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How time consuming?

Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:52 pm
by shamarian
I really do love ponds but am afraid of how much time is needed for maintenace. A friend of mine has one and I know he needs a couple hours each week to keep it running good. And the same friend hates what is required in the fall to clean it up and shut it down. But he also claims that a beautiful pond to relax by is worth it. Well I really need to know whats the MOST time one needs to spend to keep up their pond or waterfall?

Pond Maintenance

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:28 pm
by Jake Langeslag
Maintenance is always a big concern for a pond or waterfall owner. The time that is spent to maintain them depends on the type of water feature that you have. I will talk about two main types of water features - the disappearing pondless waterfall, and a pond.

Disappearing Pondless Waterfall -
This water feature is great for those who value the sound and sites of a waterfall, but do not want to have a pond. This is also a good choice for yards without a lot of space. This is the easiest feature to maintain because:

- You can turn them off like a light switch - Unlike a pond, where water should be continually moving to maintain proper pond health, the pondless system can be shut off while you are at work or on vacation. We also put our systems on Automatic Timers where you can set the time that it will come on and turn off.

- Automatic Floating Shut off Switch on Pump - If you ever get busy and forget to fill your waterfall, the pump will shut off when the water gets too low. This means you will not burn out your pump! All you have to do is go outside and fill your waterfall up and the pump will start right up again.

Pond Maintenance
To keep your pond clear and healthy you will need to do some maintenance. The product line we sell - Russell Watergardens - makes it extremely easy to maintain.

- The filter has a drain built in. The simple twist of a ball valve allows you to drain out the organics (muck) in the filter. This means you don't have to pull the filter apart and change filter pads or heavy lava rocks.

- The pond contains a skimmer unit
This removes leaves and other debris that falls into your pond. The floating objects will be collected in a net, which is very easy to empty.

- Automatic Water Fill - this feature automatically fills your pond for you to account for evaporation. This means you will not have to get the hose out to fill your pond or waterfall.

Fall does create a heavier load on your skimmer. To combat this you can place temporary netting over your pond during the peak leaf dropping times.

When your pond system is functioning properly I recommend back flushing your filter every other week and add beneficial bacteria to stimulate your filter. If you have fish, I recommend you use a water testing kit to make sure everything is in balance. You will also need to empty you skimmer net. All of this takes about a half hour total. So during the summer in a properly balanced system you would spend about 1 - 2 hours a month maintaining your pond.

In my opinion the many benefits you will receive from your water feature outweigh the small amount of maintenance that is required.

Thanks for your questions