Winterizing Water Features
Easy tips for cleaning your pond or similar water features for the winter start with chemistry. To maintain proper pH, you want to make sure that your water is free of leaves and other fall debris. As leaves decay, they lower the pH in your pond, inviting all kinds of problems. A moderately-meshed net makes a great tool for fishing leaves out of your pond.
If you do not have fish in your pond, you can use a submersible pump with a hose attachment to scour the bottom. This simple process requires a few pieces of special equipment and a 5-gallon bucket.
Place your pump in the bucket and submerge it in your water feature that needs cleaning. Once the pump is running, the hose can be used to direct the forced spray along the bottom the pond, dissolving mud and buildup into the water. You can then pump the water out of the pond, taking the mud with it. Be sure to spray out water features a final time after this step, and allow them to dry before covering them for the season.
If there are fish in your pond, you can use a finely-meshed net to scoop out the sludge settled on the bottom. Either way, a quality submersible pump can be a great tool to keep on hand. Don’t forget to change your pond’s pump filter each winter.
If you’d like more information about how to clean your pond, please contact the Irrigation Outlet. We also offer chemicals that can help to keep your pond clean all year long.
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