp should be a lot more stable tented..and i bet you gain atleast 5or6 degrees

 

[oldmarine]

Koiguy, thanks for the outstanding advice. I forgot to mention that I haven't installed a tent over this inground pond at all. At least I didn't last year I didn't. All of the plant life around the pond did well even with about a week of one foot deep snow on the ground. Because of the 150 watt heater in my pond last year, there was a large hole in the snow where the pond is.

I'll try it again and see how we do. Thanks again.

 

[koiguy1969]

best of luck to ya!.....and your more than welcome.

 

[oldmarine]

Koiguy, Just wanted to give you an "oh by the way". I finally took the time last night to go through some of the archives here at the forum, and I found your video of your pond. You did an outstanding job, it looks quite natural and well seasoned with care. I really like it. It's ponders like you that give inspiation to ponding.

 

[koiguy1969]

thank you very much... i would have liked to have done more, but finances didnt allow..maybe come springtime...

 

[oldmarine]

Whatever you are doing, keep doing it because it sure looks great. I would love to have to room for a pond as large as yours. More pictures would be appreciated.

 

[Sweet Lew]

OK...Last question before I pull the plug this weekend...

I have a Savio Water Master solids pump that I will be pulling for the winter (no fish). Do I:

a. store it in a bucket of water
b. clean it and throw it on the shelf until Spring

What have the pond veterans been doing?

 

[koikeepr]

we've just discussed this in a few other threads. Feel free to search 'em.

You can do either. If the pump has any rubber parts in it, they may dry up and in that case you use some O ring lube, which you can buy online. Your owners manual will tell you if there's any rubber gaskets in it, etc. If not, you can just shelf it.

 

[Sweet Lew]

we've just discussed this in a few other threads. Feel free to search 'em.

You can do either. If the pump has any rubber parts in it, they may dry up and in that case you use some O ring lube, which you can buy online. Your owners manual will tell you if there's any rubber gaskets in it, etc. If not, you can just shelf it.

Thanks...I think...

Manual stated nothing..Hence why I posted...In my own thread regarding shutting down ponds for the winter...Sheesh...

Anyhoo, for all of you with Savio Water Master pumps, I called them and got some good info. Our pumps are oil-less and are triple sealed. They do recommend that we store the pump in a bucket of water over the winter to prevent the seals from drying out, but if you don't have any place to store the bucket without it freezing, then shelf it..

 

[Big Red]

Hey Sweet Lew. Thanks for checking on that. I have a Savio watermaster clear pump 3960 gph and have been wondering what I'm going to do with it as my pond approaches its first winter. Koikeepr and past posts have got me thinking that, perhaps, I can simply turn it off and leave it as is. I can't decide if I like that idea simply because I'm lazy and it makes winterizing easier. Did the company mention whether or not they can remain in the pond and remain undamaged if the pond freezes over? Thanks for the input.
BR

 

[Sweet Lew]

Hey Red,

Savio advised on not leaving the pump in the water if the water will freeze. They really want you to store it in a bucket of water in a place that will not let the water freeze (i.e basement or maybe insulated garage). They did say, however, that if you do not have a place to store it in water, then on the shelf would be fine. Our pumps are triple sealed and they said if a seal did dry our\crack then it would most likely be the outer most seal first. The other two would still be OK.

 

[Big Red]

Guess the decisions a no-brainer. Appreciate the feedback.
Best of luck this winter.
BR

 

[Sweet Lew]

I am officially shut down for the winter...I didn't realize how small the pump was (had a pond service install it when they were cleaning out the pond this summer). Until next year...:beerchug: