Keeping your outdoor water feature from freezing is essential to prevent costly damage during cold weather. The key involves preparing the feature, its equipment, and any living inhabitants for winter.
To protect your water feature from freezing, you need to take several important steps before temperatures drop consistently below freezing. These actions help safeguard the structure, pumps, and any plants or fish residing in the feature.
Essential Winterizing Steps
Based on best practices, here are the crucial steps to winterize your outdoor water feature:
1. Drain Your Water Feature
This is a fundamental step to prevent structural damage. When water freezes, it expands and can crack and damage your water feature, especially components made of concrete, stone, or fiberglass.
- Why Drain? Removing the water eliminates the primary cause of ice expansion damage.
- How to Drain: Use a sump pump or siphon to remove as much water as possible. Ensure all lines are drained as well.
2. Remove, Clean, and Store Your Pump
Leaving a pump submerged in freezing water can cause irreparable damage.
- Remove any pumps connected to your water feature. Disconnect them carefully.
- Clean the pump: Remove debris and sediment.
- Proper Storage: Store the pump in a frost-free location, submerged in a bucket of water (to keep seals moist) or following the manufacturer's specific storage instructions.
3. Turn Off Outdoor Waterfalls
Continuous water flow from a waterfall can create ice build-up that can stress or damage the waterfall structure or surrounding feature edges.
- Action: Simply turn off the power supply to the waterfall pump (if it's separate from the main pump, which should also be removed).
4. Care for Plants and Fish
If your water feature contains aquatic plants or fish, they require special attention during winter.
- Fish: Depending on your climate and pond depth, fish may need to be moved indoors to a tank for the winter or kept in a deep enough pond with aeration to prevent it from freezing solid.
- Plants: Hardy marginal plants can often remain in place, but tropical aquatic plants should be moved indoors or stored properly according to their specific needs.
Winterizing Checklist
Use this quick checklist to ensure you cover all the bases:
- Drain Water: Is all or most water removed?
- Pump Secured: Is the pump removed, cleaned, and stored properly?
- Waterfall Off: Is the waterfall turned off?
- Living Things Cared For: Have plants and fish been addressed?
Taking these preventative measures will help your water feature remain beautiful and functional for years to come, avoiding the costly repairs that freezing temperatures can necessitate.
